After a week of shock revelations regarding the State Government’s controversial Sydney Metro, pundits on both sides of the political divide have begun speculating on the fate of the ill-fated project.
Last week Premier Kristina Keneally announced a final decision on Metro would be made next month, three months later than was planned.
This came shortly after a statement from her office that Rozelle building acquisitions would be put on hold until the Transport Blueprint was made public in February.
Shadow Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, slammed the government for not having a clear strategy on the state’s transport future. “I think what this demonstrates is that the Government is in total disarray when it comes to the future of public transport,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“What they’ve done now is to create even more uncertainty because they haven’t actually said the project is cancelled. They’ve put one part of the acquisitions on hold without putting the other section on hold. And then they’ve also announced a scope for a light rail feasibility study, which really should have happened before the project was announced,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said that the government needed to explain why Pyrmont acquisitions were still ongoing while Rozelle acquisitions were put on hold. “I want to send a strong message to communities in the inner-west, including the Pyrmont residents, that we don’t support the Metro and we’ve never supported it. Under us we’ll be putting that money into parts of Sydney that don’t have any public transport options.”
Meanwhile Labor Councillor Meredith Burgmann said the decision to retain Pyrmont metro station could be a part of establishing a transport interchange at White Bay. “I have no real knowledge of what decision might be made, but it makes sense to me if it went to White Bay,” Cr Burgmann said.
“The Lord Mayor has made submissions that there should be a transport interchange at White Bay and it sort of makes sense.”
by Ehssan Veiszadeh
