Whether ratepayers had the chance to have a say after all of the information would have been made available, will never be known. And thus they remain pawns of those who were supplying that duplication of services and equipment.

It's disgraceful that political popularity is often the determining factor regarding much-needed administration change and fiscal restraint. Those who would have benefited were never given that chance.

Maybe, in the near future, when council costs are not allowed to be recovered by council rate increases, councils will need to amalgamate or have a state government-appointed administration.

What we have at present can only deteriorate unless there is major change.

- Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek

I TOTALLY agree with Ian King about having a quicker train service from Central to Hamilton (“How to boost train travel”, Lakes Mail, July 20). 

The average track speed for the Central Coast-Newcastle line is 80km/h. 

A couple of years ago, the Newcastle flyer did a lot fewer stops than its nameless service these days. In the past, a timetable showed the name of the train service being the Newcastle Flyer. For the Blue Mountains line, there was the Fish and the Chips. The South Coast line had the South Coast Daylight.

Such interesting names could generate more interest from people to travel on these services if they were included in the timetables.  

I would have the train starting from Hamilton, then stopping at Broadmeadow, Fassifern, Morisset, Tuggerah, Gosford, Woy Woy and Central stations. 

Back in the 1990s, the railways used to have 10-car intercity services running, using the very comfortable older intercity trains. 

Why not have these running again? They'd certainly help move more people.

At my suggested stopping stations, passengers could be informed by announcements and information on the destination screens of a 10-car service. 

Or why not have an electric locomotive hauling a 12-carriage train? 

Morisset station needs upgrades done on the Sydney-side platform. It needs the installation of toilets, and the extension of the platform on the Sydney side.

Even more so nowadays, with Morisset’s population growth. Many stations on the Newcastle Central Coast line, need platform extensions. 

If the train starts and ends at Hamilton, would it be called the Hamilton Flyer? Doesn't sound nostalgic, though, does it?

- Craig Aungle, Morisset Park

OVER the last few days we’ve had a helicopter doing circles then stopping to hover over houses in Cooranbong and Dora Creek. It becomes quite annoying after a couple of hours, especially when it hovers above the houses. I have no idea what it’s doing up there, just running circles and hovering, by the look of it. I expected this when I lived in Revesby, due to the flight path to Bankstown airport, but I moved to Cooranbong five years ago for a much quieter lifestyle. It seems the flight path has followed me. What next? An M5 motorway under my street?

- Paul Smith, Cooranbong

REGARDING Wests taking over the Knights: As a supporter of a Sydney club, I would prefer not to see the dollars I spend at Wests being used to assist the Knights; so it will be a no from me. Surely the many fans of rival teams feel the same; not everyone in Newcastle follows the Knights

- Dale Allen, Broadmeadow