Hunter
commuters could soon have to pay more than $1000 extra for train fares
annually, as the O' Farrell Government considers recommendations to
recover rail costs.
Under the Schott Report, a weekly rail fare from Newcastle or Maitland to Sydney would rise from $59 to $80, costing commuters an extra $21.
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr says the potential increases already come on the back of a 5.4 per cent hike in train fares this year.
“We’ve just lost one of our ten trains that do our Newcastle Hunter Timetable.
“That means that our trains are
going to be busier with more people queuing up for less seats and again
we're talking about raising price of tickets by 7.8 per cent, when
people's wages are going up at only 2.5 per cent."