The 40 000 people who work and study at Macquarie University are going to miss their train. Late next year the Epping-Chatswood line that serves the university will close for a seven-month upgrade. The campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union fears a train-wreck coming, with the already inadequate road network set to be over-whelmed, there not being enough parking and too little information from the state government on what it will do and when to keep people moving – over 2500 people get off at Macquarie U station between 6 and 9.30 in the morning.

According to union branch president Alison Barns, both union and university are “stymied by the lack of information forthcoming from Transport NSW.” So the union has asked the state opposition to start asking questions in parliament. There’s a campus discussion with shadow transport minister Jodi McKay, Friday fortnight.

As for Macquarie U management, it has formed a steering committee and project working groups on the problem. The university is “carefully reviewing the temporary transport plan, proposed by Transport for NSW, and will provide further updates as they become available,” a representative told CMM yesterday.