Since 2006, Redfern station has gone from tenth busiest station in the network to sixth, with over 42,000 entrances and exits per weekday. Lift Redfern’s member Michael Chapman says: “If we’re not having the conversation about it, it will be forgotten or it will fall down the list again, and this is what’s happened with Redfern station over the last 20 years.”
The Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian MP’s response to the residents’ petition submitted by Kristina Keneally indicates that “$100 million have already been spent on the first round of upgrades in 35 locations, including lifts, access ramps and other accessibility improvements”.
Although Redfern station is not part of that first round, Ms Berejiklian writes that it will be considered for future projects.
Graeme Innes, Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner, says: “I’m pleased that the Government is allocating Easy Access funds to the places where it’s most needed … I can’t see how Redfern, as one of the busiest stations in Sydney, wouldn’t fall in the category.”
Michael Chapman is aware of the huge enterprise that an upgrade of the Redfern heritage station would represent. However, he says: “We can do amazing feats of engineering, we have the expertise here in Australia, it’s just a matter of biting the bullet.”
The Lift Redfern group met on Monday July 16 with the Transport Minister’s Senior Policy Adviser, and a spokesperson for Transport NSW in charge of the Disability Access programs.
Greens Councillor Irene Doutney, who organised that meeting, says that the outcome was “not positive, but not totally negative”. She said they tried to introduce the idea that, if the upgrade of the whole station was not possible, at least the installation of one lift on the Eastern Suburb line platform should be considered.
The petition will be debated in Parliament House on August 23. Clover Moore MP, who will be a speaker in the debate, says: “I’ve been calling for an upgrade for years. I hope that the call of tens of thousands of petitioners will make this a Government priority.”
The Minister for Transport made the following comment: “The Transport Access Program includes more than $770 million over four years and is now delivering projects … As part of the program all stations across the network are being considered for future upgrades.”
