Sydney Metro boss warned western Sydney aerotropolis go-slow would ‘undermine’ new rail line

The boss of Sydney Metro raised concerns with the Premier’s office that a lack of development in the aerotropolis would “undermine” spending billions on the accompanying Metro line.

The boss of Sydney Metro flagged concerns with the Premier’s office that a lack of development in the aerotropolis would “undermine” spending billions on the new Metro line running through it.

Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan warned a “broader delay or failure” by other government departments to build infrastructure around stations would “sufficiently undermine the rationale for investment in the Metro” in an email sent to the offices of Premier Chris Minns, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and Transport Minister Jo Haylen last year.

In the messages, seen by The Daily Telegraph, Mr Regan highlighted The Bays Precinct on the Metro West, and the Orchard Hills and aerotropolis city stations on the Metro Western Sydney Airport line, as the key locations at threat.

Mr Regan’s email was sent as a reply when he was asked if there was any issues he wanted examined in last year’s Sydney Metro review.

The messages have raised new concerns the Metro Western Sydney Airport line – due to open alongside the new airport in two years – will be a white elephant with minimal patronage, given the lack of development along the line.

Angela Jeffrey, Project Director of the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport, NSW Minister for Transport and Roads Jo Haylen, and Tim Burns, Project Director of CPB Contractors Ghella JV underground in a tunnel section at the Badgerys Creek site of Metro Western Sydney Airport. Picture: Richard Dobson

The Daily Telegraph has revealed in recent weeks examples of setbacks that have struck the aerotropolis – the 11,200 hectare precinct surrounding the new western Sydney airport set to open in 2026.

This includes that despite more than half a billion in funding, the Western Parklands City Authority has only broke ground on a new visitor centre, while multinational businesses like Amazon have walked away from the precinct due to concerns over when infrastructure would be completed.

The Western Sydney Airport Metro line has cost about $11 billion, with funding split evenly between the NSW and federal governments.

Peter Regan, Chief Executive Sydney Metro at Sydenham Metro Station. Picture: Monique Harmer

Davidson MP Matt Cross warned the lack of work done in the precincts risked the Metro running through empty paddocks.

“The Minns Labor Government was warned about what a delay or failure at the aerotropolis precinct would mean for Sydney Metro. They did nothing,” he said.

“Metro is more than connecting travellers to the new airport. It’s connecting communities to new jobs and new homes … We cannot have precincts (around the airport) empty when the Metro opens in 2026.”

Premier Minns, quizzed on his reaction to Mr Regan’s concerns, said “the Government is moving to link the construction of major new transport infrastructure in Sydney to major new housing uplift – and Metro is vital to our approach”.

“Since I became leader, I’ve been talking about the need to rebalance the housing targets and zoning in NSW – with a particular focus on transport corridors around new Metro lines – and away from sprawl on the fringes of Sydney,” he said.

His government late last year announced rezonings at 39 stations across Greater Sydney near Metro and heavy rail hubs, aimed at allowing 180,000 new homes while bumping up the viability of the transport projects.

A Sydney Metro spokeswoman said the changes to rezonings “will drive the delivery of benefits associated with the construction of Metro”.

Premier Chris Minns. Photo by: NCA Newswire/ Gaye Gerard

Transport Minister Jo Haylen didn’t respond directly to questions about how the western Sydney Airport Metro would be viable given the lack of development currently occurring along the line, saying: “Metro will enable new precincts, like the Bays and the Aerotropolis, to grow around these new essential transport links.”

A Sydney Metro spokesman confirmed the Western Sydney Airport line is forecast to transport about 14,000 people an hour when it opens – existing heavy rail transports an average of 24,000 an hour on each line.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied he was concerned the lack of construction around the aerotropolis would not warrant the federal government’s multi-billion dollar investments.

“There’ll be action on the ground and I’m confident that I’ll work constructively with the Premier of NSW and with the private sector to make sure that the vision that is there for the aerotropolis...is delivered,” he said.

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