When will all Sydney rail stations be accessible by wheelchair, Gladys Berejiklian was asked on Thursday. Decades?
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"No, not that long," the Premier replied. "But it will take us years. There's no doubt about that."
"Our aim is to have a completely accessible network."
Ms Berejiklian was at Narwee train station on Thursday, marking progress towards her aim. Since Boxing Day, platforms at the station, on Sydney's T8 Airport and South Line, have been accessible by a lift, which has already been a boon for those nearby.
"I said to my sister last night, isn't it wonderful," said Margaret Sutton, whose adopted daughter Rachel has cerebral palsy.
"We were able to walk the streets of the city and not worry whether we've walked too far or not far enough," said Ms Sutton of a trip to the city.
"We didn't have to park our car somewhere and just walk a distance around where our car is."
Government figures show that 167 out of 307, or 54 per cent, of Sydney's intercity and suburban rail stations are now fully accessible.
But those that have been upgraded tend to be the more heavily used stations. This means that about 88 per cent of commuters travel to and from accessible stations or stops.
"We are making our way down the list," said Ms Berejiklian. "I know that every time we complete a station there's another community that says 'what about us?' I know our job is far from done in relation to the transport access program but I'm thrilled with the progress we are making."
Improvements to rail stations, bus stops and ferry wharves are managed under the Transport Access Program, which the government says has been responsible for more than $1 billion of upgrades since 2011.
Stations are assessed for upgrading on criteria including their total patronage, whether they are close to medical facilities, and their proximity to other stations.
But some reasonably heavily-used stations are yet to be upgraded, including Rooty Hill, Edgecliff, Pymble, Roseville, Doonside, Wollstonecraft and St Peters. Work on upgrades to Rooty Hill and Edgecliff stations is set to start next year.
The Member for Oatley, Mark Coure, congratulated community campaigners such as Ms Sutton and her sister Ivy for pushing for a station upgrade at Narwee.
"We've got a choice to go out and access the community," said Margaret Sutton. "We should be given the choice to be able to do it. And to be able to do it means having those accessible stations."
