The $500 million project will connect the light rail terminus at Lilyfield with the heavy rail network in Dulwich Hill, which is on the Bankstown line.

From Lilyfield, the stations will be Leichhardt North, Hawthorne, Marion, Taverners Hill, Lewisham West, Waratah Mills, Arlington and Dulwich Grove, with an interchange at Dulwich Hill.

The government has included a ”greenway” – a cycle and walkway, with an extended bush regeneration project – which will run along the nearby stormwater channel from Iron Cove to Marion Street, Leichhardt, then beside the tracks for much of the remaining distance to Dulwich Hill, and on to the Cooks River.

”People will be able to walk or cycle from the Cooks River to Iron Cove.” the Premier, Kristina Keneally, said. . ”The cycle and walking path will run 80 per cent along that sought by the community.”

However, some sections would run along the road, she said.

The government hopes the project, along with the proposed ”greenway” will help the electoral fortunes of the Deputy Premier, Carmel Tebbutt, who is the member for Marrickville, and the Education Minister, Verity Firth, the member for Balmain. The Greens are poised to make strong gains in both electorates at the next state election.

The Premier yesterday denied the government’s focus was on improving public transport for inner-city residents at the expense of elsewhere, particularly in the north-west. Some 300 new buses came into service last month and she signalled a coming announcement on the expansion of transport services to the north and north-west.

”Progress with the light rail extension to Dulwich Hill comes as planning is also continuing on a light rail link from Circular Quay, via Barangaroo and King Street Wharf, to Central. Talks are also under way with the City of Sydney, which wants more light rail to connect areas such as Green Square with the city.

The opposition spokeswoman on transport, Gladys Berejiklian, was concerned the government was rushing the light rail project.

”We are 100 per cent committed to the light rail route and we are 100 per cent committed to having an integrated strategy which involves bikes and pedestrian access, but we want to be sure … the experts have had a proper look at it,” she said.

Source: SMH

“The new GreenWay is a first for Sydney – it will ensure the corridor has a ‘mixed use’ for families, commuters, cyclists, walkers and joggers,” Ms Keneally said.

Ms Keneally today joined Transport Minister John Robertson, Member for Balmain, Verity Firth and Member for Marrickville, Carmel Tebbutt to launch the scope of work for the light rail extension – including the location and names of nine stops along the new 5.6km light rail extension from Lilyfield and Dulwich Hill.

This is another milestone in roll out of Sydney’s $500 million light rail expansion and is part of the NSW Government’s fully funded $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport Plan. Under the Metropolitan Transport Plan, there is almost 10 kilometres of new light rail track, bringing the total distance to 16.9 kilometres – stretching from Circular Quay to Dulwich Hill.

“People will be able to walk or cycle from the Cooks River to Iron Cove, through Canterbury, Marrickville, Ashfield and Leichhardt Council areas,” Ms Keneally said.

“Converting the old freight corridor between Lilyfield and Dulwich for light rail use will significantly improve transport for commuters.

“At the same time, we want to ensure the corridor can benefit the whole community with the incorporation of a cycling and walking path, as well as retain critical bushcare sites along the extension.

“Design and construction work on the GreenWay will be undertaken at the same time as work on the light rail line, which we expect to be complete within two years.

“Transport NSW will today lodge the project application and Preliminary Environmental Assessment with the Department of Planning, followed by community consultation.”

Nine stops have been identified as part of the project application, following consideration of aspects such as the GreenWay, transport connections, walking distances, accessibility and proximity to retail, residential and recreational areas.

The recommended stops are:

• Leichhardt North (west of James St, adjacent to Darley St and City West Link Rd);
• Hawthorne (between Darley Rd, close to Lyall St and Hawthorne Canal);
• Marion (north of the overbridge crossing of Marion St, close to Lambert Park);
• Taverners Hill (northern side of Parramatta Rd overbridge, just east of Battle
• Bridge over Hawthorne Canal);
• Lewisham West (south of Longport St overbridge);
• Waratah Mills (north of Davis St overbridge);
• Arlington (adjacent to Johnson Park, north of Constitution Rd overbridge);
• Dulwich Grove (between New Canterbury Rd and Hercules St overbridges); and
• Dulwich Hill Interchange (adjacent to Dulwich Hill railway station).

Ms Tebbutt said the inclusion of the GreenWay in the project was a win for local residents.

“Community consultation about the light rail extension has shown very strong support for incorporating the GreenWay,” Ms Tebbutt said.

”The GreenWay concept originated with the community and has been embraced in many ways already, particularly through bush regeneration work.

“More than 400 people provided a submission to the pre-construction study.

“We are working closely with the councils and community groups to come up with the best solutions. Their input has been invaluable.”

Member for Balmain Verity Firth said the new bike path along the GreenWay will be a key link in the Sydney cycle network.

“The project will add a cycle and walking path south beyond the light rail stop at Dulwich Hill, so that people will be able to walk or cycle from the Cooks River to Iron Cove,” Ms Firth said.

“There will also be a new walking and cycling path built across the Hawthorne Canal so Haberfield residents can easily access the Hawthorne” light rail stop.

“This is a great outcome for the Inner West community – not only are commuters getting brand new light rail, but families will also now have access to recreational areas between Cooks River and Iron Cove.

“In some places, the actual rail corridor is in a deep cutting and not wide enough to have a new shared path alongside, meaning the path will have to divert away from the line for some short distances.

“There will continue to be ongoing community consultation during the initial Environmental Assessment period and including community updates via mail and information on the Transport NSW website.”

The Stage 1: Inner West Extension Product Definition Report, Preliminary Environmental Assessment and the summary of community feedback are available on the Transport NSW website www.transport.nsw.gov.au

Click here for the full Media release.

The pre-construction tender – which examines the costs, demand, technical issues, integration with other public transport, and economic factors – was yesterday awarded to global transport services company – GHD.

This pre construction study will advise us on when construction will start.

The light rail is part of the fully funded $50.2 billion Metropolitan Transport vision and includes up to 20 new stations and almost 10 kilometres of new track.

It more than doubles the distance of the existing light rail in Sydney – making the route from Dulwich Hill to Circular Quay.

Earlier this month, the State Government issued critical infrastructure declarations to start implementation of some of the projects in the transport vision, including the light rail extensions.

“We always said work would begin immediately on our Transport Vision – and it will go to ‘market’ as soon as possible – and that is what we have done,” Ms Keneally said.

“Just over one month after releasing the details we are forging ahead with this priority State infrastructure.

“Nothing is more important to me than ensuring we provide the best possible public transport options for the people of Sydney and NSW – and that we do this now.”

The Light Rail extension includes:

• new light rail stretching from Circular Quay to Dulwich Hill through the Sydney CBD, Chinatown to the inner-west. This light rail route will also go through the disused rail corridor at Rozelle;
• 4.1 kilometres of light rail from Circular Quay via Barangaroo to Haymarket; and
• 5.6 kilometres of light rail from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill.
• The $500 million expansion of the current light rail system brings the total length to almost 17 kilometres (16.9 kilometres);

“This is a significant step forward for the new light rail, to run from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill in the inner west, and in the Sydney CBD from Circular Quay via Barangaroo to Chinatown.

“It will make a difference to families, businessmen and women, students and visitors to get around the City faster and more efficiently.

“This is also proof that we have listened to the people of Sydney and we are moving quickly to deliver on our promises.”

The speed of progress on the Light Rail can be attributed to three things – one, the Critical Infrastructure declaration, prioritising transport infrastructure works in NSW, and the fact the State Government was already conducting a feasibility study on the Light Rail extension in January.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP today welcomed the announcement and said it is a great outcome for Sydney.

“The new light rail loop via George Street and Barangaroo is an investment in our future and will benefit future generations,” Cr Moore said.

“It will secure Sydney’s status as a global centre of business, retailing, tourism and the arts.

“The CBD light rail extensions will make central Sydney more inviting for the 600,00is people walking around it everyday, by making it easy to get around by public transport, removing long queues of buses, reducing vehicle congestion and easing pollution.”

With the tender awarded this week, work has already begun and is expected to take around three months to complete. GHD will examine priorities in delivering:

• an Inner West extension to Dulwich Hill along the disused rail corridor from Lilyfield, a 5.6km route;
• a CBD extension into linking Haymarket to Circular Quay via Barangaroo, a 4.1km route;
• an extension along George Street, linking Circular Quay back to Central Station to form a CBD loop. This additional scope to the study, announced in January, was agreed after consultation with City of Sydney Council.

“The light rail system, part of the NSW Government’s Metropolitan Transport Plan, will provide a clean, quiet and reliable service,” Ms Keneally said.

“It will complement bus services, enable interchange with the Inner West and Bankstown CityRail Lines and ensure a viable transport alternative for many people.

“We’re keen to get on with the job of constructing the light rail and have already showed our commitment to getting started with the declaration of this project as critical infrastructure.

”This means the project will be assessed as a priority by the Minister for Planning.”

NSW Transport & Infrastructure is starting the Environmental Assessment process needed to obtain the necessary planning approvals for the construction of the light rail extensions.

A preliminary environmental assessment is expected to be lodged with the Department of Planning around mid 2010.

This includes the eight new train platforms for the Western Express and almost 10 kilometres of light rail extensions.

In addition, the State Government is proposing to amend the Infrastructure State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) to streamline the delivery of commuter car parks and bus depots for the 1,000 new buses.

The proposed amendments will allow preliminary work to assist the delivery of the light rail line – such as testing, surveying and other investigation work – to be carried out without the need for a development application.

This will ensure they are subject to a streamlined, efficient and legally certain planning assessment while at the same time guaranteeing public input.

Planning Minister, Mr Tony Kelly decided the major elements of the Metropolitan Transport Plan would be assessed as major projects by the Department of Planning. He declared them “critical infrastructure”.

Under the critical infrastructure declaration:

• •  Projects will still be subject to the same rigorous, open and transparent assessment;
• •  Public submissions will still be received and considered;
• •  Costly and prolonged legal challenges will be avoided;
• •  Projects will be assessed and determined by the Minister for Planning under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 – the cornerstone of
• •  Australia’s best planning system; and

In addition, smaller projects including bus depots and commuter car parks would be expedited under the Infrastructure SEPP.

On February 21, the Premier, Kristina Keneally announced the Metropolitan Transport Plan:
Connecting the City of Cities. This included:

• $4.53 billion Western Express CityRail Service –a dedicated rail track to slash
• travelling times from Sydney’s west and Blue Mountains to the CBD;
• $500 million expansion of light rail in Sydney with up to 20 new stations and almost
• 10 kilometres of new track;
• 1,000 new buses; and
• $400 million for commuter car parks.

“This means work for the platforms for the Western Express and the light rail extensions will
start as quickly as possible,” Ms Keneally said.

“The Western Express will mean more trains, more seats and air conditioned carriages.

“The most important thing we can do for the families and businesses of NSW is to build the
transport network quickly and efficiently,” Ms Keneally said.

Mr Tony Kelly said the rigorous environmental impact assessments would remain in place.

“All projects will still be subject to the same rigorous, open and transparent assessments,
while providing certainty that these projects, critical to the city’s transport system, will not be
delayed,” Mr Kelly said.

Kevin Warrell, CEO, Metro Transport Sydney said today, “Extending the Light Rail further west and through the CBD to service the Barangaroo development is a very smart move.

“The Barangaroo development will generate a lot of extra travel from commuters, residents and tourists and Light Rail is the perfect high capacity, environmentally responsible and high quality public transport solution.”

“Light Rail can provide the glue to integrate this large, new precinct into the rest of the City. As a modern, green, responsible form of public transport Light Rail is entirely in keeping with the spirit of the Barangaroo development and will fit in very well,” said Mr Warrell.

Mr Warrell said, “This extension of the Light Rail network will add to and complement the existing modes of public transport in Sydney connecting to the inner west to Central and Circular Quay.”

Kevin Warrell, CEO said, “And using the existing transport corridor to provide additional public transport in the Inner West is low cost, simple and quick. The freight line was refurbished quite recently and is in very good condition.”

“We look forward to working with the Government to deliver this key transport project,” he said.

Metro Transport has been speaking with Government since the network first opened in 1997 about a number of cost effective, sensible extension options including a CBD extension down George Street and a western extension along the existing freight rail line to Dulwich Hill.

Michelle Silberman, Marketing Director
Metro Transport Sydney

A logjam of buses – more than 700 an hour in the morning peak period – has convinced transport experts that trams should be brought back into the city.

More than 60 years after trams were phased out, the independent Christie inquiry says the existing light rail that runs through Chinatown should be extended into the city proper to get rid of most buses and improve travelling times for passengers.

Two possible routes are put forward by the inquiry for further discussion.

The first involves trams, running in both directions, in a loop that begins at Hay Street in Chinatown and runs north up Sussex Street, to Hickson Road and the proposed development at Barangaroo, then on to Walsh Bay before heading south down George Street and back to Hay Street.

The second route replicates the Sussex Street and Hickson Road part of the first route but would then run in a clockwise direction in a loop that runs south on Castlereagh Street from Circular Quay and north on Pitt Street from Eddy Avenue at Central Station.

Both options would require substantial re-routing of buses.

To encourage pedestrians and discourage motorists in the CBD, the inquiry recommends that ”additional and longer green times” be provided for walkers at traffic lights.

Sydney could also be made more attractive to public transport users if the troubled ferry service was upgraded.

The inquiry recommends ”an aggressive frequent ferry strategy” provided by a fleet of new, smaller vessels focusing on ‘’short, competitive routes that can be run very frequently”.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Kristina Keneally gave the strongest indication yet that the $5.3 billion CBD Metro could be sidelined to focus on heavy rail to the north-west and light rail in the city in her government’s upcoming transport blueprint.

The inquiry, headed by the state’s former rail and roads boss Ron Christie, and commissioned by the Herald, recommends the return of trams to Sydney’s central business district within four to five years.

It says extending the light rail network that runs through Chinatown would remove large numbers of buses and ”completely transform” bus-choked George Street. Sections of the street would be made car free.

In the report released over the weekend, Mr Christie says a metro would jeopardise the expansion of heavy rail through the CBD and across the harbour.

He argues that instead of creating an entirely new public transport system, the government should spend $36 billion on capital investment in new rail, light rail, buses and just one metro over 30 years.

The government has long argued that a metro from Central to Pyrmont or Rozelle is the core of a future Sydney-wide single-deck underground system.

However, when questioned yesterday, Ms Keneally refused to commit to the metro, at least in the short-term.

”We are looking at a range of options,” she said. ”Mr Christie’s report recommends that the metro be deferred until after 2020. That’s his recommendation and we’ve had the opportunity to be briefed on his plan and I’m very grateful for that.”

The 450-page Christie report, produced by a team of transport and infrastructure experts, supports the proposed West Metro but only between Westmead and Barangaroo, not to Pyrmont and Rozelle. Critically, the West Metro would be deferred for at least 10 years and not use a corridor under Pitt Street reserved for CityRail.

Ms Keneally said she wanted to sit down with Mr Christie to learn how the recommendations could be incorporated into the government’s transport and land use blueprint, to be released this month.

”We read it with great interest and I will be asking both treasury and transport to evaluate the inquiry’s plan and provide us with their views and feedback on it,” Ms Keneally said.

However, she was cautious about the funding mechanisms suggested, such as a one-off increase in fares, public transport levies on households, businesses and car parking spaces and a congestion charge.

”It does seem to rely on two assumptions – anywhere between $20 billion and $50 billion in new taxes and charges and $15 billion in new Commonwealth funding.”

Strong support for the reintroduction of trams comes amid signs the government’s long-held opposition to light rail in the CBD is softening. The Herald revealed last week the Premier may soon endorse the move championed for years by the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, and the University of Technology academic Dr Garry Glazebrook.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Light rail lines would reach deep into Sydney’s suburbs and regional NSW – not just the inner city – under blueprints drawn up by urban planners, transport experts and business groups who are seeking fast and relatively cheap ways of improving public transport.

The State Government has made public its ’study brief” into proposed extensions of the light rail to Dulwich Hill and through the central business district.

The 5.6-kilometre extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill is estimated to cost $71 million, compared with $5.3 billion for seven kilometres of underground Metro through the CBD.

Transport advocates are pushing for light rail lines to the southern and eastern suburbs, around Parramatta and in Newcastle.

At least one of the proposals – for a light rail line between Granville and Bankstown, via Regents Park – was originally championed by the Assistant Minister for Transport, David Borger, when he was mayor of Parramatta.

The advocacy group Eco Transit has published plans for a ”Bay Light Express”, which would have two extensions. The eastern extension would run for 27 kilometres from the CBD through the high-density neighbourhoods of Darlinghurst, Kensington and Randwick and on to La Perouse.

The line would cross the heads of Botany Bay to Kurnell in a tunnel before continuing along Captain Cook Drive and Elouera Road to Cronulla.

While a tunnel would be expensive to build, EcoTransit argues: ”This last section would provide unprecedented access between the north-east and south-east districts of the region at travel times vastly superior to those possible by car.”

The western extension of the Bay Light Express would run for 25 kilometres between Central Station and Carringbah, via Newtown, St Peters, a nearby disused industrial estate that could be rehabilitated for high-density housing, the international airport terminal, Rockdale, Brighton-le-Sands and Taren Point.

Eco Transit says the Bay Light Express would ”extend the coverage of the rail network by creating rail interchanges with the East Hills, Bankstown and Western Suburbs rail lines. This will increase the potential for cross-city trips to be undertaken quickly by rail, generating yet more opportunities to remove traffic from some of Sydney’s most congested roads.” The estimated cost for 52 kilometres of line would be just over $1 billion.

An urban planner, Garry Glazebrook, of the University of Technology, Sydney, has proposed light rail lines through Drummoyne to Abbotsford, to North Bondi, Randwick and Coogee, Botany and White Bay near Balmain.

His plan would also transform the poorly patronised Carlingford line by replacing it with light rail and incorporates the Borger plan for a Parramatta-Bankstown line along the Duck Creek corridor, helping to revive a declining area. The Government’s 2031 Transport Blueprint, now under review, includes proposals for a Bankstown-Liverpool light rail.

Dr Glazebrook also supports a long-term plan to run light rail down the middle of Parramatta Road between the CBD and Strathfield, which would transform the amenity of the corridor, which developers say is too noisy and polluted by traffic to attract high-quality housing.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, January 27th 2010.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally says a decision on the future of Sydney’s metro rail network will be announced late in February only after a proper cabinet and budget committee process.

Ms Keneally says this will provide clarity and certainty for businesses in the area.

The blueprint for the controversial $5.3 billion CBD project was due to be announced in November as part of then premier Nathan Rees’ $180 million transport plan, but was put off as the new premier reviewed the situation.

The Sydney Metro is being considered as part of an overall and broader approach to land use and transport planning, Ms Keneally said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This is about a fully integrated vision of land use and transport planning for the future and for the people of NSW,” Ms Keneally said.

“We are committed to a metro network for Sydney, but the plan that we put to the people has to meet the needs of where commuters live and work, by combining land use and transport planning.”

Source: news.ninemsn.com.au