Parramatta Council CEO Rob Lang. Source: The Daily Telegraph
A LIGHT rail link between Castle Hill and Bankstown, via the western Sydney hub of Parramatta, would be easier to build than its equivalent in the CBD, faster for commuters to use than buses and cars and cheaper than trains.
The $1.83 billion, 25km line, which would connect the northwest with the southwest of the city, would also dramatically ease congestion and create jobs, according to a feasibility study into the proposed Western Sydney Light Rail Network.
"We are following the lead of the current state government, which clearly recognises the benefits of light rail and the development and expansion of light rail in Sydney CBD," Parramatta City Council CEO Rob Lang will tell leaders at the NSW Business Chamber's Future of the Western Sydney Economy forum on Friday.
"There is no reason why light rail can't be considered for western Sydney - that's where the growth is.
"The opportunity to construct a highly segregated line is far easier here than in the Sydney CBD."
The council, which commissioned a $1 million study into the $9.5 billion, 150km Western Sydney Light Rail Network, which would span from Rhodes to Wetherill Park and from Rouse Hill to Liverpool, will call for Parramatta to be "radially connected" instead of governments pouring money into transport links which funnel workers into the Sydney CBD.
Dr Lang said Sydney needed to embrace its future as a polycentric city, with Parramatta at its centre, to allow the west's booming population to get to work and school. "What is emerging is the importance of connecting Parramatta to Macquarie Park, Castle Hill and Bankstown."
The study found a light rail line between Castle Hill and Parramatta would be a "sustainable alternative to car travel" on the congested Windsor Rd and allow Hills residents to work in Parramatta. A line to Macquarie Park would connect the west to "knowledge jobs and university" and link Parramatta to the north for the first time.
"The feasibility study is almost finished and the results are encouraging to create a transport network which will unlock the potential of western Sydney," Dr Lang said.
"The line to Bankstown will deliver social change and renewal. The population south of Parramatta is poorly connected and suffers social exclusion. This line will unlock this dormant area by improving land values, allowing renewal and investment."
The Western Sydney Light Rail Network has the backing of Infrastructure NSW, Transport NSW, the Federal Department of Infrastructure and western Sydney councils.
Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW government's plan for light rail acknowledges it has the potential to play a more prominent role in western Sydney.
"The NSW government is committed to working with Parramatta City Council on their study into the feasibility of light rail," she said.
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