MP renews call for a northern beaches train
A PUSH to have a train considered as part of the northern beaches transport vision has again entered the debate on the eve of an overhaul of Sydney’s bus routes around the B-Line — and the idea has backing from a powerful political voice.
Manly
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A PUSH to have a train considered as part of the northern beaches transport vision has again entered the debate on the eve of an overhaul of bus routes around the B-Line.
Mackellar MP Jason Falinski has called on Northern Beaches Council and State Government to focus on an east-west rail line if they want a bigger slice of federal funding.
It comes as Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan called on Mr Falinski and the beaches’ four state MPs to match the council dollar-for-dollar to help fund a council-led transport strategy. But Mr Falinski said the time for talk about transport strategy was over and urged planners to think of things other than road-based solutions to heavy traffic.
Cr Regan called for a report to come back to the council early next year outlining various options.
It follows the announcement of up to 10,000 dwellings in Frenchs Forest surrounding the Northern Beaches Hospital, which is lacking a transport hub.
Mr Falinski said: “People are a bit sick and tired of transport strategy.
“They want us to get on and make things better.”
Previously the Manly Daily reported on plans from 2002 with designs created by then-co-ordinator general of rail Ron Christie.
They showed an arm of rail extending from Chatswood to Dee Why, which was touted for the “extreme long-term”.
Mr Falinski said a strategy had been mooted more recently by the State Government.
“The irony is the State Government is spending $72 billion on infrastructure and they have announced plans for another $120 billion,” he said.
“But effectively it just mimics the strategy put out by Bradfield in 1915 … all the strategies, all the studies commissioned over time, you could have saved your money on consultants and just got on with it.”
“People are a bit sick and tired of transport strategy. They want us to get on and make things better,” - Jason Falinski
However, Mr Falinski cautioned that the Beaches Link tunnel must be completed before attention turned to rail, pointing out that Labor leader Luke Foley had promised to scrap the project if elected to government.
“If we all turn our attention to the rail line we will end up missing out on the Beaches Link, which is a game changer and more than 50 years overdue. Bradfield actually had that tunnel in his initial plans,” he said.
Mr Falinski has previously indicated his vision of a driverless metro from Beacon Hill to Chatswood, with a major interchange at Frenchs Forest.
He argues that value capture should play a part, meaning that a percentage from the rise in value of property at Frenchs Forest could be used to help fund rail.
The plan has not attracted much support, with Cr Regan saying it could see increased density.
However, he said Mr Falinski’s enthusiasm was “great” and suggested he help fund a study into a rapid road-based project as well as rail.
“We can compare that with his idea for a train link and go to the community to compare the pros and cons and then we can say for sure what will be best,” he said.
“A rapid transport solution is available now at a fraction of the cost (of rail) and solves existing problems while catering for very limited growth around the hospital.”
Mr Falinski said there were many ways to do value share projects and not all involved increased density.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance was dismissive of the rail plan.
“Jason Falinski joins a long list of federal MPs telling the state how to spend infrastructure money,” Mr Constance told the Manly Daily.
“The little detail given by the Federal Government of the $10 billion rail fund shows it is meant to cover the whole country — meaning NSW would only get $350 million a year if we managed to get our fair share.
“We are currently spending $12 billion a year on transport infrastructure.”
The State Government is seeking feedback on its draft Future Transport Strategy, outlining its vision for the next 10, 20 and 40 years.
ANOTHER OPTION
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan has pointed to the latest plans from the Greater Sydney Commission for east-west rapid transport as the strongest sign yet of commitment to better infrastructure.
Cr Regan has previously promised to investigate an electric bus, known as a guided electric transport system, as a possible alternative to rail.
He also suggested that a council review of transport should look into linkages between Mona Vale and Macquarie Park.
He called on the State and Federal governments to match dollar-for-dollar the council’s contributions to a strategy.
“They need to have ownership as well. It can’t just be the council doing it on its own,” he said.
“We need to factor in the tunnel and how that might change things and the B-Line, how that changes things and how we can get better connectivity to the ferry wharf.”
Pittwater state Liberal MP Rob Stokes said he would work with the council.
“I’m really keen to work with the council in improving transport. We are investing into some of the seemingly intractable transport challenges on the northern beaches,” he said.
He was particularly interested in the Mona Vale to Macquarie Park corridor.
“We are happy to work with them but we don’t know what they are asking for yet,” he said.