The Greater Sydney Commission will revisit its rail plans for Wollondilly

The  Greater Sydney Commission has admitted the transport plans for Wollondilly shire in its draft district plans need to be reworked.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, Wollondilly Mayor Judy Hannan and Transport Heritage NSW Chef Executive Officer Andrew Moritz at Wollondilly Council’s Trax to the Future Rail Symposium last week. Picture: Angelo Velardo

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The  Greater Sydney Commission has admitted the transport plans for Wollondilly shire in its draft district plans need to be reworked.

GSC interim Western City District Commissioner Geoff Roberts committed to revisiting the plans and advocating for better rail infrastructure for Wollondilly going forward.

L-R Wollondily mayor Judy Hunnan, former Deputy PM Tim Fischer and Transport Heritage NSW Chef Executive Officer Andrew Moritz at the Rail Symposium, NSW Rail Museum. Thirlmere, Thursday, November 9th 2017. Wollondilly Council is holding a symposium on rail to discuss the urgent need to connect the region in light of the massive growth happening. (AAP Image / Angelo Velardo)

Mr Roberts was speaking at Wollondilly Council’s Trax for the Future Rail Symposium last week.

“I am prepared and I’ve committed to advocate for Wollondilly,” he said.

“I don’t think we’ve quite got the transport right in the current plans and will be working with the mayor and the general manager in the coming month to make sure that is done.”

Mr Roberts said the region needed to establish a place for itself as part of the Western City District.

The Greater Sydney Commission’s Geoff Roberts speaks at the rail symposium. Picture: Angelo Velardo

“What we have to do is position Wollondilly so that it has a niche place in the district,” he said. “I love the focus on rail, let’s keeping focusing on rail and the timing for rail is critical but we need an equal focus on how we’re going to generate economic development that follows from the mobility in this part of the world.”

At the forum, Wollondilly Mayor Judy Hannan said rail would be vital if the proposed development of Wilton New Town, expected to be larger than Port Macquarie, was to receive council’s support.

Residents and business leaders at Wollondilly’s rail symposium. Picture: Angelo Velardo

“Without access to public transport it is likely that Wilton New Town will evolve as a dormitory automobile city,” she said.

Cr Hannan said the timelines for rail investigation in the Transport NSW Future Transport Strategy and GSC draft district plans needed to be accelerated.

“The recently released draft greater Sydney region plan also identified the need for an intermediate bus service from Campbelltown to Wollongong,” she said. “This should be upgraded to an electrified passenger rail service via Wilton New Town and constructed on the Maldon-Dombarton rail line.

“It would make sense to provide a second freight and passenger rail corridor from the Illawarra through Campbelltown to the Western Sydney Airport and ­beyond.”

Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer was among the speakers at the event and said the State and Federal government needed to deliver rail connections to the Western Sydney Airport from the day it opens.

“You’ve got to aim for this, you cannot build a Wilton New Town and the four or five other supertowns in the Sydney Basin around Badgerys Creek without providing for transport,” he said.

“(Federal Urban Infrastructure Minister) Paul Fletcher should be looking for ways to make sure the rail is at Badgerys Creek before the aircraft are at Badgerys Creek and I’ve said that to him.”