Parramatta Light Rail stage two vital: Wentworth Point residents’ plea
Wentworth Point and Sydney Olympic Park residents are calling on the government to deliver the second stage of the Parramatta Light Rail project to their community where 100,000 people will live and work in the next 10 years.
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Sydney Olympic Park and Wentworth Point residents have underlined the need for infrastructure in their community and implored the government to deliver stage two of the $2.4 billion Parramatta Light Rail.
Clement Lun, who has lived at Wentworth Point for 11 years, joined other residents to step up their advocacy to ensure the project continues from the Parramatta CBD to Sydney Olympic Park via Melrose Park.
“Local transport is the No. 1 issue, there’s no train line; we’ve got a bus that takes us to Rhodes station but that’s reaching capacity too,’’ Mr Lun said.
“Obviously having lived in this community for a long time we’re crying out for more infrastructure.”
Clement Lun is a member of the Parramatta Light Rail stage 2 community and stakeholders group that liaises with Transport for NSW.
He said the rail’s second stage was vital to shuttle residents to Parramatta.
“We’re close to Parramatta but there’s no direct service,’’ he said. “There is the expectation of better public transport.”
This month, doubts were cast on the project’s future after reports emerged that staffing levels had dropped.
Last week, Opposition leader Jodi McKay visited “frustrated” residents to ramp up pressure on the government to complete the project.
She accused the government of over promising the Metro West, which will link Westmead and Sydney CBD via Sydney Olympic Park and The Bays Precinct.
“I think they over promised Metro West and … the casualty is Parramatta Light Rail,’’ she said.
“One hundred thousand people will be working and living in the Olympic Park precinct over the next 10 years.
“A lot of businesses have made a decision based on Parramatta Light Rail.
“If Parramatta Light Rail doesn’t go ahead we won’t get transport from Sydney Olympic Park to Parramatta until Metro.”
Ms McKay called on the government to make a decision.
“All the residents want is for the government to make a commitment which they promised all along … they need to be honest with the community about it,’’ she said.
Ms McKay declared the pool and a commitment to the second stage of Parramatta Light Rail as key issues that could woo Parramatta voters back to Labor.
“Parramatta is a seat we believe we can win and we’re not going to let (Parramatta MP) Geoff Lee and (Transport Minister) Andrew Constance get away with weasel words so you’re going to see a lot of me in Parramatta,’’ she said.
“We’re going to put a lot of attention on these kind of issues.’’
A Transport for NSW spokesman said the government was considering a final business case for Parramatta Light Rail’s second stage.
“On the ground, investigative works continue along the Stage 2 alignment,’’ he said.
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