Parramatta Light Rail

Background and initial announcement

In 2013, Parramatta City Council published a $1 million feasibility study into a proposed Western Sydney Light Rail Network, designed to improve transport links throughout Western Sydney and meet the challenges posed by the projected rise in population in the region in the coming decades. The study found that a light rail system was a viable solution to address the growing transport needs of Parramatta and Western Sydney. The report proposed an estimated $20 million in state and federal support was required to undertake a detailed investigation and to prepare a business case. It proposed that construction of the network would take place in several stages, the first of which comprised a route from Macquarie Centre to Castle Hill via Eastwood, Dundas, Parramatta and Baulkham Hills, with a branch from Parramatta to Westmead. Further extensions were proposed from Parramatta to Bankstown and Rhodes.

As part of the 2014/15 New South Wales Budget, the state government announced Transport for NSW would investigate ten potential light rail routes in Western Sydney. The government allocated $400 million to ensure funds for detailed planning and construction of an initial project would be 'ready to go', should the investigations prove favourable. Six of the ten routes being investigated were eliminated from contention in October 2014. The routes investigated were:

Of the final four routes, the Macquarie Park via Carlingford and Strathfield via Olympic Park options were perceived as the frontrunners to be selected. The Macquarie Park via Carlingford route was supported by Parramatta, Ryde and The Hills councils. The Strathfield via Olympic Park route was advocated by The WestLine Partnership, a lobby group consisting of businesses and organisations with a presence in the area. Auburn and Canada Bay councils were later joined by Strathfield Council as members of the group. The route passes through industrial areas of Sydney - it would act as a catalyst for urban renewal in these areas. The WestLine Partnership suggested government funding could be augmented via a process called "value capture" where property developers building along the route would make a financial contribution to the project. The Partnership also suggested building a branch from Newington to Rhodes and indicated that their funding model could allow a route to Carlingford to be built as well. Supporters of the Macquarie Park via Carlingford route argued the needs of that corridor were more pressing and the Strathfield via Olympic Park route would be poorly utilised in its early years.

The Parramatta Light Rail scheme was officially unveiled on 8 December 2015, when the government announced it had selected the Strathfield route plus a truncated version of the Macquarie Park route that ends at Carlingford. The two routes converge at Camellia and proceed through Parramatta to Westmead. The government will contribute $1 billion towards the project. It will also adopt the value capture approach advocated by The WestLine Partnership, by instigating a "Special Infrastructure Contribution" on new residential developments along the route. The revenue raised by the levy will be used to help fund the light rail and other infrastructure for the area. Government investigations into the value capture process held up the announcement of the preferred route but would reportedly allow the two lines to be built together. The state government will also explore funding contributions from the federal and local governments. The convenor of The WestLine Partnership stated that the light rail project's funding model would be used as a test case for funding future infrastructure projects.

Construction of the lines was expected to commence in late 2018 but there was no announcement of an expected completion date or a total budget for the project. An early estimate from January 2016 put the total cost at $3.51 billion. In August 2016, Transport for NSW noted the project could be delivered in stages. A new metro line between the Sydney Central Business District and Parramatta was announced in November 2016. The metro would adopt a similar route to the Strathfield branch of the light rail; media reports indicated the metro project would most likely cause the deferral of construction of this branch. This was confirmed in February 2017, when it was announced that the Westmead - Camellia section and the Carlingford branch would be built as "stage 1" of the project.

Design

The routes will begin at Westmead before proceeding east to Camellia via North Parramatta and the Parramatta CBD. At Camellia the two routes split.

A northern branch to Carlingford will reuse most of the Carlingford railway line. The railway line is single track for most of its length, has shorter platforms than other lines in Sydney and has long been seen as under-utilised. Patronage declined from 445,749 journeys in 2001 to 260,216 journeys in 2014. Various modification schemes to revitalise the line have been proposed. Action for Transport 2010, a New South Wales Government plan released in 1998, included the Parramatta Rail Link - a heavy rail line from Parramatta to Chatswood that would utilise the Carlingford line between Camellia and Carlingford. A Rail Clearways project was announced in the 2000s that would have created a passing loop at Rydalmere, enabling a more frequent service. Neither scheme came to fruition.

The second branch of the light rail continues east to Strathfield. This will follow a route similar to that taken by Grand Avenue before crossing the Duck River, passing through Newington, crossing Haslams Creek, serving Sydney Olympic Park and terminating at the major transport hub of Strathfield. A Bus rapid transit link between Parramatta and Strathfield was proposed in Action for Transport 2010. The route followed a similar route to the light rail between Parramatta and the Duck River. It then followed a southern alignment to Strathfield, staying close to the M4 motorway. The busway was not built. There were two former pieces of infrastructure that also followed similar routes. A tramway operated between Parramatta Park and the Duck River, where it connected with Parramatta River ferry services to Sydney. It closed in 1943. The Sandown railway line was built just to the north of the tramway. It connected to the Carlingford line at Camellia. The line still exists but is no longer in use.

The entire light rail project is approximately 22-kilometres long though no detailed route has been finalised for both branches of the project.

Stage 1

The stage 1 route was announced on 17 February 2017. The stage 1 route runs between Westmead and Carlingford via North Parrramatta, the Parramatta CBD, Camellia, Rydalmere, Dundas and Telopea. A list of sixteen provisional stops was released for the twelve kilometre route. The stops are:

Land has been purchased for a maintenance and stabling facility, to be located east of Rosehill Racecourse. Trams will access the facility via a short branch line that uses the alignment of the disused Sandown heavy rail line.

Construction for Stage 1 is expected to begin in 2018 and be completed by 2023. Services are expected to operate every 7.5 minutes throughout the day.

During construction, the line section between Clyde and Camellia, with Rosehill railway station will close.

Potential extensions

Despite the deferral of construction, planning work for the Strathfield via Sydney Olympic Park branch will continue. The planning work is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

An extension from Carlingford to Epping is also being investigated.