The Government program that funds upgrades to train stations has been cut by $80 million in the 2017-18 NSW Budget.

The Transport Access Program (TAP) would be the funding source for the upgrade to the Unanderra Station, including installing lifts.

An analysis of the NSW Budget which was handed down on 20 June confirms that the Transport Access Program will receive only $200.1 million this financial year.

The TAP received $280.3 million in the 2016-17 NSW Budget.

According to the NSW Budget State Infrastructure Plan, the TAP funds:

Improvements to provide a better experience for public transport customers by delivering accessible, modern, secure and integrated transport infrastructure where it is most needed.

This is the very same program description published in this year’s NSW Budget State Infrastructure Plan.

The only difference between last year’s TAP funding and this year is an $80 million cut.

NSW Labor has pledged $25 million towards the upgrade Unanderra Station, including installing lifts, if it is elected into government in March 2019.

Comments attributable to Paul Scully MP:

“We have now discovered another reason why the Government has put funding the installation of the lifts at Unanderra Station on the backburner.

“The Government has cut $80 million from the very funding program, which is supposed to deliver upgrades to train stations.

“Over the last six months, as I’ve delved deeper and deeper into the mystery of why this Government won’t fund the Unanderra Station lifts, this is perhaps the most damning discovery of all.

“This Government has deliberately starved its own funding program to upgrade train stations by $80 million while boasting that it has a budget billions of dollars in surplus, all the while telling local commuters they shouldn’t be concerned.

“This is simply not good enough.”