Liverpool Council sets sights on 20 minute bus to new airport

A TRIP from Liverpool to the new airport at Badgerys Creek would take just 20 minutes along a purpose-built Rapid Transit Corridor that could be the first in Australia to make use of driverless technology.

The Rapid Transit Corridor would stretch over 19km of road.

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A TRIP from Liverpool to the new airport at Badgerys Creek would take just 20 minutes along a purpose-built Rapid Transit Corridor that could be the first in Australia to make use of driverless technology.

Liverpool Council is set to forge ahead with the proposed widening and extension of Fifteenth Avenue, which runs through the city’s rural district, to the site of the western Sydney airport.

The council was awarded a $1.55m grant from the Planning and Environment Department to create a detailed design and strategic business case for the proposed 19km corridor.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said it was about finding a solution to the problem of the “first or last mile”, which she described as the “relatively short distance in a traveller’s journey that is often the least efficient.”

Liverpool Council was awarded a $1.55m grant to create a detailed design and strategic business case for a Rapid Transit Corridor along Fifteenth Ave.

“We want southwest Sydney to have a fast connection to the departure lounge,” Cr Waller said.

“We believe there is a great opportunity to build a significant piece of infrastructure, in partnership with the private sector, that will bring to life the aspiration of the 30-minute city in Sydney’s southwest.”

The transit corridor would also link to the aerotropolis, connecting locals to employment and education opportunities, she said.

“When the airport is operational in 2026 our city will supply the full range of employees the new international hub will require, from tertiary educated professionals to cleaners, machinery operators, technicians and tradespeople.

“We are a smart city and this is our smart response to an issue that is begging for a solution.”

Western Sydney council mayors signed the Western Sydney City Deal with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull earlier this month.

A workshop will be held on Thursday, led by one of the country’s leading authorities on transport infrastructure, Curtin University’s Professor Peter Newman, to canvas ideas for the transit corridor.

Representatives from WSA Co, the company building the airport, the Sydney Business Chamber, engineering firm Aurecon and developers Mirvac, Frasers and Leamac Property Group will also attend.

Earlier this month, mayors from western Sydney councils, including Liverpool, signed the Western Sydney City Deal, which will see a $7 billion north-south rail link from St Marys to Bringelly via the new airport constructed by 2026.

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