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.
NSW Rail Expansion Programmes Scrapped
Sydney Rail Projects - Here, there or anywhere?
In the past week we have seen a couple of salvos fired back and forth between former NSW Treasurer Michael Costa and Curtin University Professor Peter Newman on the topic of public transport projects in Sydney.
Costa, in his article published in The Australian on October 24, claims that Newman's 'green' way of thinking clouds his judgement when it comes to choosing the right form of mass public transport. He specifically criticises what he calls the "field of dreams" approach to urban planning - if you build it they will come.
Costa implies it's incorrect to assume that you can build a transit line - be it rail, bus or something else - through a low to medium density residential region and expect density to increase. This is not surprising considering his long-time advocacy of the Western Fastrail. The Fastrail project is not without its merits, but it has been soundly and economically analysed and rejected by the NSW Government on a number of occasions. I still struggle to understand how the NSW Treasurer justified his advocacy of the project when it was shown to be economically unsound.
In essence the Western Fastrail would duplicate the western CityRail line by running express trains from the CBD to Parramatta and beyond. This project puts additional capacity on the city's most congested corridor, thereby easing commuter pressure and increasing reliability. It is a concept at odds with the idea of the North West Metro - a project that puts a new high-capacity, independent line through a medium density area with no current public transport corridors at all. Oh, by the way, Costa was vigorously opposed to the NW Metro.
Newman responded to Costa in an article published on October 30. He reaffirms the benefits of high-speed rail networks and says of Costa's field of dreams remark,
"There will always be an element of risk in building public transport infrastructure: they may not come. But if you don't provide it, they certainly won't come."
He also responds to Costa's comment that the new 'green politics' is a symptom of the 'global warming religion' by saying,
"According to Costa, financial resources are limited, but not natural resources, such as oil and the climate system."
The North West Metro is a project designed to bring mass public transit to an area that currently has none. It route has been strategically chosen to run through a highly car-dependant area (see map) and is designed to be a 'field of dreams' in that it will encourage high density growth along its route.Costa believes density will not grow along a newly constructed train line. I say, you be the judge. Here is a picture of Sydney showing population density. I have overlain the existing rail network and the proposed NW Metro route (Only approximate, I'm not an artist!) I think the correlation between population density and rail access is clear.
Higher urban density improves efficiency in water usage
The CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship Project has released a report that identifies urban form as a key factor in a city's water usage.
The report, Water-energy futures for Melbourne: the effect of water strategies, water use and urban form focuses on Melbourne's water usage and looks at residential end-use, types of water supply and urban form and found all three factors to be significant in water usage scenarios.
This means Melbourne's water usage could be made significantly more efficient by increasing urban density. This theme can conceivably be applied across all of Australia's sprawling major cities, including Sydney.
The report states:
"A compact urban form over a sprawling Melbourne could reduce growth in residential water consumption by approximately 100 GL/year, primarily through reduced outdoor water use."
The idea of density-equals-efficiency is a clear and consistent theme across many infrastructure services in major cities. When the North West Metro was announced many analysts claimed it would not reach its maximum potential efficiency because it ran through low to medium density suburbs. Last week's Metropolis Congress here in Sydney focussed on connecting cities, both internationally and internally. Higher density urbanisation was identified as a driver for increased energy, transport and water efficiency.
Four years of action: Clover Moore
Thursday night saw the latest in the Lord Mayor's City Talks - a series of public lectures on improving Sydney's sustainability, global status and liveability.
The keynote speaker was the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore. Moore has present at all the previous City Talks on topics like Green Transformers and the other aspects of the Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan. Her presentations have been visionary but clinical. She reads from notes and speaks in a somewhat monotone cadence. Thursday night's presentation - her first since winning the recent council elections - was clearly an enjoyable experience for the Lord Mayor. She was animated, passionate and strategically worked the crowd, who responded with appropriate applause and general support. She was actually smiling as she told the audience after two years of planning this term would be four years of solid action. (More applause.)
Moore knows that the State Government holds a lot of the authority for the projects outlined in the plan so the only way she can accomplish anything close to it is to bring pressure on the Government through the people. She attacks this problem on two fronts. First, she sells her vision to the people. The vision of the project is her greatest weapon and she used it well on Thursday night with a dazzling multimedia presentation including a new animated 3D model of the city which flies us down George Street through the three planned public squares at Circular Quay, Town Hall and Central. Other visionary projects like undergrounding the Western Distributor and building a new convention centre over the tracks at central station are old ideas but show a boldness that helps build support with the local citizens.
Her second line of action is to roll out a key project that is both within her power and at the heart of the 2030 plan - the Green Transformers. These tri-generation, gas-powered, mini power stations will be installed around the city with the bold aim of taking Sydney off the power grid by locally generating 100% of Sydney's power needs with free heating, cooling and water recycling to boot. This project is already underway with one green transformer already planned for the upcoming Fraser Broadway site. This project, along with her personal mission of a CBD cycle network, will be Moore's centrepieces over the next four years and, she hopes, will propel the project onwards to 2013 and beyond.
With the Metropolis Congress in town it wasn't hard to find additional guest speakers on Thursday night. In addition to Moore's talk, VIPs and Sydney citizens heard from two other leading women in world cities. Nicky Gavron, member of the Londonwide Assembly and former deputy mayor spoke about her role in re-establishing the Greater London Authority, and setting up the London Climate Change Agency and the C40.
Finally, Dr Shubha Raul, Mayor of Mumbai and caretaker for the city's 16 million people, spoke about the massive projects underway in Mumbai to deal with the problems of 16 million people's waste disposal, transport and housing needs. Her own multimedia presentation was every bit as good as Moores' with a touch of Bollywood flair.
For more information about City Talks, keep your eye on City of Sydney's event calendar.
North West Metro - Garbage In Garbage Out
When it comes to the North West Metro no one quite knows if it's on the agenda or not.
While next month's NSW mini-budget may be the final nail in the coffin for the project, Premier Nathan Rees reassures us that it's still on the agenda - right up until it's not. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd denies allegations he told Rees to leave it off his funding wish-list because it wouldn't win votes.
In June this year the NSW Government sent a 70-page submission to Infrastructure Australia's infrastructure audit and I can only assume IA can't be very happy with it. If I was conducting an infrastructure audit to catalogue all of Australia's existing infrastructure and came across a state government submission that didn't actually contain a list of existing infrastructure, I'd be peeved too. The submission doesn't even acknowledge the existence of the Harbour Bridge. Most of the submission is made up of motherhood statements outlining NSW's infrastructure plans, priorities and pinch points. They do emphasise that they have committed to the North West Metro and that it will ease congestion. Can we have $12bn please?
Meanwhile, with the upheaval in the NSW ministry and the revelation of the billion dollar black hole, NSW Premier Nathan Rees is "stepping back from the [North West Metro] project." Since then he has announced a November mini-budget to bring the State's finances under control. He has emphasised a couple of times that the NW Metro hasn't been ruled in or out. Clearly they will be playing their cards very close to their chests until the mini-budget is released. In fact, they probably don't really know what cards they hold until the NSW Treasury tells them, so ten out of ten for plausible deniability on that one.
The next shock came last week when the Sydney Morning Herald reported that NSW has submitted a key funding wish-list to IA and the NW Metro wasn't on the list. The SMH then submitted a theory that Rudd refused to consider funding the project because there were no marginal seats along its route; A theory quickly picked up by the Hills district local paper - Hills News. Hills News went on to quote a government spokesperson saying that the metro was left off the list because it was already fully funded by the government. However, the Camden Advertiser used the same quote to lament the South West Rail Link being left off the list; This project being on the other side of the city. Clearly people are emoting too much to listen to spokespeople.
Then there's IA's opinion on the matter. Infrastructure Co-ordinator, Michael Deegan, weighed in last week on the matter of the infrastructure audit submissions. According to Deegan, the overall quality of submissions, excluding the Nigerian scams thrown into the mix, were pretty poor. Very few, he said, followed the guidelines to provide a cost benefit analysis and national economic impact statement. Having read the NSW submission, I'd have to agree.
The whole matter makes me think Nathan Rees has two very large paper trays on his desk, but instead of 'In' and 'Out' his are labelled 'Garbage In' and 'Garbage Out'.
METRO//NEWS 15/10/08
Nation-building bids fail to stack up (The Age)
THE man who will spend $20 billion on building projects across the country has criticised submissions for failing to justify their case and match costs to benefits.
Sydney's sin tests Labor's $20b plan to build a nation (The West Australian)
Sydney's public transport failure will bleed billions of dollars from other worthwhile projects around Australia as Rudd sets about building the nation.
Metrobus starts Sunday 12 October (Sydney Buses)
The new Route 10 metrobus service will begin operating on a trial basis this Sunday, 12 October, between Leichhardt, Kingsford and the city.
Sydney needs 'more trains and car parks' (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sydney commuters are keen to get out of their cars and jump on trains and buses but the state government needs to make it easier to do so, an expert says.
Listen to us Nathan (Hills News)
THE North-West Rail Link met all prime ministerial criteria for federal infrastructure funding and should have topped Premier Nathan Rees's priority list and not been dumped.
Stand and deliver: how buses will bend rules (The Herald)
WHEN you can't fit any more buses on to Sydney's congested roads, what's the answer? Strip out seats and triple the number of standing passengers.
The future of Sydney's transport could be electric (sciencealert.com.au)
Professor Aleksander Samarin from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology believes Sydney’s traffic congestion, pollution and public transport woes could be solved by a private urban transport system (PUTS) comprised of electric cars.
Wise water use revealed (Hills News)
THE Vinegar Hill Memorial Library is holding a sustainability day focusing on how people can be "waterwise" with their gardens and make a positive impact on the environment.
How Costa drove public transport off the rails (Sydney Morning Herald)
SYDNEY'S use of public transport has fallen way behind other Australian cities and the former transport minister and treasurer Michael Costa must wear much of the blame, says a member of the Infrastructure Australia advisory board.
Minister makes Tcard blunder (ABC News)
The New South Wales Transport Minister has admitted blundering when he said Sydney's integrated public transport ticketing system would be ready by 2010, two years before it is expected.
METRO//NEWS 9/10/08
Plans unveiled for casino's star turn (Sydney Morning Herald)
STAR CITY will unveil its plan today to turn the ugly duckling of Australian casinos into a harbour-front entertainment and gaming complex worthy of global attention.
Rudd urged to fund Sydney metro (ABC News)
A lobby group for property developers says Sydney's North-West Metro rail link should be paid for with money the Commonwealth collects from carbon permits.
Green knows the secret (Blacktown Sun)
Blacktown Councillor Allan Green says he can help council get investors to develop land it owns within the CBD.
Rail cuts kept under wraps before poll (Sydney Morning Herald)
RYDE rail commuters will have their train services slashed by half and face seven-minute-longer trips into the city under a new timetable to be announced before the Epping to Chatswood rail line opens in February.
Don't worry about debt, Sydney needs this metro: Sartor (Sydney Morning Herald)
Talk of abandoning major rail investment, such as the North West Metro, to fix a temporary drop in state revenue is foolhardy.
Proposal to scrap North West Metro for a busway (Daily Telegraph)
THE $12 billion North West Metro should be scrapped and replaced with a bus transitway or "autotrams", according to a radical new proposal before the Government.
We can't afford to keep Sydney running: Rees (Sydney Morning Herald)
SYDNEY has grossly under-estimated the population explosion that will squeeze its resources over the next 20 years, but the cash-strapped Premier admits it is "pointless" to promise the billions of dollars in extra spending the city will need.
Headland park now heading nowhere (Sydney Morning Herald)
SYDNEY'S much vaunted "historic" headland park at Millers Point may fall victim to the State Government's paralysis over infrastructure spending, with construction now likely to be delayed for years because of possible budget cuts.
Inquiry into our transport (Hills News)
IS THE Hills up to scratch when it comes to public transport and infrastructure? That's what residents are being asked, following an announcement that a parliamentary inquiry will be held into the woeful transport and infrastructure in north-west Sydney.
NSW infrastructure chief to quit: report (ABC News)
The New South Wales Opposition says the rumoured departure of the State Government's key infrastructure adviser amounts to a vote of no confidence.
Push to axe south-west rail (Sydney Morning Herald)
THE $1.36 billion South West Rail Link guaranteed by the former premier Morris Iemma could be shelved and replaced by a $50 million stabling yard under a cost-cutting proposal being pushed by senior Government officials.
Company collapse 'won't delay rail link' (ABC News)
The New South Wales Government says the financial collapse of a company involved in the redevelopment of Chatswood Station in Sydney's north will not affect the completion of the project.
Squeeze for homes worse than targets (Sydney Morning Herald)
A SOARING immigration rate means Sydney's suburbs will need to squeeze in a third more apartment blocks and houses than councils and government planners first thought - and that's on top of already ambitious development targets laid out in the State Government's 25-year city growth plan, says one of the state's top planning experts.
Premier lacks will to act, say planners (Sydney Morning Herald)
IN A brutally honest assessment, one of the most senior NSW planning bureaucrats admits the State Government is in danger of failing to manage Sydney's growth.
Rees seizes the controls of runaway RailCorp (Sydney Morning Herald)
NATHAN REES will wind the clock back when he announces plans today to overhaul RailCorp's management, and ditch the market-style corporate model championed by the former transport minister and treasurer, Michael Costa.
Rudd denies scuttling funding for metro (The Age)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has denied reports he scuttled plans to fund Sydney's proposed North West Metro because it will not win Labor votes.
Rees insists NW Metro plans aren't dead (The Age)
NSW Premier Nathan Rees has been accused of submitting an infrastructure wishlist to the commonwealth that puts his own political gain ahead of the needs of the state.
Metro 'should have made NSW wish-list' (ABC News)
A Federal Opposition MP says he is angry that the New South Wales Government did not ask the Commonwealth to help fund the North-West Metro rail project.
Hold on to urban spaces, says Paul Keating (The Australian)
At a forum to mark World Architecture Day at the Sydney Opera House, former prime minister Paul Keating said the protection of important sites around Sydney Harbour -- and in all Australian cities -- required immediate action.
Rail line vital to new areas (Camden Advertiser)
CAMDEN Council will "seriously consider" its role in the development of the South West Growth Centre if the proposed South West Rail Link project does not run to schedule.
Labor's transport deafness continues (Hills News)
EVERYBODY is aware that Sydney's future prosperity and sustainability depends on a proper transport system and this includes more rail lines radiating like fingers from the city to the far paddocks of suburbia.
Urban metro system would be good for commuters: Rudd (ABC News)
The Prime Minister has given another strong hint that he would like to see a new urban train system funded as one of the major new infrastructure projects.
MOORE///TALKS//PEAK///OIL
Last week Sydney Lord Mayor and NSW Legislative Assembly Member for Sydney, Clover Moore, addressed the NSW Parliament on peak oil and the need to transfer the state's economy away from oil dependence.
Specifically, she advocated light rail for Sydney CBD, cycling and pedestrian routes, expanded heavy rail and bus networks for outer suburbs, fast rail to the Central Coast and a new freight network to the major ports.
She even included a plug for her Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan. With new Treasurer Eric Roozendaal working on the November mini-budget it may already be too late for an eleventh-hour plea for new major transport projects. Good on her for trying, though!
Her entire speech is available in NSW Parialment hansard here.
