Parramatta: Horwood Place new site for Sydney Metro West train station

A site for the underground station at Parramatta has been revealed as part of the $20 billion Sydney Metro West train line.

Horwood Place at Parramatta will be home to an underground metro station.

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A multi-deck carpark at Horwood Place will make way for the Parramatta underground station on the Sydney Metro West train line, it has been revealed.

A source has told the Parramatta Advertiser the four-storey carpark had been earmarked for the major transport project that will shuttle commuters from Westmead to the city when it opens in the second half of the 2020s.

“It’s a similar situation to what’s happening in North Sydney at Victoria Cross station,’’ the source said.

“There’s no more capacity at Parramatta station, that’s why it’s there.”

Last May, the government undertook site works at a lane off Horwood Place, further indicating the precinct will be the site for the station.

The City Centre carpark at Horwood Place Parramatta will be demolished for the underground station.

The specific size of the project and whether the station will stretch beyond the Parramatta Council-owned carpark block closest into Phillip St has yet to be confirmed.

Businesses have still not been informed about Metro site.

Badmanner Thymes Espresso cafe owner Scott Sang was only aware of the Parramatta Light Rail, not the underground station.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a good idea to shut the business because when Church St’s blocked (for the light rail) it’s going to kill the whole Church St. That’s not fair for small businesses.’’

The State Government must acquire the carpark off Parramatta Council.

A council spokeswoman would not comment further about the station.

“City of Parramatta Council welcomes the opportunity to work with the State Government on the planning and development of the Sydney Metro West,’’ she said.

“The exact locations of Sydney Metro West stops are a matter for the State Government.”

At Westmead, a parcel of land next to the hospital at the corner of Hawkesbury and Darcy roads, Westmead, was a possible site for the station.

Concept designs for the underground Westmead train station.

The site is also where the first stage of Parramatta Light Rail will be built.

Western Sydney Business Chamber executive director David Borger would not comment on the exact station sites but said the Horwood Place carpark would be the ideal location for Parramatta passengers.

“It needs to be in a reasonable walk to the railway station and obviously Parramatta Square’s under construction,’’ he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at Westmead where an underground station is planned. Picture: Jeremy Piper

As well as Parramatta ad Westmead, Sydney Metro West stations will be built at Rydalmere or Camellia, Sydney Olympic Park, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct at Rozelle.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Andrew Constance would not provide more specific details about the station.

“We’ll have more to say about it in due course,’’ she said.

Western Sydney is home to 47 per cent of Sydney’s population and more than 300,000 jobs are expected to be created between Parramata and central Sydney by 2036.

Property Council western Sydney regional director Ross Grove said it was vital the government undertook precinct masterplanning for each new station.

“If we maximise the living and employment benefits from each new station we’ll see a genuine improvement in the lifestyle of future residents,’’ he said.

In February, he said a UNSW City Futures Research Centre study found that workers could save the equivalent of $2500 a year in travel time through shorter commutes by living closer to jobs and services.

It found half the saved time used for working would lead to extra $1.13 billion of labour supply for the growing NSW economy.

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