Sydney Metro West: Witnesses call for stations at Zetland, Camellia, Newington, Silverwater amid inquiry

Overwhelming pressure to build more stations along the game-changing’ $25.3bn Metro West line - even if it means a multi-billion cost blowout - is mounting on the government. Find out more from the inquiry.

The Metro West line runs from Pyrmont to Westmead but pressure is growing to provide stations particularly in western Sydney.

Leaders have implored the government to “have some courage” and deliver four more stations along the Metro West line despite a potential multi-billion dollar blowout as communities from Parramatta to Zetland brace for population explosions.

At the NSW parliament Metro West inquiry to examine the original business case, witnesses including Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Parramatta Council chief executive Gail Connolly stressed the need for stations in the booming suburbs of Zetland, Silverwater, Newington and Camellia to meet housing and job targets.

The 24km, nine-station Metro West line between Westmead and Pyrmont was announced in 2016 and construction continues amid the inquiry.

On Friday, frustrated witnesses told the inquiry stations should be built along the 7km from Sydney Olympic Park to Parramatta where high-density homes are slated.

They lashed out at the government for placing an importance on a 20-minute rapid service between Parramatta and the city instead of providing stations in boom suburbs such as Camellia where 10,000 new homes are planned.

How the Westmead Metro station could look.

Parramatta Council chief executive Gail Connolly said the economic benefits of a 20-minute journey from Parramatta to the Sydney CBD was “massively out of date” and urged the government to build more stations - “infrastructure that has a life of 120 years”.

“Let’s not look back in 100 years and go ‘Geez, we should have built those two stations at Camellia and Newington,’’ she said.

She said Parramatta’s strong local workforce meant commuters did not rely on fast links to the city as much as before the pandemic.

“We say we’re no longer the second CBD – we are western Sydney’s global city,’’ she said.

“And that has attracted a lot of business and investor confidence to the CBD.

“There is a desire to be located by multinational companies in Parramatta.’’

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore urged the government to extend the metro to Zetland which is bracing for its population and workforce to hit 70,000 by 2036.

She said a station at Zetland Ave would serve the $22bn Green Square development – Australia’s largest urban renewal project and alleviate congestion on the airport line.

“The heavy rail line was put in by the Coalition government as a way to get people from the airport to the city and it really excluded the local people initially,’’ she said.

“It’s since included the local people but it’s having really serious problems because it was never intended as a major project in the first place.

“You’ve got to look long term and have some vision, and courage.

“(There are) huge benefits of the city and the people living in those areas that have access to the city, and movement makes an enormous difference to their lives.’’

Zetland warrants a Metro station, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore says. Picture: John Appleyard

Billbergia developer and Camellia Land Owners’ Alliance member Rick Graf said Sydney had “one chance to get this right” and urged a station to be built at Camellia.

“Sydney Olympic Park to Parramatta corridor is a distance of over 7km and the absence of metro stations along this corridor under the current alignment is a missed opportunity that will make a positive economic contribution to accommodating growth within the central city,’’ he said.

Sydney Olympic Park Business Association chief executive Allison Taylor said the Metro West was “the most game-changing project in the area that has been critically lacking since the Olympics”.

David Borger, the executive director of Business Western Sydney which has 135 members, criticised the Metro West for having “deficient” consultation with communities.

“I think a lot of the challenges of these projects is that a lot of information is secret so when we have a discussion about public transport we don’t have all the knowledge or all the facts so I think there should have been a more rigorous process in talking to local communities,’’ he said.

Sydney Olympic Park Business Association chief executive Allison Taylor. Picture: Monique Harmer

Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan said Metro West would be a critical backbone on the western line and stations were initially slated for Camellia and Rydalmere but were scrapped.

He declined to comment on the business case so he did not breach confidential government rules.

When asked about the emphasis on the 20-minute Parramatta-city journey, he said it was “ultimately a decision of the government of the day after a very detailed analysis”.

He said patronage was increasing on lines such as the Metro North West.

“Things are definitely not returning exactly the same but there definitely is strong growth coming back onto the Metro network and we expect that would continue,’’ he said.

Transport for NSW chief transport planner Simon Hunter said train patronage slowed during Covid when migration slowed but it would bounce back, with about a million extra people expected to live along the West Metro line by 2041.