Electrifying rail into Wollondilly should be a priority, says Mayor

Electrifying the rail line beyond Campbelltown and into Wollondilly will be a key component in connecting the shire with the rest of the city.

Wollondilly Mayor Judith Hannan says rail electrification is desperately needed ahead of growth. Picture: Joel Carrett

Electrifying the rail line beyond Campbelltown and into Wollondilly will be a key component in connecting the shire with the rest of the city.

That’s the view of Wollondilly Mayor Judy Hannan who says electrification of the line is critical to making the area a sustainable and liveable region.

According to the Transport NSW draft Future Transport Strategy, an electrified link from Campbelltown through to Goulburn is set for investigation and planning over a 10-20 year time frame.

Wollondilly Mayor Judith Hannan poses for a photo at Picton Station in Picton, Sydney, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Cr Hannan said in recent meetings with the State Government and the Greater Sydney Commission, it had been made clear that electrification of the line should be a priority

“I think the electrification should be happening now,” she said.

“I can accept that they’re not going to do it right now but we need to be clear on what is a shipping point so we can know when we can accept a development that comes before us.

“They’re open to feedback and they’re doing studies on the population growth so we need to set a number that if we reach, the electrification will happen.”

Cr Hannan said Wollondilly’s current public transport system bordered on non-existent, forcing a substantial number of residents who work out of the area into long commutes.

“Just an example would be a recent meeting I had to attend in the city,” she said.

“It took me three hours just to get there.

“We’ll have more people coming to the shire soon and with the plans for Wilton New Town we need the infrastructure to be in place before it is built.

“It’s vital what we get it soon because we don’t want to see congestion on our roads and

Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic backed the call for rail electrification, arguing that it will help ease the strain on parking at Campbelltown Station.

Campbelltown Station parking in the mornings. Picture: Ian Svegovic

“We recently completed a study into usage at Campbelltown Station,” he said.

“Within that study we found 59 per cent of people who parked at Campbelltown were from out of area.

“From those respondents, about 20 per cent were from Wollondilly and Wingecarribee.”

Within the report, a north-south rail link, connecting Campbelltown with the Western Sydney Airport has been identified as being for investigation over the next 10 years.

Rapid infrastructure development to support bus links connecting the Macarthur region with the neighbouring Liverpool, Penrith and Western Sydney Airport region’s will also be investigated and planned in the next 10 years.