The government has committed $1 billion to building one of the links, with funding dependent on sale of power assets, and is currently considering the four routes.
The other three routes connect Parramatta to Macquarie Park via Carlingford, to Castle Hill and to Bankstown.
The Macquarie Park via Carlingford route is the link preferred by Lord Mayor of Parramatta Scott Lloyd, Hills Mayor Andrew Jefferies, Ryde Mayor Bill Pickering as well as Parramatta State MP Geoff Lee.
In releasing its report this morning, Westline Partnership stated it supported the development of the light rail lines to Epping and the Hills District but felt the Olympic line should be built first.
Westline Partnership is made up of a consortium of business interests, including the Sydney Business Chamber, Sydney Olympic Park and the Australian Turf Club.
The report by Deloitte and urban planner, Rod Simpson, Restarting Sydney’s Heart – Light Rail the Engine of Change examines the opportunities and issues that a light rail line along Sydney’s Olympic Corridor would deliver.
The Olympic Corridor begins at Westmead and connects the Greater Parramatta area with Rosehill, Camellia, Olympic Park, Rhodes and Strathfield.
WestLine spokesman and Chair of the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, Christopher Brown, said that the Deloitte report indicated that the creation of two light rail lines – one from Rosehill to Carlingford and the other from Westmead to Strathfield/Rhodes along the Olympic Corridor, was not only cost-effective, but would also unlock the potential of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.
“The report findings show that there is a strong argument for the route along the Olympic Corridor, which will stimulate the growth of more smart jobs, homes and development,” he said.
“This is not a case of one or the other, we feel that the people of Western Sydney deserve both this line and the other line to Carlingford.
“This report not only reaffirms that view, but also reveals that it could potentially be selffunded by the private sector.
“Essentially, this is a two-for-one deal for the NSW Government. A deal which would add thousands of jobs and homes, and provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to totally re-think Sydney.”
Under the proposal outlined in the Deloitte report, the light rail line along the Olympic Corridor could be funded through a voluntary contribution model for the private sector. This involves land owners who elect to take up density uplift incentives along the light rail route putting up money for the project. It is a similar approach to the one successfully adopted to fund the recent Homebush Bay Bridge development between Rhodes and Wentworth Point.
“The Olympic Corridor is an often over-looked region when it comes to transport infrastructure, but over the next 20 years, with the right support, it is expected to house more than one third of all new jobs and almost 20 per cent of new dwellings,” Mr Brown said. “For this, and many other factors outlined in the report, it can no longer be ignored.”
The Deloitte report highlights that by 2036 more than 190,000 people are expected to be living in the Olympic Corridor, putting significant pressure on the existing transport network.
It highlights that renewal and revitalisation of the Olympic Corridor catalysed by a light rail link provides the opportunity to connect established knowledge, business, health, recreation and cultural precincts in Parramatta, Strathfield and Sydney Olympic Park. At the same time, creating new housing and employment, attracting new businesses and investment and improving urban productivity.
Mr Brown added that the WestLine Partnership had held positive talks with the NSW Government, NSW Opposition and other key stakeholders over the past three months and would continue to engage with these groups and the broader community to research the opportunities and issues that exist along the Olympic Corridor.
Western Sydney Business Access is waiting for Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian’s response to the report, and to the suggestion that private funding of one link would speed up the government’s consideration of a second link.
- By Di Bartok.
