CASTLE Towers will have a direct underground link to the Sydney Metro station at Castle Hill — giving commuters the opportunity to shop all the way up to the train.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance revealed plans for the pedestrian link from the shopping centre to the Sydney Metro station exclusively to the Times.
“This new underground link will make it faster and easier for customers to get where they need to go, including straight into one of Sydney’s biggest shopping centres,” Mr Constance said.
QIC global real estate managing director Steven Leigh said the link would provide commuters with better access to the retail and entertainment precincts at the centre.
“This important agreement with Transport for NSW will allow Castle Towers to be truly integrated with key infrastructure and create a multi-mode transport hub,” he said.
Retail manager Eddie Paynter said the connect would offer commuters an exceptional range of food, retail and entertainment.
“The pedestrian link to the new Castle Hill station is an important part of our long-term vision for Castle Towers, providing a transport hub for the local area and unlocking significant convenience and connectivity for the Hills community,” he said.
Arthur Whitling Park will also be redeveloped at the site.
SAFETY CONCERNS STOP WORK ON METRO
CONSTRUCTION of the Sydney Metro Northwest project has come to a halt last week, amid several safety breaches raised by the Electrical Trades Union.
The federal workplace safety regulator ordered all work to stop on Thursday, after serious safety concerns were raised by 50 electricians working on the rail tunnels.
Comcare shut down the worksite for 24 hours after inspecting the tunnels and finding inadequate emergency lighting and evacuation plans.
Electrical Trades Union NSW secretary Dave McKinley slammed the State Government over the safety breaches.
“Just last month Premier Gladys Berejiklian was bragging that this project would likely come in half a billion dollars under budget,” Mr McKinley said.
“This unprecedented work stoppage has now revealed how those savings are being achieved: by management putting the lives of workers at risk.”
He said the project management team refused the union access to investigate concerns, which resulted in the union contacting safety regulators.
The safety breaches also come as Greens MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi called for the government to reinstate engineering expertise in transport departments following claims of a $500m budget blowout on the project.
“The SkyTrain project was originally worth $340 million, it soon over ran by $50 million due to a design dispute, and now the public has to pay out another half a billion dollars to compensate this Government’s total and utter incompetency,” Dr Faruqi said.
“Just because they have enormous contingency in the budget for Sydney Metro doesn’t mean this isn’t a cost blowout.”
A Transport for NSW spokesman said will be delivered within its $8.3 billion budget.
“The project is currently $500 million under budget and will open in the first half of next year, as planned,” he said.
“Sydney Metro directly employs engineers with relevant expertise who contribute to engineering standards and work with industry groups to share knowledge and experience.”
The spokesman said the technical team at Sydney Metro is an Authorised Engineering Organisation.
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