Emma Pritchard

Clarence Valley commuters who rely on the XPT to travel between Grafton and Sydney will have to choose between a coach service or alternative options via rail for approximately 12-months after the NSW Government announced the current XPT fleet is set to undergo vital upgrades as part of a $40.3 million XPT Life Extension Program.

From mid-March the 5:15am Grafton to Sydney XPT service and the 11:44am Sydney to Grafton XPT service will be replaced by buses to allow the extensive work to commence.

The remaining four daily XPT services to Casino and Brisbane will continue to operate.

The upgrades, which will be completed in NSW by Sydney Trains, include mechanical work to improve service reliability, maintenance to enhance operation of the air-conditioning and toilets, repainting and refurbishing the power cars, and the addition of new carpet and refurbished seating.

While he acknowledged the significant inconvenience which will be caused to passengers and up to 85 XPT employees throughout the next 12-months, Member for Clarence Richie Williamson noted the long-term upgrade will ultimately benefit the general public.

Mr Williamson also took the opportunity to vocalise his support of commuters and XPT employees during Question Time in the NSW Parliament last week when he called upon NSW Premier Chris Minns to “do the right thing” and introduce 50 cent fares for passengers who use the available coach services while the upgrades are completed.

“This is a fair and sensible measure to support North Coast commuters who rely on this service,” he said.

Mr Williamson also urged the Minns Government to guarantee that local rail workers will not suffer financial losses due to the service suspension.

“As it stands, local XPT employees could be up to $753.01 a fortnight worse off due to the switch from XPT trains to road coaches, and that is simply unfair,” he said.

“The Minns Labor Government must guarantee that no workers will be short-changed as a result of this decision.”

In a statement issued last week, Mr Williamson said when he asked the Premier whether his government would protect workers from financial loss, he deflected responsibility and blamed previous administrations for delays in upgrading the XPT fleet.

“The Premier failed to answer a direct question about supporting workers and commuters instead of taking responsibility, and that’s simply not good enough,” Mr Williamson said.

While Mr Williamson revealed he will continue to push for fair treatment of both passengers and XPT employees and hold the Minns Government accountable for its decisions, Grafton residents Yvonne Lloyd and John Stuart shared their concerns regarding the upcoming changes to local XPT services with the Clarence Valley Independent.

“The NSW Government has announced these regular XPT services will only be replaced by buses for a year, but they can’t guarantee that,” the couple said.

“Clarence Valley residents are already severely limited when it comes to accessible travel options because we no longer have an airport with regular passenger services, and we need to retain what local services we do have that are readily available, especially for our elderly population.

“Also, as regular travellers, we find trains to be far more reliable compared to buses.

“We may have to look at alternative XPT services if we need to travel after mid-March.”

The current XPT fleet has been in service for more than 40 years.

The NSW Government announced the scheduled upgrades will ensure passengers are provided with a safe and comfortable service until the next generation Regional Rail Fleet is ready to be introduced.