What is with all the light rails?

What is with all the light rails?

NSW transport bosses have admitted to “hiccups” this morning, the first test of the seven-month closure of one of Sydney’s busiest and most modern rail lines.

But they’ve said commuters themselves made a big mistake by ignoring advice and “overwhelming” one station in a bid to get on buses while leaving other rail replacement services almost empty.

The verdict from commuters on the Epping to Chatswood line is also in, and in many cases, it’s not pretty: “What a s**t show” said one.

“Be prepared for one of the biggest transport messes on the network,” said another on social media.

Queues for rail replacement services were a hundred strong at one point as tens of thousands of former double-decker train users squeezed onto single-decker buses.

One commuter, who had the doors of a rail replacement bus shut in her face, expressed her feelings in three simple words: “I hate it.”

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has said the shutdown of a line not even a decade old is a “nightmare” and the city had been plunged into “commuter chaos for no good reason”.

But Transport Minister Andrew Constance urged commuters to grin and bear it. Mr Constance said he was hoping “carmageddon” wouldn’t ensue from the increased road congestion.

Transport for NSW said 114 buses moved 10,000 people this morning. The transport body said it was surprised by the thousands who got off trains at Chatswood and headed for buses - of which there simply weren’t enough. Yet at nearby St Leonards station legions of rail buses left for Epping nearly empty.

News.com.au joined the throng of peak-hour commuters and students on Tuesday.

The last train rolled out of the underground link on Saturday evening. But with the Labour Day holiday on Monday, today was the first real test of the new arrangements.

Unlike many passengers, Gaia, waiting at Epping, had done a test run.

“We used the buses yesterday and it was great. They were empty, it was like a taxi,” she said.

“But today, because of the traffic, everything’s changed,” said her companion Brad.

‘I HATE IT’

The government has its fingers crossed bad memories of buses will be banished by mid-2019 when the line becomes a key link in the new Sydney Metro Northwest.

This promises driverless trains every four minutes from Rouse Hill to Chatswood and then, sometime in the mid-2020s, direct to the CBD.

Brad wasn’t convinced though: “I understand it’s good for people in the Hills but it’s not good for us.”

Another commuter, Sarah, ran from to the bus stop only to see the packed vehicle pull away.

“They should have done more planning and put the right trains on the line in the first place rather than having to close it for seven months,” she said.

“I hate it. A trip that used to take 17 minutes now takes 39 minutes from Epping to Chatswood. I think it’s stupid, it’s not been well planned at all.”

Be prepared for one of the biggest messes on the transport network in Sydney's northern suburbs. ECRL CLOSED so no train between Epping and Chatswood. A mess of a new timetable for the T1 lines and chaos just like #sydneytrains likes. Try and enjoy your morning commute. — Tom Flow (@TomFlowAu) October 1, 2018

Residents are also going to tire pretty quickly of sitting gridlocked on "StationLink" buses while a perfectly good rail line is shut down indefinitely, @GladysB. — Neil Alexander 🚴‍♂️ (@Cyclify) October 1, 2018

There was very little publicised about the changes. They put up a new timetable and expected everyone to do their own research and comparisons instead of just announcing the changes. — Sydney Train User (@SydneyRailUser) October 1, 2018

Surprise …. TransportNSW have done an excellent job with the MQ train station closure. I came in early but still … no extra time, no overcrowding and amazing support. A beautiful morning helps. #sydneytrains — Mitch Parsell (@mitchparsell) October 1, 2018

The NSW government expensively persuaded former SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin to don a pink hi-vis vest to spruik the transport changes. It also hired an army of helpers who were out in force this morning directing people to more than 100 buses on six routes to soak up commuters.

But there’s no way a bus can compete with an underground train for speed. Sydney Trains has scheduled buses to take around 20 minutes to cover the full trip.

However, the bus news.com.au boarded crawled through traffic clogged roads stretching the journey to more than 45 minutes.

One passenger lamented if it was bad now, what hope was there once kids headed back to school?

News.com.au witnessed no less than seven buses easily absorbing passengers at one end of the route. In contrast, at the other end delays of 20 minutes led to queues of hundreds of exasperated commuters.

A S**T SHOW

“Long, painful, exhausting and frustrating,” was how Siobhan Rebecca summed up her commute to news.com.au.

Working in Macquarie Park, Ms Rebecca’s lengthy journey started at 6.45am and already took more than an hour. Now it’s even longer.

“We were told that buses would be arriving every six minutes. I was there at 7:45 hoping to arrive by 8am. The bus did not arrive at Macquarie Park until 8:15 meaning I was 20 minutes late to work,” she said.

“There was plenty of space left on our bus but the stewards told everyone else to wait for the next bus.

“Day one of taking the Station Link buses and already trying to look for a new job closer to the city. What an absolute s**t show.

“The fact that we have to pay for this service is a total disgrace.”

Not every commuter had a nightmare. Those lucky enough to miss the yawning gaps between services found themselves efficiently dispatched by marshals to their destinations on buses so sparkling they still had that new car smell.

BIG SURPRISE FOR TRANSPORT BOSSES

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said the closure was a “nightmare” but pleaded for commuters to not take the pain out on workers.

“The NSW Government is about to plunge the city into months of commuter chaos for no good reason,” Mr Claassens.

“It’s difficult when the government insists on regularly making ridiculous decision like this, but we’re just doing the best we can.”

TfNSW co-ordinator general, Marg Prendergast said the commute should get smoother.

“It’s been operating really well but their have been some first day hiccups,” Ms Prendergast said.

The biggest surprise was people heading from the city changing onto buses at Chatswood.

“Passengers overwhelmed Chatswood today while St Leonards sat empty. But St Leonards is the heavy lifter (in the peak) for us and where we have the most buses departing,” she said.

“It’s day one, we know people will try different things, they have to work out what’s best for them.”

Speaking to news.com.au on Monday, the minister urged people to plan their new trip and leave themselves some wiggle room.

In the end, the pain would all be would all be worth it, Mr Constance said.

“We are conscious some 20,000 commuters rely on the Epping to Chatswood rail link every day. Please bear with us — this is a seven month strategy to build a world class metro system to your community,” he said.

“I’m hopeful we will not have carmageddon but will urge people to be patient and leave themselves an extra 15 — 20 minutes.”

Commuter Lucy looked resigned in the queue at Epping when news.com.au talked to her at 8am.

“It’s really confusing and I have a job interview at Macquarie Park,” she said. “I just really hope I make it.”