A report by the Committee for Sydney released in October called for a massive expansion of the city’s metro network, proposing five new lines in addition to three under construction and three already proposed.
The spate of megaprojects proposed by the think tank’s ‘Defining Density’ report would transform Sydney’s public transport system beyond even the projects that have been completed in the past few years or are presently being built. Lines would be built to La Perouse, Dee Why and Miranda, and a web of metro services would converge on Parramatta.
Committee for Sydney proposal to extend Metro across Western Sydney
The under-construction Western Sydney Airport line would be extended from Bradfield near the new airport to Glenfield and Macarthur, whilst on the other end it would be extended from St. Marys to reach the existing line at Tallawong. Significant portions of the proposed routes are already serviced by suburban trains.
Among these proposals, the St. Marys to Tallawong extension and the Bradfield to Glenfield & Macarthur extensions have already been the subject of publicly-funded business cases. Extensions to La Perouse and Kogarah were previously identified by Sydney Metro.
The proposals would create a ring of metro railway lines across much of Sydney. Whilst many metro systems cover a wide perimeter, including the London Underground, the proposals traverse swaths of what is at present relatively undeveloped land on the western outskirts. However, the report argues that further expansion of the metro system is imperative.
“What’s been lacking in Sydney for some time, is a clear plan that demonstrates how areas experiencing significant growth, will be serviced by metro, light rail, rapid buses, walking and cycling,” the report states.
“If we fail to get this right, our growth will be stalled, not only because of the resulting gridlock … but if we keep on building the way that we have, we will also be accelerating inequity in our city.
Extension plans although sceptical, expected to promote social inclusion
Professor John Nelson is Chair in Public Transport at the University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. He remarked that the proposal for a broadened metro system reflects a vision for Sydney public transport based on a particular set of objectives.
“It’s really a question of what you want to achieve with your public transport system. If the objective is to have patronage growth, then an expanded metro network with high frequency, high quality service will deliver this growth, especially if you are able to sort out the first and last mile connectivity issues,” Nelson remarked.
“If greater equity or social inclusion is the objective, then issues of coverage become paramount, and this is only likely to be achieved by high-capacity busways and quality bus corridors with enhanced bus priority measures which can be complementary to the metro network.”
Nelson is sceptical of the proposals, despite noting that they would “go some way to overcoming the circumferential nature of the existing (and committed) metro routes” hence delivering benefits to more types of neighbourhoods.
“However, a more modest future metro network complemented by quality bus corridors is more likely to get Sydney moving sustainably sooner.”
The Committee for Sydney has also backed an overhaul of major bus corridors.
Sydney is Australia’s first city to have a standalone metro system. Australian suburban railway networks, such as those in Sydney and Melbourne, feature characteristics of metro systems, with higher frequencies in and immediately around the city centres they serve.
Public enthusiasm for Sydney Metro has been resounding, with 1.4 million journeys made within a week of the Sydenham extension opening earlier this year.
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