NSW Transport Minister, Andrew Constance has taken a swipe at union bosses during today's official opening of the Newcastle Transport Interchange.
The $200 million transport hub will be the focal point of public transport into and out of Newcastle, with around a thousand train services a day connecting commuters to Maitland, the Hunter Valley and the Central Coast and Sydney.
The route 110 shuttle bus will take commuters into the city from Stewart Avenue while work continues on planning approval for a coach interchange on the site of The Store in Hunter Street.
Construction of Newcastle's Light Rail project is under way and is on schedule to begin running from the new interchange in 2019.
On Friday, officials from the Rail Tram and Bus Union staged a small protest outside the interchange calling for Andrew Constance to step down over the underpayment of bus drivers and missing or cancelled services by Newcastle's private transport operator, Keolis Downer.
The minister said the company needed to be given a "fair go" to allow them to "bed-in" the new network and that the government will work through any issues which have arisen.
Today, union secretary, Alex Claassens described the interchange as a waste of taxpayer's money by essentially re-opening the Wickham Train Station which was closed three years ago.
Andrew Constance dismissed the criticism.
"The union bosses should just go back to sleep. Seriously, they call for my resignation every day of the week. I love it. They have nothing to contribute, they're rent seekers and (they should) just go back to sleep," he said.
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| Parliamentary Secretary For The Hunter Scot MacDonald and Transport Minister Constance At Today's Official Opening |
