The reduced staff presence will be particularly noticeable on Saturdays and Sundays with 23 of those shifts disappearing, adding Glenbrook and Lawson to the list of stations unmanned on weekends.

In total, 624.5 hours have been slashed with Mount Victoria (142 hours), Katoomba (112 hours) and Springwood (104 hours) the hardest hit.

RTBU NSW branch secretary Nick Lewocki said the review had been a “slap in the face for front-line workers”.

“This is a cost-cutting exercise . . . Worse than that it’s taking away services for commuters out there at a time we’re trying to encourage more people on the train.

“We will reverse these decision, I’ve got no doubt about it.”

Mr Lewocki was less than optimistic about assurances Member for Blue Mountains Phil Koperberg has sought from Transport Minister David Campbell, including that appropriate levels of staffing are provided at any given time and that amenities, cleaning and security levels are maintained.

“The rail workers themselves are saying that they will struggle to provide the same level of service they did previously,” said Mr Lewocki.

He said that with stations left with a reduced staff presence, “undesirables” would inevitably descend, resulting in decreased safety and more vandalism.

“How does that not take away the facilities for the travelling public?”

Mr Koperberg — commended by Mr Lewocki as one of the few MPs to take a keen interest in the review — has said he will continue to monitor the impact of the changes and make further representations to the minister where necessary.

A RailCorp spokesman said the review’s purpose was not to reduce costs, though he did concede the re-allocation of staff “may have resulted in some variation in staffing costs”.

“(The review) aims to create a more flexible station staffing that is better equipped to deal with the needs of customers and operations,” said the spokesman.

“Eighty-eight per cent of CityRail customers travel during weekdays with the majority of these in the morning and afternoon peaks.

“The staffed hours at Blue Mountains stations reflect the time of day and volume in which customers travel.”