Bay Light Express
What is the Bay Light Express?
The Bay Light Express is a light rail proposal consisting of two links-Bay Light East and Bay Light West. The two would skirt the neighbourhoods of the
Botany Bay Region, providing fast, comfortable and convenient access between residential and commercial areas that are now difficult to access by public transport.
The proposal would provide relief to communities whose quality of life has been eroded by ever increasing road traffic. It would offer travel times quicker than cars for many trips and provide more capacity than present bus services that are currently over-crowded. This would drive a decisive shift from road to rail use.
In a climate of rising petrol prices, the superior service provided by construction of the Bay Light Express would help to secure the economic future of the region while at the same time make real progress towards protection of the environment. Large reductions in air, noise and water pollution would help to conserve the heritage and nature conservation values of the Botany Bay region.
Where would the Bay Light Express go?
The region immediately surrounding Botany Bay is home to some half a million Sydney residents and thousands of businesses. It houses the county's largest airport and busiest sea freight terminal, an oil refinery and heavy chemical industry. It is the birthplace of modern Australia and a significant part of the heritage of Aboriginal Australia as it is the site of the earliest recorded incidents of indigenous rights and environmental protest.
Like a thread through the beads of a necklace, the Bay Light Express would link all of these places, providing easy access through a diverse range of urban districts and natural environments.
The map (left) demonstrates the wealth of opportunities for eliminating congestion and improving air quality by making 'trip generators' like the shopping strips at Newtown and Oxford Street, as well as educational destinations such as UNSW and the University of Sydney accessible by public transport from all around the Botany Bay area. Imagine being able to go from Circular Quay to La Perouse in one extremely scenic journey?
This map shows an even more ambitious possibility for taking that trip all the way down to Sutherland or even Cronulla via a tunnel underneath Botany Bay's heads!