Badgerys Creek airport train could get to CBD in 27 minutes, plans propose
AN ultra-modern train capable of speeds of up to 160km/h could whisk up to 30,000 passengers every hour from the new Western Sydney Airport.
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AN ultra-modern train capable of speeds of up to 160km/h could whisk up to 30,000 passengers every hour from the new Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek to the city and the Harbour in just 27 minutes, under a radical new federal transport proposal.
The super-fast train would require a tunnel between the CBD and Parramatta, with stops at the Bays Precinct and Olympic Park.
The single-deck configuration would then link Parramatta to Badgerys, a journey taking just 15 minutes.
The rapid rail link is just one of several options contained in a scoping study paper to be released today by the Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher.
While funding models have not been finalised, with options for infrastructure bonds and private sector involvement on the table, the study reveals that the most expensive option could be close to $25 billion.
The report cites the direct rail option as providing the quickest link between the two CBDs of Sydney and Parramatta, as well as connecting to the new airport at Badgerys.
Other options include a link between Badgerys and the southwest rail link with a travel time to the CBD of 55 minutes, or linking the airport to the Sydney Metro Northwest, which would give commuters a 35-minute ride from the northwest to the airport.
Further options include a direct link between the airport and Liverpool, or a link between the airport and the Western Line at St Marys — a 48-minute trip between Badgerys and the CBD.
There is also an option for a north-south link between Macarthur and St Marys via the new airport.
Mr Fletcher said that after the report is released today, communities will be able to have their say in the final decision on the rail options. Submissions close on October 28.
“Rail service options are designed to connect the key areas of a growing Western Sydney, including the Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek,” he said.
“A wide range of views has been expressed about whether there should be a rail connection to Western Sydney Airport, when it should be built, the right route and how it should be funded and financed.’’
Among other proposals, there have been calls for an express train running east-west between Western Sydney Airport and the Sydney CBD, as well as for a suburban train running north-south from Campbelltown to Rouse Hill via Western Sydney Airport.
The federal Labor opposition, which also backs the construction of the airport, has said rail options must be a prerequisite for the airport.
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