Western Sydney airport: Blacktown Council’s Nancy-Bird Walton airport transport concerns
A western Sydney council fears the the future Western Sydney Airport could be effectively out-of-reach for Sydneysiders, with no timeframe on when vital road and rail links will be delivered.
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A western Sydney council fears the future Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport could be effectively out-of-reach for Sydneysiders due to inadequate transport infrastructure.
The international airport is expected to welcome travellers in just four short years with construction well underway.
However, Blacktown City Council has voiced concerns about the lack of investment in transport infrastructure to and from the airport.
“The federal government (with the NSW Government) has not yet clearly committed to funding the essential transport links to ensure effective access for all areas of Sydney and other cities to Nancy Bird Walton Airport,” a council spokeswoman said.
“The transport infrastructure strategy remains partial and lacking key elements of planning and funding. A key deficiency is the northern Sydney linkage to the airport, by completion of the metro rail strategy, which depends on Commonwealth funding support.”
There is currently no financial commitment or time frame to extend the Sydney metro train line beyond Tullawong.
Blacktown council is asking the government to provide a concrete funding promise and ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place by the time the airport opens.
However, the federal government’s Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and
Communications Department (DITRDC) said plans were in place to connect western Sydney residents to the new airport with road and rail network improvements underway.
“The Australian Government has committed $9 billion for the rail and road links that will transform the Western Sydney region and connect communities such as Blacktown to the new airport,” a spokeswoman said.
“This includes a $3.5 billion investment to deliver new major road infrastructure and upgrades under the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan, including a dedicated $200 million Local Roads Package benefiting western Sydney councils including Blacktown, and $5.25 billion towards the first stage of the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail link.”
The spokeswoman also said if the state government prioritised further infrastructure upgrades to road and rail links, the federal government would consider co-funding the upgrade.
Federal Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher said the government was committed to providing infrastructure for western Sydney, with the new airport the focal point of their investment into the west.
“The government is backing western Sydney through its record investment in infrastructure, which is already helping to transform the region,” he said.
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