John Hollis looks back on ten years of the Bathurst Bullet

John Hollis, the chairman of the Bathurst Rail Action Group, remembers what it was like in the days before the Bullet, where people had to rely on a coach service that would take them to Lithgow, before they could then board a train to Sydney.

Mr Hollis described the situation as "archaic".

Then Member for Bathurst, Mick Clough, raised the seriousness of situation in Parliament in 1995, prompting the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA) to start a campaign for change a few years later.

Eventually, the Bathurst council was brought into the conversation, and from there a dedicated committee was formed and was able to get some traction.

Mr Hollis said that Bathurst, as a growing regional city, needed to have a daily commuter service to Sydney.

"It was an important piece of infrastructure as Bathurst grew. We had an integrated transport service of buses and aircraft and trains. It was pretty archaic when you think of it, for a growing town like Bathurst that we had to catch a coach down to Lithgow and get on the electric train," he said.

Finally, on October 21, 2012, the Bathurst Bullet commenced its maiden journey.

There was standing room only on the platform at Bathurst railway station ahead of the debut of the daily return express rail service to Sydney.

Mr Hollis recalled feeling "absolutely ecstatic" as the train arrived.

"We were very happy with the achievement, very happy with the cooperation from the government of the day, and we could see that it would be a great event for Bathurst and would only grow into the future," he said.

A decade later, the service has well and truly cemented itself in Bathurst's transport network.

There is now a second Bathurst Bullet service each day, giving people more options when it comes to travel.

Having the Bathurst Bullet will only help as the city continues to grow, Mr Hollis said.

"It's been a wonderful vision to have such a service. It's a City Rail service, which means that our fare structure is very favourable - it's only about $8 or $9 single journey to Sydney by train," he said.

"It takes Bathurst into the future with the rail connection with Sydney, so I can only hope it's the start of bigger things to come in that area."

The 10^th anniversary of the Bathurst Bullet will be celebrated next Friday, with cake, tea and coffee to be served on the platform to passengers getting on the 7.35am train.

People in the community who want to recognise the anniversary are welcome to join the event, which will start at around 7am.

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