‘Commuters could be worse off with Southwest Metro’
Opponents of the Sydney Metro Southwest train fear the new line will make travel longer and harder to navigate due to a number of factors.
The Express
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There is real fear that thousands of commuters and students will be worse off if the Sydney Metro Southwest sticks to its current route and takes away direct access of the Bankstown-Sydenham line to the city circle.
The NSW Upper House inquiry into the planned 13km conversion of the Sydenham-Bankstown Line from heavy rail to metro is examining how the Southwest Metro will impact residents, including if alternatives to routes would improve capacity and reduce congestion on that line.
The committee, which is hearing submissions, will also scrutinise the adequacy of transport arrangements during the conversion process because sections of the line will be shut over the holiday period for the next few years, forcing thousands of commuters to use buses.
Under the present plans, the Southwest Metro will be operational by 2024, with all stations on the Bankstown Line being upgraded and fully accessible.
Roydon Ng, the co-convener of Save T3 Bankstown Line group, said the government was not being open about its plans, including how the Metro will be funded.
METRO SW WILL BE A WINNER: GOVERNMENT
He was among the many representatives of local community groups and organisations opposed to the Southwest Metro in the present route who spoke at the inquiry.
“I am happy to have fought for 19,000 commuters west of Bankstown who will be worse off after Metro Southwest,” Mr Ng told The Express.
“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to raise awareness to the nine stations west of Bankstown that will lose all trains to the city after Southwest Metro.
“I am disappointed at Sydney Trains’ evasiveness and inability to provide certainty for future train services west of Bankstown and I urge the NSW Government to restore the Inner West Line to Liverpool/Bankstown via Regents Park.”
Former deputy mayor of Canterbury, Barbara Coorey — another vocal opponent of the Southwest Metro — said she was very concerned about lack of a direct access to the city for Sydney University students who will have to switch trains once new line opens.
“Thousands of local students will suffer because they have to change trains to get to Sydney University,” Ms Coorey said.
“I am grateful to the NSW Parliament for giving us a voice because there are many issues including overdevelopment along the (transport) corridor and safety concerns if anything should happen while the (driverless) trains are underground.”
She said the travel times would be increased, not decreased, if the Southwest Metro was built under its present plans.
“For the first time in over 100 years, locals will lose direct access to the city circle (if the Metro is built in its current form),” she said.
The chair of the Upper House committee Abigail Boyd said: “Given the huge impact this planned conversion will have on commuters, it is critical that the committee carefully consider the NSW Government’s business case and management of this project todate.
“We also understand that there are concerns related to contractual arrangements for this project, and our inquiry will be important in exploring all of these issues.”
Transport for NSW said public feedback has helped refine the delivery of the city and southwest projects.
A Transport for NSW spokesman said community feedback had seen them keep the heritage character of the existing Bankstown Line stations which are being upgraded and reducing closures of the line during construction.
“After the Environmental Impact Statement was put on public exhibition in 2017, 553 submissions were received from the community and businesses, and 10 from local councils and government departments,” a Transport for NSW spokesman said.
“Sydney Metro heard what people had to say and made changes to the upgrade to reduce the impacts of the project on local communities.”
When Sydney Metro Southwest opens in 2024, there will be trains every four minutes in each direction during peak hours.
One group backing the project is Locals for Metro Southwest who said the Sydenham to Bankstown Urban Renewal Corridor Strategy “will revitalise our community and deliver more jobs, better housing, shopping, restaurants, parks and streetscapes”.
Canterbury Bankstown Council, which had opposed the Southwest Metro, changed its stance after the 2019 state elections, saying the voters want the Metro.
However, Mayor Khal Asfour says the best route for Bankstown will be underground because it will unite and revitalise the city.
The NSW Upper House committee is due to report its findings by the end of March 2020.