The light rail was great – until it opened their backyards to the world

There’s no doubt that the Parramatta light rail has improved transport connection in western Sydney: bus journeys that took almost an hour between Carlingford and Westmead now take less than 30 minutes.

But in its first months of operation, the light rail has also connected people, and not in the way you’d want: Dave and Marion Corbett now sit in their backyard pool face to face with commuters as carriages loom over their back fence.

Dave and Marion Corbett at the back of their Dundas home.Credit: Steven Siewert

They are among dozens of residents on Rippon Avenue – a quiet suburban street in Dundas, north of Parramatta – who say that for all the benefits the new light rail service has brought in its four-and-a-half months of operation, their homes have become almost unlivable.

Putting carriage windows high above fencing, the new light rail tracks are about a metre higher than those for the heavy rail line that used the corridor before it closed in 2020 to accommodate the tram.

It means there is little privacy for the dozens of family homes along the strip, and the speed at which the vehicles travel (60km/h in this section) brings significant noise and, at night, flashes of light that seem to penetrate the thickest curtains.

Residents say they are grateful to have access to the new light rail but have been pleading with Transport for NSW since construction began five years ago for enhanced privacy and noise protections.

The fences of homes on Rippon Avenue in Dundas are no longer suitable.Credit: Steven Siewert

“We’ve got French doors across the back. If I come out in the mornings in my pyjamas, you know, I’ve got to be aware there’s people going to be looking in,” said Marion Corbett. “And that was something we never had with the heavy rail. We had complete privacy. Now we have no privacy.”

“If we’d moved into a house that was on a main road … we would have adjusted our house and understood that was what it came with. But to not have that … feels like an invasion of our privacy.”

She has been on a committee reporting issues to the council since the project began, and said Transport for NSW had failed to deliver on initial undertakings.

In February, Transport for NSW emailed residents informing them the agency was “working diligently to finalise the necessary details” for privacy before engaging a contractor. Mitigation measures would be installed, not in a unified manner, but “based on the individual discussions with property owners”.

A spokesperson said the authority had worked “directly with residents at 12 properties on mitigation solutions that include higher fencing, screening and window treatments” and was procuring items. Some had already been installed on properties where noise levels would be excessive, and monitoring continued.

Dave Corbett wants to extend the fence – “essentially double” the current height – but doing so would exceed the council’s limit.

The Sydney Morning Herald has opened its bureau in the heart of Parramatta. Email [e-mail] with news tips.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.