Transport NSW has officially opened their new metro lines across the state and whilst city-goers are reaping the benefits, southerners are still feeling the constraints of rural transit.
Dubbed as a “transformative new section of railway”, the new metro lines span across Sydney city, expanding train transportation more than 50km north and west to 21 pre-existing stations.
Whilst the goal of transport is to “alleviate pressure on existing transport options,” residents of the Macarthur and Wollondilly regions are struggling to make-do with limited train and bus services.
South-west Sydney resident Berry Leone commutes three round hours, three days a week to Macquarie University and said that despite its frequency, the new metro line is illogical.
“The inner city has trains every five minutes, it was unnecessary to build a metro that doesn’t expand to underdeveloped areas,” Ms Leone said.
Amidst Australia’s largest housing crisis, the continuous and rapid development of South West Sydney has resulted in a growth of population density, with recent efforts like the T2 Leppington line catering for new occupants.
However, as local councils plan to build 377,000 more homes in the next five years between Greater Sydney and the Illawarra, residents are concerned for their future without appropriate transport funding.
Wollondilly student Veronica Corr travels thirty minutes, excluding traffic, to and from school each day.
Without her license, she partakes in a one-way, ninety-minute long commute to school in Macarthur that she says is tiring and impedes her studies as a 2024 graduate.
“I leave school in Smeaton Grange at 2:30pm and get to Douglas Park at 4:00pm,” Ms Corr said.
“It’s tiring and it leaves me with such little time to thoroughly complete my HSC study and major works.”
For inner-city commuters, the metro provides train services every four minutes during peak travel periods, making transport to and from education, work and leisure accessible and affordable.
For southerners, the Southern Highlands Line remains the only train service for travellers – running twice an hour from stations between Picton, Campbelltown and Central.
“There is no train line in the Camden area. I catch two buses instituted by Picton Council to and from school,” Ms Corr said.
“But being that I live on the other side of Douglas Park Causeway, the commute via Picton Road adds another fifty, sixty minutes to my trip.”
Picton Bus Lines continue to operate alternative bus services to students who live in Wollondilly and attend school outside of the region as residents await better transport services throughout the south-west.
The south-west regions of Macarthur and Wollondilly border historic towns, such as Camden, Campbelltown and Picton, but travelling between them isn’t so easy. From its elevation above the Illawarra to the swooping Nepean, the inland adventure between rural towns and cityscapes calls for reliable modes of transport.
Douglas Park resident Cameron Corr has described his experience of cross-regional life after a chunk of metal sidelined his vehicle during his commute to work. Here he makes his way back into town to revisit his favourite friends and businesses.