Badgerys Creek airport link: North-south link firming as preferred option

A NEW north-south rail line is firming as the preferred option for a train link to the planned airport at Badgerys Creek.

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A NEW north-south rail line is firming as the preferred option for a train link to the planned airport at Badgerys Creek.

Sources have confirmed the federal government is backing construction of a new rail line from either Macarthur or Leppington in the south up through the airport site and eventually connecting with the Western Line at St Marys.

It is estimated passengers on the new line could get from the airport to Parramatta in 35 minutes and to Central station in 55 minutes.

Commuter Jasmin Mantoufeh heads to Leppington station in Sydney's south west. Picture: Toby Zerna

The north-south option, which is estimated to cost $10-15 billion, has gained top billing after the federal government released a rail options paper for Western Sydney.

The paper said the rail line would unlock millions of dollars in investment, help create new jobs and homes in the Western Sydney growth corridor and also provide a link to the new airport.

The growth corridor, which is more than double the size of London, contributed $38.6 billion in economic output last year and is home to a million people, with the population expected to hit 1.6 million by 2036 and 380,000 new jobs created by that time.

Western Sydney Rail Alliance chairman Christopher Brown said the airport on its own would not “turbocharge” western Sydney.

Commuters such as Ms Mantoufeh from West Hoxton could travel more quickly with the new links. Picture: Toby Zerna

An artist’s impression of Sydney Science Park at Luddenham, which promises to deliver 12,000 new “smart” jobs to the region.

He said the north-south rail line was needed so people in Penrith, Liverpool and Macarthur could access jobs across western Sydney at new developments such as the 287ha Sydney Science Park in Luddenham.

“The airport does not catalyse Western Sydney unless people can get to it,” he said.

“It was announced the airport would turbocharge Western Sydney but it needs to connect with the rest of Western Sydney to do that.”

University of Technology Sydney student Jasmin Mantoufeh, 18, from West Hoxton, spends 1 ½ hours on the train travelling from Leppington to ­Ultimo every weekday to get to classes.

“It would be great if we had a rail line connecting to the new airport because it would save me having to drive everywhere to get around Western Sydney,” Ms Mantoufeh said.