O'FARRELL FAILS TO DELIVER LATE NIGHT TRAINS FROM KINGS CROSS

MEDIA RELEASE | Tuesday, 18 September 2012

O'FARRELL FAILS TO DELIVER LATE NIGHT TRAINS FROM KINGS CROSS

The O'Farrell Government's failure to introduce late night train services from Kings Cross means thousands of revellers will still be waiting around on the streets every Friday and   Saturday night causing trouble.

"While the NSW Opposition welcomes today's announcement, the Premier has missed a key piece in the puzzle to solving the problem of alcohol fuelled violence in Kings Cross," Opposition Leader John Robertson said today.

"This plan fails to include late night train services to move thousands of people out of Kings Cross quickly and safely on Friday and Saturday nights.

"A train could move 1,000 people out of Kings Cross, directly to Town Hall and Central, in under ten minutes.  

"By comparison, the average bus carries only 58 people. You can move nearly 20 times more people on a train than you can on a bus.

"We need to treat Kings Cross on a Friday and Saturday night like a major event, and run sprint trains to move the thousands of people out of the area at the end of the night."  

Shadow Transport Minister, Penny Sharpe said: "Barry O'Farrell could have put on sprint services from Kings Cross to the Town Hall and Central public transport hubs where people could then have travelled to the outer suburbs."   

"Let’s not forget Barry O'Farrell was Chief of Staff to Transport Minister Bruce Baird when these late night trains were cut in the first place."

Even the Member for Wentworth, Malcolm Turnbull backs late night trains for Kings Cross:

"It is nuts to have large numbers of people until three or four am and trains ending at one."
(Malcolm Turnbull, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 July 2012)

Shadow Police Minister, Nathan Rees said: "Barry O'Farrell has missed his opportunity to make a real difference in Kings Cross and put on late night trains to move people out of the area and home quickly."

"Everyone knows the alcohol fuelled violence in Kings Cross is made even worse by the thousands of drunken revellers wandering the streets because they can't get home at the end of the night."

Shadow Minister for Hospitality, Steve Whan said: "While I'm glad the Premier has acted on the Opposition's calls to put more police on the streets of Kings Cross, he has only done half the job."

"Sprint train services have to form part of the solution to curbing alcohol fuelled violence in Kings Cross."