NSW Rail Expansion Programmes Scrapped

NSW Transport Minister, David Campbell, has announced the cancellation of both the North West Metro and the South West Rail Link blaming the state's budget deficit and the global financial crisis as reasons for being unable to deliver on the projects.

These projects make up two thirds of the 2005 Metropolitan Rail Expansion Programme. The third project - a new CBD rail line joining Redfern to Chatswood - was 'put on hold' until after the completion of the NW Metro. I guess the NSW Government can still safely hold to that commitment.

The NW Metro website (www.sydlink.com.au) has been taken down today. The project was originally announced as a heavy rail line extending the Chatswood to Epping line west to Rouse Hill. It was changed to a metro line in March this year. The north west will now be serviced by a fleet of 100 new buses, which might provide an adequate service, but will never absolve the Government of another broken transport promise. In the meantime, they have submitted a proposal to Infrastructure Australia requesting funding for - wait for it - a metro rail line. This one will run from the CBD to Rozelle - around 4 kilometres - at a cost of around $4bn. I assume the Government somehow hopes this will eventually springboard the remainder of the North West Metro or, at the very least, knock $4bn off the cost of the Western Metro. We will only ever wonder though, since odds of this one ever being built are very long indeed.

The South West Rail Link is another project announced in 2005. It was conceived to service the planned South West Growth Centre in the same way the North West Rail Line was supposed to service the North West Growth Centre. So much for planned population growth. The planned upgrade to Glenfield station will still go ahead but not the rail line extension. Well at least after the drive to Glenfield from the growth centre, the residents of the south west will be greeted by the sight of a lovely renovated station as they look for somewhere to park.