Hopefully this process will involve determining the type and number of services to be provided then the rolling stock to be acquired accordingly, and not vice versa.

The outcome for the Central West should be the provision of two daily services: one leaving Sydney in the morning and returning in the evening – more or less as currently provided – and a new service leaving the Central West in the morning and returning in the evening.

The absurd situation, whereby the only train service from the region arrives in Sydney at nearly 9pm, is well documented.

Connecting coaches with the Bathurst Bullet or the proposed Lithgow Flash are only band-aid solutions. 

Reversing the current XPT timetable would significantly disadvantage those travelling beyond Dubbo, to as far away as Lightning Ridge, Bourke and Broken Hill.

The only real long-term solution is therefore the provision of sufficient rolling stock, as part of the XPT replacement program, to allow an additional daily service leaving the Central West in the morning and returning from Sydney in the evening.

In recent years this government has provided billions of dollars for transport projects, including the acquisition of over 1000 new rail carriages, in the metropolitan area.

There is an apparently endless pipeline of future projects, to cost tens of billions.

Surely the addition of a half dozen or so carriages to provide the extra Central West service is not too much to ask.

I WOULD sincerely like to thank all the local residents who took part in Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check this May and June, making it a huge success.

A record 63,211 checks were delivered during the campaign by Stroke Foundation in partnership with Priceline Pharmacy across the country. With your support, we far exceeded last year’s tally of 56,000 health checks.

Disturbingly, one in three participants was found to have high blood pressure, which is a key risk factor for stroke.

The results came as a wake-up call to many, as high blood pressure often has no symptoms. Those found to have high blood pressure and an increased stroke risk were referred onto their doctor for advice on lowering their blood pressure, reducing their risk of stroke and improving their overall health.

Stroke kills more women than breast cancer, more men than prostate cancer and leaves thousands with an ongoing disability. Stroke attacks the brain, the human control centre, impacting both physical and mental abilities. It happens in an instant, changing the lives of the survivor and their loved ones forever.

There is one stroke in Australia every nine minutes.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way. We can help protect ourselves from stroke by managing our blood pressure, getting more active, maintaining a healthy diet, stopping smoking and reducing our alcohol consumption.

With your help we can continue to run free community health checks to identify Australians at risk of stroke and save lives.

Together we can also take the battle to a higher level by demanding our state and federal politicians commit to a funded national action plan to address the prevention and treatment of stroke. Take the opportunity to see what you can do to help today by visiting www.strokefoundation.org.au