Article: Light rail to Sydney's east gains momentum

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From Sydney Central News click here!

Light rail to Sydney's east gains momentum

Light rail to Sydney's east gains momentum

5 Jul 11 @ 03:45pm

THE moons are aligned, the ducks are in a row, and it's classic low hanging fruit; the push for light rail through Oxford St and to the East is now stronger than ever.

Randwick mayor Murray Matson and Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore last week reiterated their commitment to extend Sydney's light rail system by signing an Memorandum of Understanding.

The pair welcomed the backing of the new head of Infrastructure NSW, Paul Broad, who described the Randwick extension as "classic low-hanging fruit".

The City of Sydney and Randwick Council both support a light rail link along George St and Hickson Rd to relieve the heavily congested Sydney CBD; light rail to Sydney's east would support the flourishing education and health precinct around the University of NSW.

Cr Moore said that to get transport right in Sydney, they needed to work together.

"Travel time, unreliability, fuel costs and air pollution associated with congestion cost Sydney $4.6 billion in 2009, and that will rise to $8 billion by 2020. Without investment in transport infrastructure, Sydney's CBD will grind to a halt," the Lord Mayor said. "Up to 80,000 people drive to events at the Moore Park sport grounds and Randwick Racecourse on the weekend, shutting down parts of the city for hours at a time. A light rail to the eastern suburbs would relieve the pressure, and help staff and students get to the hospitals, and students to UNSW."