More people will choose their cars over public transport if Newcastle rail line is cut, which could affect the Hunter’s already congested roads, the state opposition says.
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The government will close the heavy rail line between Wickham and Newcastle from Boxing Day and replace trains with a light rail network into the CBD.
The plan has come under fire from Hunter commuters from outside Newcastle, who fear it will become harder for them to access services in the city.
Results of an NRMA survey of 1700 Hunter motorists released this week identified the congested New England Highway from Metford to Rutherford, especially Newcastle Road in East Maitland, as among the roads that drew the most complaints.
Labor candidate for Maitland Jenny Aitchison said the NRMA’s findings would strike a chord with Maitland motorists.
“People know that the major arterial roads into Newcastle are a logjam now. For the Baird government to cut the direct rail link, that would be unthinkable,” she said.
“Maitland citizens have expressed their concerns about the rail line repeatedly.
“With the centralisation of our legal services due to the closure of the East Maitland District Court, the planned new Maitland hospital on the rail route and places for 6000 university students planned for Newcastle, it is vital for good connectivity and decreasing congestion that the rail line is kept as a strong link for our community.”
But Maitland MP Robyn Parker said the government had invested in reducing congestion in Maitland, with the recently completed widening of the highway at Rutherford and the ongoing work to build a highway overpass into central Maitland.
She said the question of whether the rail cut would affect traffic congestion in the greater Hunter was hypothetical.
“I think the opposition is trying to scare people,” Ms Parker said.
Opposition Leader John Robertson called for the government to abandon the rail cut plan in light of the NRMA’s findings.
“If the congestion along the New England Highway and Newcastle Road is bad now – just wait until the rail line is cut,” he said.