Bathurst Rail Action chairman John Hollis commends repair work on Blue Mountains line, but says upgrades needed

That's the view of Bathurst Rail Action chairman John Hollis, though he does say improvements to the line, including removing bends, are vital.

Part of the line through the Blue Mountains was closed for about three weeks after torrential rain caused a major landslip between Blackheath and Mount Victoria in July last year, while another part of the line was closed last month following a freight train derailment at Linden.

In both cases, buses replaced part of the journey for passengers on both the Bathurst Bullet daily return services to Sydney.

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Repairs to the damage caused by the derailment are expected to be completed soon and the line will reopen on Saturday, January 21, with Mr Hollis commending Transport for NSW for working as quickly as possible to get the job done.

"These are man-made things and they have accidents from time to time," he said of the two major recent incidents on the line.

"It does inconvenience people, but I think when it boils down, people accept the failures of these sorts of things because it doesn't really happen that often.

"The important thing is that Transport for NSW has acted appropriately and got stuck into getting the job done properly and safely for the community."

While acknowledging that problems do occur through no fault or inefficiency of any one person or organisation, Mr Hollis said overall upgrades on the rail line are needed.

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With the communities in the Central Tablelands and Central West growing, improved and faster train services are increasingly important, he said.

"From the [Bathurst] Bullet point of view, I'm looking forward to what Transport for NSW will do in improving the rail line between Bathurst and Sydney, and even further out west to Parkes," Mr Hollis said.

"There's no doubt that the line has to be improved to be a fast rail line to connect with the Inland Rail [the freight rail line that will connect Melbourne and Brisbane and which will pass through Parkes].

"Also, it's important to improve the line for the likes of Orange and Dubbo, because - like Bathurst - they're increasing in population and as such we need a better service than what we've had in the past."

Mr Hollis, who was one of those who was involved in the establishment of the Bathurst Bullet, said securing a service that directly connected Bathurst to Sydney was initially the important thing, but now he would like to see the Bathurst Bullet improved.

With new and improved trains on the way for NSW, Mr Hollis said improving the lines and removing the number of bends to speed up the travel time needs to be the next step.

"The trains we are getting, they're a hybrid train, they run on electricity or diesel motor, so that's a big step forward," he said.

"I think that big step forward has to be coupled in with improvement in the service and shortening of the travel time."

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The line through Bathurst was one of four lines that was considered for fast rail in a report prepared for the NSW Government a number of years ago.

Report author Professor Andrew McNaughton said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald last month that linking Newcastle and Wollongong to Sydney by fast rail would "change the face of NSW".

For those living west of the Blue Mountains, though, Professor McNaughton said selective track upgrades at a fairly modest cost would make a big difference.

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