Push for extra metro station in Sydney's west to trigger urban renewal

A last-gasp attempt is under way to overturn the NSW government's decision not to build a metro rail station at Camellia, as proponents argue a train stop is needed as a trigger for development of the industrial suburb near Parramatta.

The government is also facing growing pressure to construct a station at Pyrmont, as part of the $20 billion-plus Metro West line project from Westmead to Sydney's CBD.

Parramatta City Council endorsed on Monday night an urgent plea for the government to include a station at Camellia, or at least provision for one to be built there.

Long dominated by industry, Camellia is earmarked for a major urban renewal project.Credit: Brendan Esposito

A seven-kilometre stretch of the proposed line between stations at Parramatta and Olympic Park will easily be the longest section without a proposed stop if one is not built at Camellia.

In contrast, eastbound trains that pick up passengers at Olympic Park will stop at four other stations before reaching one in Sydney's CBD once the line is opened by 2030. The government is also due to decide by the end of the year whether to construct an extra station at Pyrmont.

Parramatta lord mayor Bob Dwyer warned a significant city-shaping opportunity would be missed if a station was not built at Camellia.

The council is pushing for a station to be built there to trigger a renewal of the precinct, which is earmarked for up to 10,000 apartments and more than 5000 jobs.

But the government appears steadfast in its decision not to build the station.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the government confirmed last October that a station would not be built at Camellia due to contamination and flooding creating "considerable construction challenges".

"Significant remediation works would also have been required, which would have impacted construction timing," she said.

Developer and business groups such as the Property Council and Western Sydney Business Chamber have also called for the government to "urgently" prepare an option for a station.

"A metro station ... would catalyse major urban renewal. Camellia holds the long-term potential to strategically extend the footprint of the Parramatta CBD," they said in a joint submission.

The government ditched Rydalmere as a station site in April because of the added cost of extending the line across Parramatta River to the suburb, and the extra journey time for commuters.

It is aiming for a 20-minute trip on the driverless metro between Parramatta and the CBD, about 10 minutes quicker than existing express trains.

Even before Rydalmere was scrapped, Parramatta Council had warned Camellia had "little to no chance of developing into a town centre with good connectivity" without a station.

The City of Sydney, meanwhile, is leading a push for a station to be built at Pyrmont, arguing the need is critical because it is Australia's most densely populated suburb.

"By 2036, Pyrmont-Ultimo will be home to more jobs and residents than the NSW government’s urban renewal precincts of Camellia and Rydalmere combined," the council said.

Stations will be among the Metro West rail project's biggest costs. New stations under construction as part of the $15.5 billion City and Southwest metro line between Chatswood and Bankstown via the CBD range in price from $220 million to $630 million.

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