All ran to Central via Lidcombe.

There was an early, late and even later return service in the evening – one did not dare to miss the chosen departure.

The loco-hauled trains had more reasons to break down than seemed reasonable. 

Hour-long delays in either direction were common and so frustrating for families in the days before mobile phones.

The carriages were referred to as “cattle trucks”, with gas radiators on the end walls that did nothing to warm us until the Campbelltown mob filled the compartments, often smoking in the non-smoking compartments.

It was hell. The Sydney Morning Herald carried a story titled “The Black Narcosis of the Long Distance Rail Commuter”. 

We used to joke that one either gave up or went mad after about five years of the torture.

That ended for me in about 1990 when I started to drive to Macarthur. 

The East Hills-Glenfield link which made such a difference from about 1987 – until the bean counters started to force transfers at Campbelltown in the early ‘90s.

Given that history, don’t be surprised that I am happy with the (ageing) rail cars and reliability. 

The forced change at Campbelltown is objectionable to me as the needs of long-distance commuters are a bit special. 

Sleep for example!

Fitting the Highlands into the Sydney planning horizon means treating logistics and employment separately from commuting. 

It also means “expressnets” to increase accessibility in the “new towns” like Wilton and soon Marulan maybe.

Most certainly it requires less waste ripping up the Bradfield suburban tracks and more money, much more money, for regions. 

Sydney’s population should “come out”, not up!