Don't cut the newcastle rail line

THE state government has named the date – heavy rail services into Newcastle station will end on Boxing Day and work to truncate the line at Wickham will begin.

Early construction work for a new transport interchange at Wickham will also get under way, Transport and Hunter minister Gladys Berejiklian has announced.

The start of the overhaul on December 26 will come two years after the government first declared it would truncate the rail and only a few months out from the March 2015 state election.

The truncation of the line at Wickham, will make travelling into Newcastle from the upper hunter and from the outer suburbs a difficult and costly exercise having to get on and off trains buses and light rail. It will make school trips to the beaches Museums and Art Gallery from upper hunter schools to a challenge resulting in needing to hire buses therefore more costly for parents.