Southern Highlands to Wollongong rail frequency to double under NSW government plan

Transport for NSW has confirmed a doubling of train frequencies on the Moss Vale to Wollongong line, a regional rail service connecting the Southern Highlands to the Illawarra network that has experienced worsening overcrowding as the Highlands' population has grown and commuter demand to Wollongong and Sydney has increased.

The service enhancement, to take effect from the next timetable change, will increase weekday services from the current 10 return trips per day to 18, with additional express services during the morning and evening peaks. Travel time from Moss Vale to Wollongong will be reduced by an average of eight minutes through improved track maintenance and removal of long crossing wait times at Bowral and Exeter.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the Southern Highlands had been the fastest-growing regional area in NSW in the past five years, yet its rail service had not kept pace with that growth. "People in Bowral and Moss Vale should be able to get to Wollongong for work, for study, or for the day without being crammed into a train or waiting on platforms," she said.

Southern Highlands Business Chamber president Sarah Mitchell said reliable rail was the most important single piece of infrastructure for the region's working residents. A significant proportion of Highlands residents commute to Wollongong for employment in the health, education, and steelworks sectors, and the existing overcrowding had been cited by new residents as the most significant quality-of-life concern.

The timetable changes will be supported by the deployment of three additional carriages on the service, sourced from the surplus fleet created by the Sydney Metro fleet expansion.

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