Calls for Metro Northwest to new airport rail connection
A SYDNEY council has pleaded with the NSW Government to fast-track plans to link the Sydney Metro northwest to the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
Hills Shire
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A SYDNEY council has pleaded with the NSW Government to fast-track plans to link the Sydney Metro northwest to the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
The Hills Shire Council is calling for the state government to plan a link from the Tallawong Sydney Metro northwest station at Rouse Hill and the North-South rail link at St Marys Station.
The plea for further integration of transport links across The Hills comes after a Council report noted a “lack of rail connectivity” between The Hills and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
“This will have negative implications for the overall productivity of the Hills, as well as hinder the delivery of the 30 minute city,” the report said.
A total of $100 million was contributed by the NSW and Australian governments towards a business case for the rail link between the Aerotropolis at Badgerys Creek and the existing Western rail line at St Marys.
“The indeterminate and uncertain timing of between 0-10 years for the investigation of this link impacts upon council’s ability to appropriately plan for the management of the significant
growth that is anticipated over the next decades,” the report said.
“The effects of this will result in diminished productivity of the (Hills) Shire and uncertainty regarding future local transport requirements such as bus connections to metro stations.”
The council report argued “issues of equity” would also arise “due to the lack of
public transport access for Hills residents to the employment opportunities created by the development of the Aerotropolis”.
Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne said the 10-year time frame proposed by the state and federal government wasn’t good enough.
“Without a sufficient connection to the North-South Rail Link, hundreds of thousands of residents, business owners and employees living and working in northwest Sydney will miss out on easy access into the new airport, as well as jobs and the education facilities in the southwest,” Cr Byrne said.
“Residents are already at their wits’ end over the ability to access key destinations, including the future Western Sydney Airport.
“We need this infrastructure and we need it to happen sooner rather than later.”
Cr Byrne also argued rail access could allow locally grown produce to be freighted anywhere in the world.
The Western Sydney Aerotropolis is expected to be complete in 2026.