The Tourism & Transport Forum, Australia’s leading tourism and transport advocacy group, said the NSW Government’s commitment to address overcrowding on the Blue Mountains line will significantly improve the visitor experience of the thousands of tourists who flock to the world-famous destination each weekend.

TTF Chief Executive, Margy Osmond, welcomed today’s announcement the NSW Government will deliver 24 new express weekend services between Sydney and the Blue Mountains and double capacity on six current services with new dedicated 8-car express tourist trains.

“With more than one million people travelling to the Blue Mountains each year, the current Blue Mountains transport line was at serious risk of becoming a victim of its own success with overcrowding issues threatening to deter visitors from making the trip by train,” Ms Osmond said.

“TTF has previously called for the NSW Government to monitor patronage levels and ensure that appropriate services are available for local residents and domestic and international tourists, and it is encouraging to see that Transport Minister Andrew Constance has listened and is addressing this issue before it became more of a problem.

“Liveable cities make attractive visitor destinations and one of the features of any liveable city is that it is serviced by a world-class public transport network. Tourists to international cities such as Sydney expect efficient, affordable and reliable public transport options and to be able to access popular tourist attractions with ease.

“TTF congratulates the NSW Government on recognising that improving public transport with the visitor economy in mind will encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more, and visit a greater range of destinations.”