Sydney commuters bear brunt of overcrowded trams on inner west light rail

Commuters face a frustrating wait before they get relief from chronic overcrowding on trams on Sydney’s inner west light rail line during peak travel periods.

Passengers say the crowding is a “nightmare” during peak periods despite the introduction of an extra 90 weekly services last year on the 12.8-kilometre line from Central Station to Dulwich Hill.

And the most recent government statistics show the number of passengers using the light rail line surged by 59 per cent to 9.73 million in the 12 months to June last year.

Transport for NSW, the government agency charged with oversight of the networks, said it would continue to monitor passenger numbers on the inner west line but declined to say whether it planned to boost tram services during peak periods.

The agency said it put on an additional 107 services during off-peak periods on weekdays and on Saturdays in January as part of a trial.

“This trial is due to conclude at the end of June and the data gathered will help to guide the development of future service delivery requirements,” it said.

Read more in the Sydney Morning Herald