COMMUTERS with MyMulti transport tickets will finally be able to use them on Sydney’s light rail line.

The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, will announce measures today to incorporate the light rail line into the MyZone ticket structure, an election promise made by the Coalition.

From June 27, commuters who use daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly MyMulti tickets to travel on the bus, train and ferry networks will also be able to use the tickets on the light rail system.
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Pensioners will be able to use their pensioner excursion tickets on the line, and Family Funday Sunday tickets will also be eligible for use on the line.

”This is great news for commuters, tourists, pensioners and families,” Ms Berejiklian said.

”Including light rail in MyZone means a more integrated ticketing system and less hassle for commuters who want access to all modes of public transport in Sydney on one ticket.”

However, the government will not change the privately owned light rail operator’s existing fare structure.

An adult return ticket between Central Station and Lilyfield will continue to cost $5.90, while a concession ticket will remain $4.40. Discounted school travel will be unavailable.

Concession fares on government-owned buses, trains and ferries are half the cost of a regular ticket.

Allowing MyMulti, pensioner excursion and Family Funday Sunday ticket holders to use them on light rail will cost the government a maximum of $2.5 million a year, Ms Berejiklian said.

The government has committed to an expansion of Sydney’s light rail system in spokes around the central business district. Construction has started on a six-kilometre extension of the light rail line from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill.

During the election campaign, the Coalition promised to build a light rail line through the CBD. The previous government had received plans for a light rail line down George Street.

The Coalition also promised feasibility studies into light rail along Anzac Parade to the University of NSW, and from Central Station to Sydney University.

”The NSW Liberals and Nationals have always been strong advocates of light rail, and today we are backing our words with action and cleaning up Labor’s mess,” Ms Berejiklian said

”Light rail will also be included in the future electronic ticketing system because light rail will only succeed in Sydney if it is part of the broader public transport network,” she said.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

SYDNEY Council has put its money where its mouth is with a $180 million investment to run light rail down the city’s spine and clear cars out for good.

THE City of Sydney council has challenged the new state government to make good on its promise to fix central Sydney’s transport mess and has set aside $180 million to ”transform” George Street – but only if the government delivers light rail.

The lord mayor, Clover Moore, said the council was putting its money on the table to encourage a radical rethink of how the CBD worked.

”Everyone knows light rail is the solution to the gridlock,” Cr Moore said. The council’s plan has gained in-principle support from the Sydney Business Chamber and the Property Council.

The Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, welcomed the council’s ”commitment to better public transport” but said any concrete plans would have to wait until the completion of a feasibility study into extending light rail to the University of NSW in Kensington and the University of Sydney in Camperdown.

The study was in addition to two CBD light rail feasibility studies commissioned by the previous government which had not yet been released.

An earlier proposal for light rail from Central to Barangaroo was costed at $350 million.

The council’s preferred route is two tracks from near Eddy Avenue along George to Alfred Street in Circular Quay. Cars and buses would be banished between Bathurst and Hunter Streets.

The council’s $180 million would be spent on widened footpaths, better lighting and signage, landscaping, traffic management and ”revitalising” laneways. Cr Moore said the plan would be a boon for retail and hospitality.

The executive director of Sydney Business Chamber, Patricia Forsythe, said the council was showing leadership and vision. ”But the real test will be the consultation process. Not everybody will be equally enthusiastic and it’s about working through the competing points of view.”

The motorist group the NRMA declined to comment until it had seen details of the proposal. The council said it would not raise rates or borrow to finance the plan.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

SYDNEY Council has put its money where its mouth is with a $180 million investment to run light rail down the city’s spine and clear cars out for good.

Draft budget plans reveal the council will make its single biggest investment in a decade to give George St to the people and run trams down the city heart.

Its bold plan is to pedestrianise up to 1km of George St from Bathurst St, near Town Hall, to Hunter St, near Wynyard Station.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore yesterday promised the changes would make it easier for motorists who had to drive through the city.

“Many international cities have pedestrianised roads in their city centre and these cities continue to thrive – we only have to look at New York’s Broadway, London’s new West End and our own Pitt St Mall to see evidence of how it works well,” Ms Moore said. “George St will flourish if we remove the traffic congestion currently choking it. We want to open up a network of vibrant lanes and small plazas that encourage shops, bars and other small businesses to thrive.”

The cash will be on condition the State Government runs light rail down George St, transporting up to 8000 people an hour. “Light rail is the solution to the gridlock in the city,” Ms Moore said. “Our investment is dependent on the State Government building light rail down George St, which all our research shows is the optimal route into the city centre.”

The council’s investment will be spent on streetscaping, signs, laneways, landscaping and traffic management works to redirect vehicles around George St.

“This is about making it easier for people who need to drive to be able to do so,” she said.

“While we are looking at pedestrianising a part of George St if light rail is introduced, other easier routes will be found for motorists and buses.”

Ms Moore said bold changes were urgently needed to stop the gridlock gripping Sydney, which costs $3.5 billion a year.

“Congestion is crippling our city and it’s not going to get any better unless we radically rethink the way our city works and how people move around,” she said.

“Congestion costs are expected to more than double to $7.8 billion by 2020 if we do nothing.”

The $180 million will be set aside in the new long-term financial plan to be discussed next week.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

ALMOST 50 years to the day after the last tram in Sydney made its final journey, the Coalition will announce the return of light rail to the suburbs.

The opposition’s transport spokeswoman, Gladys Berejiklian, will today release plans for a light rail line from Circular Quay to the University of NSW. The plan would restore trams to Anzac Parade, which was designed specifically for light rail.

On 25 February, 1961, the last tram in NSW ran from Hunter Street in the city to La Perouse. The Cahill Labor government – cited by the former Labor premier Bob Carr as a model government – had begun ripping up one of the world’s most extensive tram networks in 1953.
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Ms Berejiklian told the Herald: ”We have been strong advocates of light rail, even when Labor was attacking us for it at the 2007 election. We have been looking at the expansion of light rail in North America and believe it is part of Sydney’s future, and not just in the central business district.”

Labor supports extending existing light rail from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill and a tram line between Central and Circular Quay but the Coalition would go further by restoring the service to the south-eastern suburbs.

Ms Berejiklian is leaving open the prospect of extending the line to Kingsford.

The implications of the plan are clear – sealing a victory for the Liberals in the seat of Coogee and placing them within striking distance of winning Maroubra.

The Coalition would also ”incorporate existing light rail services into the MyZone ticketing system” and insist that light rail fares are covered by the proposed electronic ticketing system.

”Light rail in the city will only succeed if it is part of a broader network,” Ms Berejiklian said.

The Coalition plan has the backing of community leaders, including the former Labor minister Rodney Cavalier, who chairs the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust.

Mr Cavalier, along with the vice-chancellor of the University of NSW, Fred Hilmer, and the chief executive of the Australian Turf Club, Darren Pearce, say the light rail would improve access for sports fans, students and racegoers at three of the biggest institutions in the eastern suburbs.

The Coalition policy, citing data from the Gold Coast light rail project, says trams can carry 10,000 passengers an hour, giving them more capacity than buses.

Randwick council, UNSW, the Australian Turf Club and three hospitals in Randwick are signing a memorandum of understanding to support the light rail extension to the east.

“Randwick council transport studies have found we are going to need a 50 per cent increase in public transport capacity in Randwick city by 2021 to effectively accommodate anticipated population and employment growth,” said the Randwick mayor, Murray Matson.

“More than 100 international cities have reintroduced light rail because they can see the benefit of moving millions of people quickly and safely for work, education and recreation.”

Ms Berejiklian would not identify a specific light rail route until after a Coalition government had finished a feasibility study but the most likely route – based on plans from the City of Sydney – would involve a line along Liverpool Street and Oxford Street and then on to Flinders Street and Anzac Parade.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

A NSW Liberals & Nationals Government could expand Sydney’s Light Rail to the University of NSW and the University of Sydney, NSW Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell and Shadow Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian announced today.

Mr O’Farrell said light rail would also be included in MyZone and fully integrated into the new electronic ticketing system when it begins.

“The NSW Liberals & Nationals have long advocated for the expansion of Sydney’s light rail system – despite fierce criticism from Labor during the 2007 election campaign,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“Modern light rail systems operate in over 400 cities worldwide forming a key part of local public transport networks – and it’s time Sydney got on board,” he said.

A NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will:

“Light rail is an efficient, reliable and comfortable way for people to get around –and it’s environmentally friendly,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“I won’t treat light rail like a second class option. Light rail has a big role to play in Sydney’s public transport future and I’m determined to see its expansion,” he said.

Ms Berejiklian said after 16 years of complacency NSW Labor’s approach to planning for a future light rail network is ad hoc and difficult to believe.

“The Keneally Labor Government continues to proactively exclude light rail from the current MyZone ticketing system and has proactively decided to exclude light rail from a future electronic ticketing system,” she said.

“Labor simply doesn’t understand that all modes of transport must be integrated within the one network,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Source: NSW Liberal Party

THE O’Farrell government will soon be asked to approve a sweeping overhaul of Sydney’s central business district, including plans for light rail down George Street and significant changes to bus routes.

Transport bureaucrats and consultants are close to finishing two studies that have the potential to reshape the way residents move about the CBD.

The studies, commissioned by the former Labor government, have identified George Street as the best route to run a tram line. It would go from Central Station to Alfred Street near Circular Quay.

But the government would also need to be prepared to redirect cars and buses to accommodate the trams.

The Premier, Barry O’Farrell, has nominated transport as his first priority in government. If Mr O’Farrell and his transport minister, Gladys Berejiklian, moved fast on CBD light rail, the project could be finished before the 2015 election.

Discussions with officials close to government and industry experts reveal the most likely spot for a light rail interchange would be at the southern end of the city at Rawson Place, near Eddy Avenue at Central.

Two tracks of light rail would run down George Street. The wider stretch of the street near Central Station could accommodate the tram lines alongside cars and buses. But as George Street narrows to the north, cars and some bus routes would need to shift off the corridor.

The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has argued for a pedestrian boulevard, free of all cars and buses, on George Street near the Town Hall. However industry experts have told the Herald it would be extremely difficult to redirect all buses off any stretch of George Street. In particular, the long Metrobuses would find it difficult to chart other routes through the city.

A spokesman for Mr O’Farrell said: “We are committed to light rail in the CBD, but the government will be seeking briefings from Transport NSW on the current status of the plans.”

The main advantage of light rail in the CBD is that, running regularly, it could transport up to twice as many people as buses without the congestion. Travelling from Central to Circular Quay by bus takes 35 minutes in peak hour, the City of Sydney estimates. But traffic-calming measures alongside light rail could cut the trip to 17 minutes.

Shifting bus routes to accommodate light rail would be a challenge. Some routes arriving in the city would need to either terminate near Central or pass across the city, requiring commuters to change to light rail to continue towards Circular Quay.

The extra interchange, however, would need a fare and ticketing structure that did not make commuters pay more to change.

Plans prepared for the previous government identified the George Street corridor as the first stage of a CBD light rail network. The work would leave open the option to extend the line along Hickson Road and to Barangaroo.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Just after 9.30 this morning, LRV1 pulled into Star City Station, as it made the one million kilometre mile stone.

Daryl Rodriguez, the Light Rail driver who had the pleasure of being on shift when LRV1 clicked over, said he felt privileged to be driving at the time.

“I’ve been working for Light Rail for five years and driving trams for three and a half,” he said

“I’m really lucky to be the one driving today because generally I’m on permanent night shift and I rarely drive during the day. I just happened to be called in to do a day shift today,” said Daryl.

One million kilometres of travel on the current light rail system equates to just over 69,444 loops.

Pyrmont Light Rail Company is currently undergoing a study of patronage for the new light rail extension from Lilyfield station through to Dulwich Hill.

The study will accurately determine the number of new passengers that can be serviced by the extension and therefore the appropriate number of new trams required to ensure the same service and comfort level that is now offered will continue for the inner west extension.

With construction of the new extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill due to start in September 2011, the targeted start date of operations for the new inner west extension is the end of 2012.

Today’s Light Rail was one of the first seven purchased to service the original Light Rail system which opened in1997 from Central to Wentworth Park. Three years later second stage through to Lilyfield was completed.

Daryl said it was great. He was really stoked and wondered if he will get a chance to be there when the other six Light Rail Vehicles, click over the one million mark.

Mr Kelly said the extension will run along the former disused freight corridor.

“This forms a key part of the Metropolitan Plan for Sydney 2036 – a $500 million investment to deliver a light rail network to run from Dulwich Hill to Circular Quay via Central,” Mr Kelly said.

Member for Marrickville, Carmel Tebbutt, said nine new light rail stops will pass through the electorates of Balmain, Marrickville and Canterbury and close to Strathfield.

“My colleagues Verity Firth, Linda Burney, Virginia Judge and I are delighted the go-ahead has been given so that design and construction work can commence in the coming weeks,” she said.

“The community will start to see geotechnical work occurring in and near the rail corridor, to establish ground conditions before construction begins.”

Verity Firth, Member for Balmain, said refurbishment work has already been carried out along the corridor and on existing tracks to ensure the construction phase can begin right away.

“As well as the nine new stations, another fantastic initiative is the GreenWay, the three-metrewide shared pedestrian and cycle path with bushcare sites,” she said.

“The first phase in the delivery of the project will be the design and construction of the GreenWay from Marion Street, Leichhardt to the existing bike network at Lilyfield Road.

“It will link the Cooks River to Iron Cove and will be a huge asset for the many walkers, joggers and cyclists in the area.”

Linda Burney, Member for Canterbury, said the approval follows months of public consultation, including community information sessions, meetings with residents and a formal public exhibition period.

“The NSW Government has spoken to many people through the consultation program and the most common feedback is that people want us to build this as soon as possible,” she said.

“We will continue to involve and inform the community as the project progresses and we will aim to minimise disruptions to local residents as much as possible during construction.

“I am looking forward to when the projects will be completed by the end of 2012 because I know they will strengthen the connections between our Inner West communities.”

Virginia Judge, Member for Strathfield, said the $150 million project would generate approximately 350 direct jobs during the construction period.

“This project delivers construction jobs now and will connect communities in the Inner West to key recreational, retail and employment destinations,” she said.

“I know that residents in Strathfield are very excited about the project because the light rail will make commuting easier and the GreenWay will offer improved exercise facilities.”

Further information on the Inner West Light Rail Extension is available at www.transport.nsw.gov.au. Download: Media Release

Parramatta Road, now and then ... the proposal for the transformation of Parramatta Road is based on building the M4 East under nearby suburbs. Photo: NRMA, Wolter Peeters

In a sign the powerful road lobby has accepted the need to reduce car use, the state’s main motoring group has unveiled a plan to turn one of Sydney’s most congested and blighted roads into a public transport corridor.

In return, the NRMA wants the NSW government to build the 8.5-kilometre M4 East under the suburbs between Concord and the city.

The NRMA argues removing much of the traffic – especially trucks – from Parramatta Road and putting it underground, would transform the road into a boulevard of ”transit-oriented development”, lined with medium-density housing, shops and cafes.

Under the plan drawn up by one of Australia’s leading urban planners, Ed Blakely, there would be two lanes for light rail along the middle of Parramatta Road, as well as a cycleway and two lanes for slower-moving local traffic.

Asked if the transformation of Parramatta Road was a trade-off for getting the controversial M4 East, the NRMA president, Wendy Machin, said: ”Yes, I think so.”

”If you’re talking about perception, this could make it more palatable [to motorway sceptics], especially if opponents can see it is part of a holistic land-use plan.”

The plan would allow for the building of at least 23,000 flats along the corridor between the city and Strathfield and the upgrade of what planners call a classic ”traffic sewer” – a noisy, congested and polluted artery that divides neighbourhoods.

From the mid-1990s, there have been at least five proposals to rehabilitate Parramatta Road. The then Inner Metropolitan Regional Organisation of Councils sought $400,000 from the federal government to fund a four-year upgrade. Two years later, councils presented a plan, ”Parramatta Road, 2000 and Beyond”.

In 2002 a consortium of architects, landscapers and engineers, called the Sydney Central Team, won an international competition for ideas to overhaul a 23-kilometre strip of ”decay and unrealised potential smack in the middle of the demographic heart of Sydney”.

”I would see this as a win-win,” Ms Machin told the Herald. ”Sydney gets a vital piece of infrastructure – I mean, the [absence of the] M4 East is like a missing tooth in the face of Sydney – and we improve the amenity of Parramatta Road at the same time.”

The NRMA estimates the cost of building the M4 East tunnel, laying the light rail, preparing a cycleway and upgrading the streetscape would be $7.4 billion. But the organisation calculates that, over 25 years, the government could raise $10.8 billion from the development, including close to $6.8 billion through stamp duties.

Motorway experts welcomed the plan to reduce traffic on Parramatta Road but consider that the M4 East would increase congestion for the Anzac Bridge at Rozelle, which is already close to capacity.

Michelle Zeibots of the University of Technology, Sydney, said Parramatta Road would be likely to become ”a feeder route” for the M4 East, especially around the entry and exit portals at Strathfield, Lilyfield and Chippendale.

”In the past, extensions to the M4 have led to induced traffic growth and put pressure on the surrounding roads,” she said.

In its metro strategy, the NSW government identifies Parramatta Road as part of an ”enterprise corridor” to be ”considered as part of any planning of an extension of the M4 motorway to reduce congestion on Parramatta Road and strengthen connections between western Sydney and Sydney CBD and Port Botany”.

Sandie Bizys, the owner of Sandie Bizys Hats & Vintage in Stanmore, has been in business on Parramatta Road for 10 years.

“Sydney’s traffic congestion and infrastructure issues would certainly be enhanced by some form of light rail,” the milliner said. ”And what better spot to locate it than what some already term as ‘the wild wild west’ – zoned commercial from the very beginning – and wasting away as a sensational vision for both the community and developers alike to enjoy.”

Source: SMH

The M4 report released today forms part of the NRMA’s Seeing Red on Roads campaign.

The report – conducted by internationally-renowned Urban Planner Ed Blakely (Blakely Global) and engineering firm SKM – found that construction of the 8.5 kilometre M4 East Tunnel from Concord to the Sydney CBD could reduce travel times across the inner-west by up to 30 minutes and significantly ease traffic along Parramatta Road.

The project would enable the next NSW Government to reduce traffic lanes on Parramatta Road and re-zone the district within the parameters of existing zoning laws. Stamp duties and other state revenues collected from the revitalisation of Parramatta Road would cover the cost of the M4 East over 25 years and fund light rail along Parramatta Road to the city.

The report conservatively estimates the cost of constructing the M4 East, light rail along Parramatta Road and the costs of local public works along Parramatta Road to be up to $7.38 billion.

Total revenues over a 25-year period could reach $10.8 billion through state taxes such as stamp duty and land tax.

This approach could allow the next Government to borrow against future revenue streams. It is one of the funding options the NRMA would like the next Government to consider.

In addition to building the M4 East, the NRMA study considered the introduction of a light rail and public transit network along the Parramatta Corridor.

The rejuvenation project will see improvements made to the public domain, streetscapes, the inclusion of cycle ways and pedestrian pathways and could create another 23,000 apartments in the area.

NRMA President Wendy Machin said the report would be presented to both the NSW Government and the Opposition for their immediate consideration before the March 26 Election.

“This report presents a very workable solution to one of the most congested corridors in Sydney – all that is needed now is the political leadership to make it happen,” Ms Machin said.

Completing the M4 from Concord to the Sydney CBD is of vital importance and is a key element of NRMA’s Seeing Red on Roads campaign for the March 26 election.

The completed motorway will halve travel times for motorists travelling through the inner-west and ease congestion on Parramatta Road.

This will finally free-up the Government to transform Parramatta Road – one of the most congested and financially under-utilised corridors in Sydney, delivering real benefits to inner-west residents and local businesses.

This project will help solve Sydney’s congestion, provide new public transport options for commuters and generate significant economic and social benefits for the community.

The report highlights that the cost of the M4 East, if borne by the State Government, could be recouped by a number of revenue streams including stamp duty, land tax, parking levies on new units, special rates for investment properties and or the sale of bonus floor space on top of existing buildings.

The sources are estimated to generate over $10B in public revenue over 25 years that would not otherwise be available without the extension.

To read full story visit: NRMA