The action comes after a lack of state budget funds to address the issues of overcrowding and travel times.

There was $252 million in the budget for the intercity rail fleet, but that would not hit the rails for two years.

Shadow minister for the Illawarra Mr Park criticised the government’s lack of action on the South Coast line.

“Again this government has failed to address the ongoing issues commuters face daily,” Mr Park said.

“We have overcrowded trains leaving passengers standing, in some cases, for their entire journey.

“Services on the South Coast line also struggle to run on time. What has the government to address these issues? Absolutely nothing.”

In a bid for action, Mr Park is calling on the Legislative Assembly Committee on Transport and Infrastructure to launch an inquiry into rail services out of Sydney.

“I today proposed an inquiry to be established to look at how we improve rail connections between Sydney and regional NSW, including the Illawarra,” Mr Park said.

When it comes to the Illawarra, the draft terms of reference state the proposed inquiry would consider “the train work and revised operating practices necessary for the new trains due in 2019 to allow for a one-hour Sydney to Wollongong service”.

“This is something that I have worked on with well-known rail expert Philip Laird and something that the committee whilst not approving yet, has agreed to consider after they complete their current inquiry into commuter car parking,” Mr Park said.

The NSW Greens Transport spokeswoman Dr Mehreen Faruqi issued a call for another inquiry on the issues – this one in the NSW Upper House.

“The Illawarra has been ignored and people have put up with substandard, overcrowded and slow trains for far too long,” Dr Faruqi said.

“We need clarity from the government on whether it is considering any options at all to improve the current state of public transport.