The Albenese Government has announced a 1 billion AUD investment into a future rail connection between Leppington and the new Bradfield City Centre, joining the new Western Sydney International Airport to Sydney’s south western side.
The connection, which was previously shelved under the Coalition Government in 2014 due to cuts in public transport funding, will see an expected delivery date finalised with the New South Wales Government.
In addition to the connection between Leppington and Bradfield City Centre, the government has also stated that it intends to secure a new rail corridor between the latter and the suburban areas of the Macarthur region.
Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said:Back in 2014, as Shadow Minister for Transport, I said we needed rail as well as road in order for this airport to work.
Today, we’re delivering on that – investing $1 billion to continue planning the rail connection Sydney’s new airport should have had. We don’t want residents of Sydney’s south west to have to rely on buses to get to the airport. We want them to have fast, frequent rail access, and our investment today will help deliver that.
This is all part of our plan to build Australia’s future - connecting people with the jobs of the future, and with each other.
The government has communicated hopes that the new connections will pave the way for significant extensions providing easy access for passengers and staff at Sydney’s new airport, as well as the CBD.
The investment from the Albanese Government follows a release of funding for a joins State and Federal 195 million AUD business case, which is currently underway to evaluate future rail connections throughout the region.
Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister, Catherine King, said:Our $5.3 billion investment in Western Sydney Airport will transform the way Sydneysiders travel around our country and across the globe.
Our Government is not just investing in this new airport, but also giving people the connections they need to get there, now and for decades to come. This includes our $5.25 billion investment in the Sydney Metro - Western Sydney Airport, connecting commuters to the Western Line in St Marys with fast and frequent services and our $1.6 billion investment in the new M12 which will connect the new airport to Sydney’s network of motorways.
This new investment will open the airport up to rail connections to Sydney’s South West, giving commuters more options when travelling in and out of the airport and the future Bradfield City Centre.
