NorthWest Metro Plan No Plan At All
Following the revelation that the Iemma Government suppressed a commissioned report by leading British rail planner, Jim Steer, that was highly critical of the North-West Metro proposal, EcoTransit Sydney is calling for the NSW Government to go back to the drawing board on plans to develop at Rouse Hill in the absence of existing public transport links.
The abandonment of the North West Rail Link for a poorly conceived, and even more costly, Metro-style line that would be delivered several years after the residences are built, has significant consequences for Sydney's transport network as a whole.
A submission by EcoTransit Sydney, submitted to the government in April 2008, notes concerns that:
"...the timing, cost and integration of the proposed Metro line with the rest of the public transport network. We are also inclined to deprecate the abandonment of much-needed
adjustments to the rest of the CityRail network that were to be implemented as part of the North West Rail Line. EcoTransit Sydney advises that the proposed Metro line be put aside in favour of the existng proposal to extend the CityRail network, for which comprehensive planning and costing has already been completed, and which can be implemented in tandem with the housing developments in the North West rather than several years afterwards. The existing North West Rail Line can also be implemented much sooner than any stand-alone proposal, with profound benefits, not just for the North West region, but the entire CityRail network."
The EcoTransit Sydney submission also noted the optimism and lack of detail associated with the project. The submission notes that:
"...no significant research has been done on the placement of stations and associated infrastructure, or the issues surrounding the construction of tunnels. It is, therefore, difficult to understand whether the stated cost of 12 billion dollars is a realistic assessment of the proposal’s final cost. However, even at a conceptual level, this figure represents a very significant investment in a comparatively small addition to the capacity of the network."
EcoTransit Sydney believes that a proposal for an orbital road linking Rouse Hill with the M4 and M5 at Casula, announced in the last month, may be the actual goal of the announcement of a Metro that would take almost a decade to deliver. With more traffic directed to these already congested tollways, extensions to these toll roads would become more attractive to the private sector.
Mr Steer's report makes it clear that the extremely expensive North-West Metro proposal would rob the existing CityRail network of funds vital for expansion and maintenance at a time when this network is under intense pressure from the surge back to public transport.
"The government should implement the existing N-W rail link plans and complete the Parramatta to Epping section of the Parramatta-Chatswood project. The billions advocated for the Metro would also be better spent on a comprehensive network of light rail lines to supplement the existing rail network" said Leah Mason, EcoTransit spokesperson.
See the EcoTransit Sydney submission on the NorthWest Metro proposal in our Resources section under Reports and Submissions