Australian Government Invest for New Transit Rail Network

Image Courtesy of ARA

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has applauded the NSW Government on todays announcement of a newrapid transit rail network that will include a much needed second Harbour rail crossing and Western Extension, openingup the network and providing commuters with 100,000 reasons to use public transport.

CEO of the ARA Bryan Nye OAM said he was in strong support of the Sydney Rapid Transit project, which is set toprovide a 60 per cent increase in the number of trains in peak hours and cater for an extra 100,000 customers per hour.

A second Harbour rail crossing will open up Sydneys CBD to the northern suburbs and provide a more efficient andfrequent connection between the two highly populated areas of one of our most densely populated cities, said Mr Nye.

The Sydney Rapid Transit will also connect the north through the city and out all the way to Bankstown, connecting thegrowing western suburbs of Sydney with the CBD. In all, the projects rail line will stretch a whopping 30 kilometres.

Long Term Rail Transit Alternative

Congestion on Sydneys roads is increasing at a rapid rate, it is reassuring to see the NSW Government address thisissue by providing a robust rail network as a long term transport alternative for Sydneysiders.
With one passenger train taking 525 cars on the road, this project is bound to transform Sydneys rail network as well asits roads improving all for the better, he said.

Along with the upgrades to existing lines, the new project will provide up to 30 trains per hour in each direction, threenew underground CBD railway stations on the new line, modern rolling stock and an efficient reliable turn-up-and-goservice.

The new turn-up-and-go service will mean commuters will no longer need to rely on the traditional timetable, but can,as the name states, literally turn up and expect to go every two minutes, continued Mr Nye.
I also applaud the work the NSW Government is doing in the states regions, with announcements for a regional roads fund and regional water fund, each worth at least $1 billion.

However I would encourage the Baird government to also consider a regional rail fund and expand their vision for railbeyond the Sydney CBD by taking it out into the regional areas, providing outer city residents with a robust rail networkas well, he concluded.