Rail anomalies hit pensioners

Anomalies in CityRail's pricing system which disadvantage pensioners on the Peninsula may be scrapped under the public transport review being undertaken by the Department of Transport

Member for Peats Marie Andrews said that she has made many representations concerning the inequities and hopes that they will go following the review.

"Rest assured I'm very much aware and I've made lots of representations about it," Marie said.

Ms Andrews said that she was not sure what stage the review was at but she hoped it would change the way pensioners are charged.

Currently, it costs a pensioner more to get from Woy Woy to Gosford than to get from Gosford to Newcastle.

It is also cheaper to buy these two tickets than to buy a ticket from Woy Woy to Newcastle.

Pensioners travelling from Wyong to Gosford or Wyong to Newcastle paid even less.

Currently it costs $1.40 for a concession from Woy Woy to Gosford and a further $1.10 from Gosford to Newcastle, a total of $2.50.

However, a direct ticket from Woy Woy to Newcastle is $3.30.

From Woy Woy or even Gosford to Central, a similar distance in the opposite direction the cost is only $2.20 for a pensioner.

Yet Wyong to Newcastle, the equivalent in the opposite direction is even lower for Wyong's pensioners at $1.10.

If Peninsula pensioners want to travel to Wyong to get access to such cheap tickets they can expect to be slugged almost double the fare to Gosford, $2.20, the same as a trip to Central.

Similarly, those pensioners travelling from Wyong to Gosford pay only $1.10, but those on the Peninsula travelling Woy Woy to Gosford, a shorter distance with fewer stops in between, pay $1.40.

They pay more to get from Woy Woy to Gosford than Gosford to Newcastle.

CityRail was approached for comment but did not reply.

Alison Branley, November 26