Sydney sports bosses call for Extension of Metro West to Moore Park

A high powered group of sports bosses has written to Premier Chris Minns pleading for a new metro station at Moore Park to help western Sydney families better access the major sporting and entertainment hub.

A high powered group of sports bosses has written to Premier Chris Minns pleading for a new metro station at Moore Park to help western Sydney families better access the major sporting and entertainment hub.

With a final call on the future of the $25 billion Metro line due within days, nine chief executives wrote to Mr Minns on Friday in a united show of support for the Metro West project to be extended east.

Signatories to the letter included NRL boss Andrew Abdo, Australian Professional Leagues CEO Danny Townsend, and Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh.

The Alliance of Moore Park Sports (AMPS) has previously called for a Moore Park Metro station, in a submission to parliament. But the letter marks the first time the group has publicly supported extending it to the Entertainment Quarter next to the SCG, in a move which will increase pressure on the Premier to make a call on whether to extend the Metro east to Moore Park.

Thousands of revellers battled queues for the light rail on Saturday night trying to get home from the Paul McCartney concert at Allianz Stadium, showing the need for better transport links for Moore Park.

Crowds after the Paul McCartney concluded at Moore Park.

“Failure to extend the Metro West to the east of the CBD would be a lost opportunity and consign Sydney to traffic chaos and perpetual arguments about parking,” the sports bosses said.

Mr Townsend, who chairs AMPS, said a Moore Park Metro station is “essential” to ensure all Sydneysiders have access to the precinct.

“This is a commonsense proposal that would provide equitable access for Sydneysiders, no matter where they live, to world-class sport and entertainment,” he said.

“Only a Metro has the capacity to move over 40,000 people an hour, which will reduce cars on our roads which will improve the experience not just for sports fans but for people who don’t attend but are stuck in traffic.”

A-Leagues CEO and Alliance of Moore Park Sports chairman Danny Townsend said a Moore Park Metro station would help Western Sydney fans travel to see games. Picture: Getty

Mr Townsend said the government’s plans to increase the concert cap at Allianz was more reason to provide better transport links.

Entertainment Quarter chairman Tony Shepherd backed the idea of extending the Metro to Moore Park as “enormous good sense”. He also suggested the Entertainment Quarter on the old Showgrounds site may chip in to cover costs.

“You’ve got to make access convenient, easy and reasonably priced,” he said.

A new Metro stop should also be built at UNSW to service tens of thousands of students, Mr Shepherd said.

There’s been calls for station’s at Moore Park, UNSW and Zetland.

The Premier has repeatedly refused to rule out scrapping Metro West following major cost blowouts and delays.

However, government sources have told the Telegraph Metro West will surely go ahead.

In a sign Metro West has been reworked, Transport Minister Jo Haylen took a proposal on the project to cabinet’s expenditure review committee on Friday.

On Sunday, she refused to be drawn on whether more stops would be added. “We’ll have more to say when we respond to the independent Sydney Metro Review,” she said.

On current plans, Metro West will take commuters from Parramatta to Hunter Street in the CBD.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has been leading a push for the route to be extended south, to Zetland.