AN extra stop on the Bathurst Bullet daily return train service to Sydney will make a big difference to Fiona Gilbert and Greg Davis.
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The couple take little Harrison Gilbert to Westmead Children’s Hospital about once every six months to see an allergy specialist – which, up until now, has involved a second leg on the journey.
“We go to Parramatta [by train] and get a bus [to Westmead],” Ms Gilbert said.
And when you’ve got three kids in tow, including one in a pram, that can be easier said than done.
The NSW Government has announced Westmead will be added as a stop on the Bathurst Bullet from late next month.
Westmead will also be a stop on the new weekday Lithgow to Sydney CBD return express service which was announced earlier in the year and is set to kick off late next month.
It will be the first change to the stops for the Bullet, which runs seven days a week between Bathurst and Central, since it started operating in October 2012.
At the moment, the service stops at Lithgow, Mount Victoria, Katoomba, Springwood, Penrith and Parramatta before arriving at Central.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said the announcement was a big boost for people in the region who need fast access to the Westmead Health Precinct.
“People in the Central West have been asking for better access to the services at Westmead Health Precinct and that’s what the NSW Government is delivering,” he said.
The NSW Government says the new Sydney to Lithgow morning express service will connect at Lithgow with regional coaches heading to Bathurst and Orange, while the return Lithgow to Sydney service will connect with coaches arriving from destinations like Nyngan, Dubbo, Wellington, Molong, Orange, Lucknow and Bathurst.
Mr Toole said the NSW Government will also improve bus services between the Westmead Children’s Hospital and Westmead Station.
“Customers should hold off planning their journeys until the final version of the timetable is released in October and before we begin operations in late November,” he said.
“The final customer timetable will be released with plenty of time for customers to plan their journeys before it kicks off.”
He said the changes are being delivered as part of the More Trains, More Services Program, a $1.5 billion NSW Government initiative to boost capacity across the network through extra services, better infrastructure and new trains for Sydney.
Ms Gilbert said being able to catch the train direct to Westmead will make for an easier journey.
“It will make a huge difference. It will just be straightforward.”