Link planned for students to reach Alfred Street Bridge Parramatta as light rail testing hits halfway mark

A $5.3m pathway will connect students to a pedestrian bridge at Parramatta, where the light rail project has reached a major milestone and funds for bike-friendly trams have been allocated.

A $5.3m path that connects school students to the new popular Alfred Street Bridge at Parramatta will be constructed with the government making the pledge while celebrating the halfway mark of light rail testing.

It has also allocated funds under the $60m Get NSW Active grants program for bicycle spots in the new trams to make it easier for the public to “mix up the way they travel” so they can pedal from home to the nearest light rail stop then on the tram.

Once complete, the “safe separated cycleway” will link students from Rosehill Public and Maronite College of the Holy Family at Harris Park to the Alfred Street Bridge, a $19m connection across the Parramatta River that opened in October.

The project includes planting trees to provide shade and lighting upgrades to ensure crossing points and the path remain safe at night.

The light rail testing milestone means the project is on track to welcome passengers in August.

A $5.3m cycleway will connect Rosehill Public School and Maronite College of the Holy Family students to the Alfred Street Bridge at Parramatta, where the light rail project has reached a major milestone and earmarked bike-friendly trams.

Up to eight trams are being tested at a time, seven days a week, with the performance of each vehicle being monitored closely while drivers get familiar with the alignment, including when crowds are heading to major events at CommBank Stadium.

The trams are travelling along the full alignment from Carlingford to Westmead, stopping at all 16 stops and crossing 23 intersections.

Much of the testing took place on Eels game day.

Tests included “load testing” that used sandbags to replicate the weight of passengers on a full tram.

Load testing is now complete, which involved more than 1500 sandbags placed on board to represent the weight of a full load of 400 passengers.

The testing and commissioning program started in December 2023 to ensure the vehicles and network were functioning safely and reliably.

Passengers will have access to the services about every 7.5 minutes in peak periods when the light rail is fully operational.

“It’s all happening in Parramatta,’’ Transport Minister Jo Haylen said.

“Tram testing has passed the 50 per cent mark and will add to the growing number of ways people can travel around the Parramatta CBD.

“While Parramatta light rail stage 1 gets closer to completion, other projects are now under way. Our investment in the Alfred St walking and cycling link will make it safer and easier for kids and families to ride their bikes.’’

Parramatta Lord Mayor Pierre Esber labelled the projects as a huge win for the community.

“We are a step closer to seeing the first passengers travelling on trams in the heart of our city and we’re very excited that Parramatta light rail will soon be operational,” he said.

Originally published as Link planned for students to reach Alfred Street Bridge Parramatta as light rail testing hits halfway mark