I READ with joy your article on November 12 about more carriages being added to our trains in the peak hour.
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Having travelled on the 4.30pm train from Central I felt relief.
In (Kiama Council's) Kuminico newsletter in October it stated that Kiama residents aged 55 and over make up 35.6 per cent of our population, in NSW this figure is 26.4 per cent. Older people use trains, visiting families, travelling to airports etc and generally visiting our great country.
There are no luggage racks, people use seats to store their luggage, they have no choice. On Sunday, November 16, we returned from country NSW on platform 2 then negotiated our way to platform 25 with our luggage. It was so crowded we could hardly move. We finally boarded the eight-car Kiama Express at 5.29pm for a 2½ hour trip, luggage on the seat in front. At last we relaxed.
At Wollongong an announcement was made in a low voice for everybody to move to the first four carriages, as four carriages were staying in Wollongong. Most people did not hear or understand. A guard came and told us to hurry, people with luggage, prams, a wheelchair all moved up the train.
We appreciate that people who commute to work need the trains and try not to travel in peak hour, but with airlines and country trains it is unavoidable. We are in our 70s.
Oh, for a luggage rack.
Dawn Kaehler
Kiama