NSW Opposition to scrap Sydenham to Bankstown Metro

THE Sydenham to Bankstown Metro project would be scrapped under a Labor government, the NSW opposition has announced.Funds instead would be diverted to the Metro West, linking Westmead and Parramatta.

An artist’s impression of the proposed new look Bankstown station.

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THE Sydenham to Bankstown Metro project would be scrapped under a Labor government, the NSW opposition has announced.

Funds from the conversion of the existing 13km section of rail track to a single-deck metro line would instead be diverted to the Metro West, linking Westmead and Parramatta to the Sydney CBD.

The move, which the ALP claims will free up billions of dollars, would see the construction of the Metro West fast-tracked.

A map of the West Metro rail line proposed, and then dumped by, the NSW Labor Government in 2009.

Bankstown state Labor MP Tania Mihailuk said the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro was “an excuse for the Berejiklian Government to dump units into Bankstown, not about providing quality public transport”.

“Under a Labor Government, the Sydenham to Bankstown Metro will be scrapped for good,” she said.

The opposition says unlike the Metro West, the conversion of the final section of the Sydenham to Bankstown line would not expand the city’s train network.

It argues the corridor is already well-served by the existing T3 Bankstown line, claiming it is currently under capacity.

Propose Metro extension from Bankstown to Badgerys Creek via Liverpool.

In 2017, The Express reported tens of thousands of commuters would be forced onto buses for up to six months while the line is converted.

“Why do we need a Metro when we have a perfectly good heavy rail line? What is the Liberal’s real agenda here?” Ms Mihailuk said.

“Liberal’s true agenda (is) to squeeze in as many units as possible into Bankstown without spending a dime to upgrade social infrastructure.”

CLOSE-UP LOOK AT NEW METRO TRAINS

Labor has already committed to ditching the Berejiklian government’s plan to rezone the Sydenham to Bankstown corridor, which would accommodate an extra 100,000 people in high-rise towers.

The Express contacted Transport Minister Andrew Constance’s office for comment.