Sydney Metro

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Daily Telegraph --> Epping to Chatswood rail closure: Businesses tell staff they can work from home during shutdown


The seven Station Link routes. (bus)

MAJOR businesses are ramping up their own contingency plans to help tens of thousands of workers cope with Epping to Chatswood rail shutdown from September 30.

Optus, which has 5500 staff at its Macquarie Park business centre, is encouraging staff to work remotely as it puts in place more flexible working hours, as well as an expansion of its ride-sharing program.

"Optus has developed a range of initiatives to ensure we can support our employees in continuing to get to and from work during the rail closure," Optus national manager of experience and culture Andrew Parker said.

"We think it's really important that our employees are able to balance their work and home life.

"That is why we've expanded our range of flexible work options to encourage more employees to work remotely or alter their start and finish times, enabling them to commute during off-peak periods.

"We've also expanded our ride-share program, which offers discounted parking for Optus employees who car pool with two or more people, and we've upgraded our campus cycling facilities to enable more people to cycle to work."

Mr Parker said more than 65 per cent of staff had expressed an interest in taking up Optus' flexible work options.

In North Ryde, a major construction company is dialling up similar plans to the telco to help 900 staff deal with the disruption.

Downer Group said it had been planning for months to help staff during the seven-month crush which will force 20,000 commuters onto buses and into cars.

"(We've) worked with employees and agencies to identify a range of travel and working options to ensure minimal inconvenience," a Downer spokeswoman said.

"(There'll be) flexible working arrangements, including working from home and from other Downer sites, and encouraging the use of Keolis Downer's Keoride on-demand transport service.

"(We're also) encouraging the use of Station Link buses and ride sharing, as well as instituting a new car park management system to allow more employees to use spaces available in the office building."

With the major disruption less than a month away, Sydney Business Chamber executive director Patricia Forsythe is urging residents and workers to "reset the clock" during the rail closure.

"People need to rethink what they are doing during this closure to ease the burden for themselves," Ms Forsythe said.

"Instead of starting work at 9am, people should be seeing if they can start at 10am and work a bit later. This is part of how we can reset the clock, as it were, and a way of getting cars off the road during the 8-9 morning peak hour."

Other major businesses are confident the new Station Link bus service will help ease the burden on shoppers.

Westfield Chatswood and Chatswood Chase say they expect minimum disruptions during the shutdown.

The rail upgrade between Epping and Chatswood is the last major piece of construction before the $8.3 billion Sydney Metro Northwest line is up and running next year.

A new fleet of 120 distinctive pink Station Link buses will operate on seven routes between Epping and Chatswood from September 30.

During the busiest parts of the day there will be a service least every six minutes with a 110 services per hour.

To plan your trip, visit the online 'Trip Planner' at transportnsw.info.
BOON FOR TEMP OFFICE COMPANY

ONE company is taking advantage of the increased demand for temporary office space due to the looming rail closure.

Serviced Offices International (SOI), which has operated in the city for the past two decades, opened up a new office in Chatswood last month to cater for small to medium-sized businesses that will be inconvenienced by the shutdown.

"We've already got five clients confirmed and many other inquiries to fill the 20 private office suites for corporates or mid-tier companies who may need temporary space as a contingency for future issues because of the rail line closure," SOI sales manager Eddie Reginato said.

"We had an inquiry last week from a business with a staff of about 20 in Epping, and it's just dawned on them that half of their staff live in the Chatswood area. And with the closure, one of the options they want to look at is extra office space in Chatswood, which will help productivity and staff morale because they won't have to put up with the congestion issues.

"This is where our business helps provide them with a temporary office space."

Chatswood Chamber of Commerce president Stig Falster said he had received "very little" feedback from local businesses in relation to the rail shutdown from September 30.

"Our members are mostly small to medium-sized businesses and there are no major issues at this stage," he said.

"What I say to members is that 12 years under (former Labor Premier) Bob Carr, nothing happened in our area. And now a little bit of inconvenience has to be felt with an important infrastructure upgrade. If you don't have progress, you go backwards."
WORKERS TAKE MATTERS INTO OWN HANDS

COMMUTERS are using the impending doom of the Epping-Chatswood rail closure to negotiate a rare privilege — working from home.

About 20,000 people who use the rail line each weekday will need alternative transport for seven months from September 30 when the line is upgraded for the Sydney Metro Northwest, which will see trains run to Rouse Hill.

Replacement buses called Station Link will be provided, but many workers are anticipated to drive and worsen traffic congestion.

Others don't want to be around to find out.

Elyse Glenn works where the closure's impacts will be felt most — among the 55,000 workers of Macquarie Park (Census 2016).

The communications manager commutes by train, and sometimes drives, from her Central Coast home to Schneider Electric's offices most days.

Her employer has been discussing flexible and remote work arrangements since last year, and Ms Glenn will work from home up to three days during the rail closure.

"I'm really looking forward to it," she said.

"I commute a fair way so for me it's going to allow me to have a bit more work life balance. I'll be able to do pilates or swim early in the morning."

She was unconvinced by the government's advice to allow an additional 10 minutes travel time.

"I think the admission of Transport NSW is that it's a minimum. I think it will be a bit more than that, if we're honest," she said.

Her colleague Nathan Padgham commutes by train from Thornleigh.

He works from home one day every two weeks, but will increase this to two to three days per week.

Also looking forward to the change in working life is events manager Mary Voorwinde, who works at Optus' Macquarie Park headquarters.

The Central Coast woman has arranged to increase her work days at home from one to about three.

She will appreciate more time to transport her kids to and from school, and prepare dinner.

"Working from home will definitely help, particularly if you have to steer away from traffic congestion," she said. "We've got the technology to work remotely.

"You do appreciate face-to-face contact, so you miss that a little bit, but you get a lot done (at home) and can still dial into meetings."
SYDNEY BUSINESS CHAMBER COMMENT, by executive director Patricia Forsythe

IT IS not possible to 'gild the lily' when it comes to the potential impact of the closure of the rail line from Epping to Chatswood from September 30 for some months.

But rather than complaining, there is much the community can do to ease the impact.

Travel choices, a campaign initiated by Transport for NSW, reminds us all that business-as- usual is not sustainable.

Retiming to travel outside the peak and carpooling in key employment precincts are simple but effective steps especially in the high employment precinct of Macquarie Park.

Stand on Ryde Road today and watch the single occupant cars turn into Waterloo Rd to know that such an approach will not be sustainable. The nine-to-five working day is at the root of much of the existing congestion and requires both business and employees to reset the clock.

Leadership from local business is vital in determining what can work for them and their employees, be it a 7am-3pm day or 10am-6pm day, or a day-a-week working from home, or from another site must be part of the solution.

Scheduling meetings outside the peak is another small but symbolic acceptance of change.

Located in Macquarie Park are major companies each with hundreds of employees, and Macquarie University.

The University has announced a program of activities in the 5-7pm period to create opportunities for students and staff to avoid the peak.

Freight delivery which is road-dependent takes a big hit when roads are congested but freight companies working with business will need to be smart too in how they manage the supply chain during the months of line closure.

Road congestion is a major challenge to the notion of sustainable cities.

Macquarie Park has introduced its own 'on-demand' bus service for workers who reside in neighbouring suburbs.

The one upside of the line closure is that while its impact will be felt acutely by those who already use the train system, hopefully it will cause everyone to pause and consider their options. Be it the hours they work or shop, or their mode of transport, or even whether a day a week, working from home is an option.

Governments are expected to build the infrastructure but solving the transport challenge is a responsibility for each of us.

Hopefully out of the chaos will emerge wiser commuters able to contribute to a more sustainable future.

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Daily Telegraph --> New Metro stations eliminate gap between platform and train

AUSTRALIA'S first metro train station with "no gaps" between the station and the platform has been unveiled, allowing prams to be pushed straight onto carriages.

The Sydney Metro Northwest line, which will open next year between Rouse Hill and the city, will feature 15 automated metro-style single carriage trains running every hour.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian visited the newly completed Tallawong Station at Rouse Hill yesterday and said the new station featured glass screens preventing people from falling onto the tracks – the first in the country.

"We've never before had these on-platform screens. That increases safety so much for our travelling public," Ms Berejiklian said.

"This means you cannot have any access onto the rail unless the train has pulled up safely and you alight the train."

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said at least 300 people had fallen between a train and the platform last year, so the new Metro system would eliminate that.

"From a transport minister's perspective there is nothing more horrific than seeing incidents occur on our rail network – particularly when people fall through the gap," Mr Constance said.

"The great thing about Sydney Metro is we don't have to tell people to mind the gap. We've closed the gap.

"The fact you're able to quite literally roll a pram onto the carriages, if you're a person with a disability, accessibility is no barrier.

"Very pleasingly, having the glass screen doors, safeguarding commuters on the platform from an incoming train will make an incredible difference when it comes to passenger safety."

The project has come under budget by $500 million and includes 13 new stations.

So far 10,000km of testing has taken place.

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Sydney Morning Herald --> 'Everybody is aware' says Constance two weeks ahead of Sydney rail shutdown

Transport Minister Andrew Constance says "a lot of work" has gone into planning the temporary transport network that begins in two weeks with the closure of the Chatswood to Epping train line for work on the new Metro network.

Speaking alongside Premier Gladys Berejiklian at the new Tallawong Station in Rouse Hill on Sunday, Mr Constance was asked if he had a plan B given the problems that have beset another government project, the city to south-eastern suburbs light rail.

"The pleasing thing around Epping to Chatswood is we've gone out to the community, engaged with lot of of stakeholders, everybody is aware of what's about to occur," he said.

"We've put on additional bus services, 126 brand new buses are going to be deployed to support those communities.

"We have in place an integrated temporary transport network to be able cater for the 20,000 people who usually depend on the trains.

"There's a lot of work that's gone into it."

He did not respond to whether there was a plan B.

The Chatswood to Epping line will be closed for around seven months. The new line will help service the burgeoning Macquarie Park business district. Nearly two-thirds of Macquarie Park workers drive to work.

Mr Constance encouraged commuters to "plan your trip", stressing that the work was a "temporary closure".

"I'd remind people that when we changed the bus network in the centre of town because of the light rail project, the city moved with that change and likewise we are putting additional services on the T1 north shore and T1 northern lines to be able to assist."

The Premier said she was "thrilled" with progress on the Metro, noting "we know how hard it is to build major projects".

Platform screen doors that shield passengers from the platform edge and automatically open when a train doors are open were on show at Tallawong Station.

"The great thing about Sydney Metro is we don't have to tell people to mind the gap, we've closed the gap," Mr Constance said. "Having the glass screen doors safe-guarding passengers on platforms will make an incredible difference when it comes to passenger safety."

Ms Berejiklian said the project would come in "at least half a billion dollars under budget".

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Daily Telegraph --> Winners and losers in Metro Northwest parking

A TOTAL of 4,000 commuter car spaces will be provided across eight stations on the Sydney Metro northwest line — which is expected to service approximately 45,000 commuters every hour.

The breakdown comes as the first station of the metro line, Tallawong, is complete.

NSW Transport has revealed the final parking space numbers along the entire metro line identifying stations, and surrounding suburbs, that are the winners and losers of the $6 billion transport links commuter parking scheme.

While commuters at Kellyville, Tallawong and Bella Vista will be the biggest winners when it comes to commuter parking, it was revealed Norwest, Rouse Hill and Castle Hill will have no car parking installed at the station sites.

It is understood commuters will be able to access free commuter parking with their Opal card, while non-commuters will pay a fee to park.

A NSW Transport spokesman said the number of spaces included is determined by factor including demand, site locations, planning, proximity to other car parking and traffic

"For example, as a railway station within a major centre, Castle Hill Station was designed as a multi modal transport interchange to maximise public transport access to this centre," the spokesman said.

"Customers will be able to access the station using a variety of transport modes including buses, taxis, kiss'n'ride, cycling and walking.

The spokesman said Castle Hill commuters who wish to drive will be given the option to park at the Hills Showground or Cherrybrook stations, which will include 600 and 400 spaces respectively.

"We'll be monitoring traffic and parking to better understanding local traffic trends and issues, including parking behaviour, both prior to and after the stations have opened, and will review whether any parking and traffic mitigation measures may be required," the spokesman said.

Baulkham Hills state Liberal MP David Elliott said although thousands of new commuter parking spaces will be provided along the line, her expects residents will use buses, taxis, kiss and ride, as well as cycling to access the stations.

"The new railway station at Norwest has been designed as a multi-modal transport interchange to maximise public transport access to this centre," he said.

"Located in the heart of one of Sydney's biggest employment precincts and residential areas, Norwest Station is expected to be popular for commuters who work in Norwest Business Park.

"Of course, residents who wish to drive will also have the option to park at the adjacent multi-story stations of Bella Vista, which will have 800 commuter spaces, and Kellyville, which will have 1360 commuter spaces and an additional 160 T-Way spots."

Castle Hill state Liberal MP Ray Williams said the world-class metro system will provide 15 trains per hour that are "modern, fast and predictable.

"I believe that once it links with the other new and upgraded lines, travelling by the Sydney Metro will be first choice for residents commuting outside the Hills Shire," Mr Williams said.

COMMUTER PARKING

■ Tallawong — 1,000 spaces

■ Kellyville — 1,360 spaces

■ Bella Vista — 800 spaces

■ Hills Showground — 600 spaces

■ Cherrybrook — 400 spaces

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Daily Telegraph --> Epping to Chatswood rail line temporary closure for Sydney Metro will reap huge benefits


The new Station Link service will run 124 dedicated buses every six minutes during the morning and evening peaks — more than 110 services per hour in the busiest parts of the day. Picture: AAP

THIS week we have made the single biggest change on Sydney's rail network in a century.

The temporary closure of the rail line between Epping and Chatswood will impact around 20,000 people, every day for seven months.

It will change the way people get to and from work, study and school. People will need to make adjustments to their routines, maybe allow a little longer to get to where they're going, do some extra planning.

Macquarie Park, Macquarie University and North Ryde stations are now closed.

We've done the best we can to keep people moving and have been planning for this change for four years. This includes a high frequency turn-up-and-go bus service called Station Link between Epping and Chatswood.

124 dedicated buses will run every six minutes during the morning and evening peaks — more than 110 services per hour in the busiest parts of the day.

We're also prepared for the extra traffic on the roads. More CCTV cameras around the Macquarie Park precinct will help staff in the Transport Management Centre monitor and adjust traffic conditions. There have been extensive road and intersection upgrades, as well as additional bus lanes installed.

The closed stations have been transformed into hot pink information hubs. We've had hundreds of dedicated 'Pink Shirt' staff on the ground, educating people about the changes and advising them about their travel options over the next seven months.

We've gone to every business affected — as well as schools and unis. This has all been in conjunction with a high profile awareness campaign.

Let me assure you, there is an amazing light at the end of the tunnel called Sydney Metro. Sydney Metro North West will run from Rouse Hill to Chatswood, via Macquarie Park, Macquarie Uni and North Ryde.

We know people get frustrated with construction and the impacts that come from that. But we also know all too well the frustration people feel when there are delays and crowds on Sydney trains network.

Five years ago Sydney Trains was carrying 308 million passengers per year. Today that number stands at 406 million passenger trips.

There isn't a railway in the world which has seen a 30 per cent patronage demand increase, yet Sydney Trains has met this challenge head on. That's a huge testament to drivers, guards, station staff and management and they deserve to be recognised.

Now we have to act.

This is why the Berejiklian government has bought 24 new Waratah trains, with the first two of these now in service. It's why the government had no choice but to introduce a new timetable to carry those 100 million extra customers. It's why the government invested $1.5 billion in new rail infrastructure, including new signalling and substations. It's why the government has invested in an incredible new Rail Operations Centre, which will open soon, to better control the network.

We acknowledge and apologise for the disruption and inconvenience passengers are going to experience over the next seven months. But we have no choice, we need to do it.

Sydney Metro is around the corner, and it's going to change our lives for the better.

Andrew Constance is NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure.

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Sydney Morning Herald --> 'This is never easy': 10,000 commuters put on buses amid rail line shutdown

Sydney commuters have been urged to travel via St Leonards station to get to the Macquarie Park precinct in the city's north in order to relieve pressure on the busy Chatswood station during the seven-month shutdown of a rail line.

Declaring the start of changes to temporary services a relative success, Transport Minister Andrew Constance said about 10,000 people had used "Station Link" replacement buses on Tuesday morning as they returned to work after the long weekend.

The bus services were frequent, but lines of passengers waiting to use them were long during both the morning and evening peak, prompting many to express frustration and concern about how the situation may worsen when school holidays conclude.

"This is never easy. It's just vital that people get used to new travel patterns and then at the same time making sure where possible, catch public transport, [and] don't rely on your motor vehicle," Mr Constance said.

The Epping-to-Chatswood rail line was closed on Sunday to allow it to be converted to carry single-deck metro trains, forcing as many as 20,000 commuters a day to change their travel patterns over the next seven months.

The 13-kilometre line will become part of the $8.3 billion Sydney Metro North West, which will extend from Rouse Hill in the north-west to Chatswood.

Mr Constance said commuters had heeded messages to re-time their travel if they could, and plan their trips, but he warned that there was still "a long way to go".



"Those travelling from the city, the south, the east who might be going to, for example, Macquarie University or Macquarie Park, please disembark your train at St Leonards and then of course the Station Link number four bus," he said.

"We think we can ease some of the pressure at Chatswood if people get off at St Leonards. Chatswood was the hotspot this morning."

About 114 buses operated on Tuesday morning from five locations in and out of the Macquarie Park precinct, home to Macquarie University and large companies such as Optus.

Transport for NSW coordinator-general Marg Prendergast said most commuters seemed to travel to Chatswood to get to Macquarie Park or the university on Tuesday morning.

"We really want to recommend that St Leonards is the way to go. It is a faster trip and we have a more frequent service," she said.

She said queues formed quickly when trains stopped at Chatswood, resulting in commuters waiting for about 10 minutes "at worst".

However, the high-frequency Station Link bus services were able to reduce the queues relatively quickly.

Ryde major Jerome Laxale said said the real test of the replacement services would be on October 15 when schools reopened after two-week holidays.

"A lot of the roads on approach to Macquarie Park have schools on them, and they will probably struggle the most. You will not only have the university traffic but school traffic," said Mr Laxale, who is Labor's candidate for Ryde in the 2019 state election.

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Sydney Metro: Tallawong Station community day

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Rail Express --> $1.4bn contract signed for Sydney Metro rail works

Sydney Metro has awarded a contract to deliver rail and overhead infrastructure, train stabling and tunnel and underground equipment, for the future railway between Chatswood and Sydenham.

An unincorporated joint venture of CPB Contractors and UGL – both subsidiaries of CIMIC Group – won the $1.376 billion deal this week.

The winning bidder was selected from a shortlist announced in March, which also included a Laing O'Rourke and John Holland joint venture, and a Downer EDI and RCR O'Donnell Griffin joint venture.

Sydney Metro City & Southwest is the second stage of the Sydney Metro program, following on from the Sydney Metro Northwest project, which is due to complete in 2019.

The second-stage project will extend Sydney's new metro-style rail line from Chatswood to Bankstown.

It requires greenfield construction from Chatswood to Sydenham, via the Sydney CBD. Existing track will be converted between Sydenham and Bankstown to complete the metro route.

With work underway to build the twin 15.5-kilometre tunnels from Chatswood to Sydenham, Sydney Metro said the new contract would turn those tunnels into a working railway.

Dubbed the 'Metro line-wide works' contract, it includes:

    31 kilometres of underground railway track to be laid in the twin railway tunnels from Chatswood to Sydenham;
    31 kilometres of overhead power equipment and 11 new substations to power the metro from Chatswood to Bankstown;
    Installation of over 350km of high voltage, low voltage and tunnel service cabling;
    Connecting the railway tracks from the end of Sydney Metro at Chatswood to the new tracks into the city;
    The expansion of the Sydney Metro Trains Facility at Rouse Hill to accommodate 37 new trains for Sydney Metro City & Southwest;
    The construction of the Sydney Metro Trains Facility – South at Marrickville; and,
    Installation of tunnel equipment such as ventilation, drainage and emergency evacuation and monitoring equipment as well as the fit out of the tunnel ventilation and high voltage equipment in the seven new underground stations.

The $1.376 billion metro line-wide works deal is the latest contract awarded for Sydney Metro City & Southwest, following the award of the $2.81 billion tunnelling contract, the $301 million deal to upgrade Sydenham station, the $955 million contract to build new platforms and tunnels at Central Station, a $380 million contract to build the integrated metro station at Martin Place, and the $87 million lift and escalator contract.

Major contracts yet to be awarded include the metro train operations deal, the contract to upgrade the track between Sydenham and Bankstown, and station and development contracts for Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Pitt Street and Waterloo.

The Victoria Cross station and development contract was shortlisted this March, with Lendlease Development, a joint venture of John Holland and Charter Hall, and Dexus Funds Management in the running.

Formally established as a statutory authority in July 2018, Sydney Metro is delivering metro projects on behalf of the NSW Government. It is currently in charge of delivering the Sydney Metro Northwest, Sydney Metro City & Southwest, and Sydney Metro West projects.

Final work is underway to convert the Epping-Chatswood railway so Sydney Metro Northwest can open early in 2019.

Sydney Metro City & Southwest has a planned completion date of 2024.

No formal timeline has been established for Sydney Metro West, which will connect the Parramatta and Sydney CBDs with another new metro line.

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Mean while in Queensland!!

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Trip to Sydney coming up ...   

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Mid year trip to Melbourne will be via Sydney this year ..   

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Sydney Morning Herald --> Old, crowded trains and maxed-out credit: Will the Sydney metro project sway voters?

Standing in the shadow of a new train station at Rouse Hill in Sydney's north west, Kim Quick is still amazed the multibillion-dollar metro rail project, of which it forms part, will be opening to passengers by May.

"It was an empty promise for a very long time," says Quick, a resident of nearby Kellyville for almost two decades. "This gives me faith that other things needed in the city will happen."

Stretching for 36 kilometres from Rouse Hill to Chatswood, the Sydney Metro Northwest rail line on which driverless, single-deck trains will run every four minutes during peak periods of the day is the first stage of Australia's largest public transport project. It is transforming vast swathes of the north-west before residents' eyes, spurring the building of thousands of new houses and apartments.



While marvelling at the scale of the rail line, Quick is unsure whether locals will leave their cars at home and regularly catch the new trains. "The Hills is very car focused because that is all we had," she says. "There will certainly be a lot of people who use it for the novelty. It will have to be a good experience for people to change their ways."

By 2024, the second leg of the rapid transit link is due to begin shuttling passengers from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour to stations in the CBD and to Sydenham and Bankstown in the west.

With the state election in seven weeks, the Coalition government is making the $20 billion rail project a key plank of its pitch to voters for a third term.

On a building overlooking Chatswood Station recently, Premier Gladys Berejiklian was jubilant as an automated metro train pulled up beside a platform after travelling the entire length of the new line from Rouse Hill for the first time. "I can't tell you how proud I feel that we stuck to our guns," the former transport minister exclaimed. "I also remember the criticism we got when we first promised it to say it will never happen."

The question is whether voters will reward the Coalition for the metro rail lines and other multibillion-dollar public transport projects under construction, financed by the sale of the state's "poles and wires" electricity assets.

One of the government's signature transport projects – a $2.1 billion light rail line from Sydney's CBD to the south-east – has turned into a political headache for the government.

The project has been marred by repeated delays, legal battles, cost blowouts and prolonged disruption to businesses and residents along the 12-kilometre route. The government was wanting to open it just before the election. But Acciona, the Spanish contractor building the line, warned late last year that trams are unlikely to start carrying passengers until May 2020.

'An explosion in demand'
In the weeks before the March election, the reliability of Sydney's existing suburban rail network poses another risk for the government. The 165-year-old network is struggling under the demands of what Transport Minister Andrew Constance describes as "an explosion in demand". Last year passengers took 404 million journeys on the rail network, a 35 per cent surge on 2013.

Over the next three years the government is forecasting a 21 per cent rise in annual passenger trips. The predicted growth will increasingly test the railway. Crowding is likely to worsen on trains and station platforms, especially on the city's east-west transport artery, the T1 Western Line.

Major relief to a bottleneck on lines in the central city from the new metro rail project is five years away, when the second stage under the harbour and the CBD is due to open.

"There is going to be a gap for a couple of years where the existing network is going to be under pressure," says Geoffrey Clifton, a lecturer in transport at Sydney University's Business School. "Whoever wins the election will have to keep investing in the heavy rail network and expanding the metro."

While 24 new Waratah trains will be pressed into service on the existing rail network by winter, they will mostly replace decades-old S-Set trains, instead of increasing the size of the suburban fleet.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins sums up the challenge for the rail operator: "Every time we think we can have plenty of spare trains, demand goes up, we put more services in and therefore we reach the limit of our train capacity or train fleet size."

Collins, who earned the nickname the "Tube man" when he was head of London Underground, says Sydney Trains has been increasing services by squeezing more out of its trains. "Half the fleet was put to bed 10 years ago after 10am ... and now it is running most of the day. It's just now a case of understanding when and where we see some improvements in the size of the fleet," he says.

"The question is what will the government do in terms of further options on that Waratah fleet? Personally, I would like more and more Waratahs."

The Berejiklian government is expected to unveil in the coming weeks the purchase of an additional 17 Waratah trains. But even if it does order them, it will be at least two years before they enter service.

The pressures on the existing railway are a reminder of the challenges of a population boom and the financing of the next generation of transport projects which will face whoever claims victory at the poll in March.

'The state's credit card is maxed out'
Billions of dollars will also have to be found to pay for construction of the second stage of a light rail line from Parramatta to Olympic Park, and a promised metro rail link to the new Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek from St Marys estimated at $8 billion.

Those projects are in addition to the demands on government coffers from major upgrades and maintenance improvements to the existing suburban and regional rail networks.
Many of the projects in the planning, such as a north-south rail line in Sydney's outer west, remain largely unfunded. While the Berejiklian government committed $3 billion in the budget last year for a metro line from the CBD to Parramatta, leaked documents show the state's transport agency estimates the cost of the project dubbed Sydney Metro West at up to $18 billion. That figure does not include the cost of a station in the CBD.

Billions of dollars will also have to be found to pay for construction of the second stage of a light rail line from Parramatta to Olympic Park, and a promised metro rail link to the new Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek from St Marys estimated at $8 billion.

Those projects are in addition to the demands on government coffers from major upgrades and maintenance improvements to the existing suburban and regional rail networks.

Martin Locke, an adjunct professor at the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at the University of Sydney, says the ability of the state to inject significant amounts of capital over the coming years into new public transport projects will be heavily constrained. "The government can't go and borrow more money as their credit card is maxed out, because of the need to retain the triple-A credit rating," he says.

NSW's remaining 49 per cent stake in the WestConnex motorway is one of the last big-ticket items that could be placed on the auction block, after the sale in recent years of electricity assets, ports and the Snowy Hydro scheme.

Locke, a former investment banker and infrastructure adviser, says greater fiscal restraints will force the next government to place a greater emphasis on prioritising projects. "They are going to have to delay or stage expenditure on the public transport projects to fit within their budget projections," he says.

Rare opportunity requires 'maximum bang'
With Sydney undergoing its biggest public transport build in decades, many people forget that building a rail line is a rare opportunity. It is something not lost on Dick Day, who spent years as head of planning and timetabling at RailCorp. "When you are building one, you want to get maximum bang out of it," he says.

Labor has vowed to scrap the conversion of the Bankstown Line and cancel three toll roads promised by the Berejiklian government, and redirect the billions of dollars needed to build them to prioritising the new metro line from the CBD to Parramatta.

Connecting Parramatta

Sydney Metro West



While a $1.8 billion South West Rail Link to Leppington, and the Epping-to-Chatswood Line, have opened in the last 10 years, the last big rail project to ease the rail bottleneck in central Sydney was the Eastern Suburbs Line from the CBD to Bondi Junction four decades ago.

Day and several other former top rail executives are critical of the decision to convert the existing Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Bankstown into metro for the second stage of the multibillion-dollar project, arguing that it will remove the "relief valve" for the rail network.

"It has been an expensive furphy. It isn't going to fulfil the potential of that metro," Day says. "If they hadn't wasted so much money on the Bankstown Line conversion, the [metro line from the CBD to Parramatta] could have been a well-advanced plan by now. It is a lost opportunity."

It is over the future of the 13-kilometre stretch of track from Bankstown to Sydenham that the Coalition and Labor diverge the most over public transport. Constance has repeatedly cited it as evidence of Labor "opposing everything", and the "point of difference" with the Coalition.

"This is a government that is building a train network – we're not just building one train line," the Transport Minister says. "The other side don't support south-west metro [from Sydenham to Bankstown] – they're cancelling that – and they're cancelling a number of other motorway projects."

In making a metro line from the CBD to Parramatta its top priority, Labor has panned the government for committing to major projects without showing how it will pay for them. "It would be nice to now how they are going to fund it," Labor's transport spokeswoman Jodi McKay says of Sydney Metro West. Federal Labor has also pledged $3 billion for Metro West if it wins government later this year.

'One bad day on the trains' could sway voters
While the political debate will sharpen in the lead up to the election, commuters simply want a well-functioning and reliable public transport system.

Brian Swift, a retired carpenter, decided to move to the Hills District in the north-west 15 years ago because road traffic in the city's inner west "drove me mad".

Swift says he has not made his mind up on who he will vote for in March. But he readily admits the Metro Northwest line will change the whole area, and the way people get around. "I will give it a go," he says. "The Libs have done a fair bit."

Kellyville Ridge resident Tim Surendonk says the biggest benefit of the new metro line from the north-west to Chatswood should be more reliable services.

At the moment, it takes him about 90 minutes to travel by bus and train to work at Redfern. "But the bus can often be unreliable. Sometimes they can be 20 minutes late," he says. "Chatswood also seems a million miles from where we live but the metro will make Chatswood part of our neighbourhood."

Once the second stage of the metro line opens in 2024, his estimated journey time on the train from Kellyville to Waterloo – near his work in Redfern – will be 50 minutes.

In the coming weeks, the Coalition will highlight the metro lines as evidence of its ability to deliver major, complex transport projects. In contrast, Labor will seize on any meltdown of the existing rail network or problems building the new projects to attack the government.

Sydney University's Clifton believes the differences on public transport policy between the Coalition and Labor will be less of a factor for the voting public than previous elections. "But all it takes is one bad day on the trains for that to change," he warns.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> New metro rail line to Sydney's south-east in the pipeline

A new rail line to Malabar in Sydney's south-east via Randwick or to Miranda in the Sutherland Shire via Sydney Airport are options the state's top transport officials have been canvassing behind closed doors.

Leaked government documents, obtained by the Herald, show the mooted lines would form an "eastern extension" of a rail line the Berejiklian government has committed to build between Parramatta and the CBD dubbed Sydney Metro West.

They reveal that the trade-off for those living in suburbs benefiting from an extension of the metro line would be a significant increase in apartments.

Aside from high-frequency train services, the internal Transport for NSW documents say that some of the key objectives underpinning decisions on an eastern extension of the line are "unlocking urban renewal opportunities" and "enhancing housing supply".

They show the four "strategic options" developed for an eastern extension of the line that focuses "on the south-east and Illawarra" are from the CBD to Kogarah via Sydney Airport; Miranda via the airport; Malabar via Randwick; and a line branching off to both Malabar and Kogarah.



Transport sources say a conversion of the existing Airport Line to carry single-deck metro trains is considered the cheapest and least disruptive option for extending the metro line.

The Berejiklian government earmarked $3 billion in the state budget last year for Sydney Metro West, the cost of which Transport for NSW has estimated at up to $18 billion. The final construction cost will depend on the route chosen.

Geotechnical drilling has also been carried out at Zetland as part of planning for Sydney Metro West.

Another leaked document shows that the transport agency has been considering four options for sites both near and on the site of Central Station in the CBD for Sydney Metro West. Two of the sites are near the eastern edge of the railway precinct and two on the western side.

It also reveals that attempts to make provisions for platforms for high-speed rail at Central Station have complicated plans for both the metro line and large scale development of the precinct.

"[High speed rail] provision impacts rail infrastructure and development," the documents state. "Commonwealth option proposes tracks below and above platforms 2-6, constraining development."

The possibility of separating the Airport Line from the suburban network, and running single-deck metro trains from Central to Revesby, was also canvassed in an options paper two years ago.

The rationale for converting the Airport Line was that it would free up capacity for an extra 12 trains an hour on the City Circle Line. Single-deck metro trains are also considered more suited to travellers lugging baggage to and from the airport.

"[A metro line from] Kogarah via Sydney Airport makes the most sense because it's the cheapest option. They could roll it out in a single term of government because they could convert the existing heavy rail," a transport source said.

But Transport Minister Andrew Constance said any prospect of extending Sydney Metro West to the city's east was well over a decade away.

"Our focus is only to the west right now given the state of the T1 Western Line," he said. "Our priority is to get [Sydney Metro] City and South West built, get Metro West and Western Sydney Airport Metro underway."

He declined to say what his preferred alignment for a metro line to the south-east was.

Transport for NSW said it was "always exploring ways to better connect customers across NSW".

While naming Sydney Metro West as its top priority, NSW Labor has said it will consider building a metro train line through southern Sydney if it wins government at the state election in March, instead of building the F6 Extension motorway and two other toll roads promised by the Berejiklian government.

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Sydney Morning Herald --> New metro rail line to Sydney's south-east in the pipeline

A new rail line to Malabar in Sydney's south-east via Randwick or to Miranda in the Sutherland Shire via Sydney Airport are options the state's top transport officials have been canvassing behind closed doors.

Leaked government documents, obtained by the Herald, show the mooted lines would form an "eastern extension" of a rail line the Berejiklian government has committed to build between Parramatta and the CBD dubbed Sydney Metro West.

They reveal that the trade-off for those living in suburbs benefiting from an extension of the metro line would be a significant increase in apartments.

Aside from high-frequency train services, the internal Transport for NSW documents say that some of the key objectives underpinning decisions on an eastern extension of the line are "unlocking urban renewal opportunities" and "enhancing housing supply".

They show the four "strategic options" developed for an eastern extension of the line that focuses "on the south-east and Illawarra" are from the CBD to Kogarah via Sydney Airport; Miranda via the airport; Malabar via Randwick; and a line branching off to both Malabar and Kogarah.



Transport sources say a conversion of the existing Airport Line to carry single-deck metro trains is considered the cheapest and least disruptive option for extending the metro line.

The Berejiklian government earmarked $3 billion in the state budget last year for Sydney Metro West, the cost of which Transport for NSW has estimated at up to $18 billion. The final construction cost will depend on the route chosen.

Geotechnical drilling has also been carried out at Zetland as part of planning for Sydney Metro West.

Another leaked document shows that the transport agency has been considering four options for sites both near and on the site of Central Station in the CBD for Sydney Metro West. Two of the sites are near the eastern edge of the railway precinct and two on the western side.

It also reveals that attempts to make provisions for platforms for high-speed rail at Central Station have complicated plans for both the metro line and large scale development of the precinct.

"[High speed rail] provision impacts rail infrastructure and development," the documents state. "Commonwealth option proposes tracks below and above platforms 2-6, constraining development."

The possibility of separating the Airport Line from the suburban network, and running single-deck metro trains from Central to Revesby, was also canvassed in an options paper two years ago.

The rationale for converting the Airport Line was that it would free up capacity for an extra 12 trains an hour on the City Circle Line. Single-deck metro trains are also considered more suited to travellers lugging baggage to and from the airport.

"[A metro line from] Kogarah via Sydney Airport makes the most sense because it's the cheapest option. They could roll it out in a single term of government because they could convert the existing heavy rail," a transport source said.

But Transport Minister Andrew Constance said any prospect of extending Sydney Metro West to the city's east was well over a decade away.

"Our focus is only to the west right now given the state of the T1 Western Line," he said. "Our priority is to get [Sydney Metro] City and South West built, get Metro West and Western Sydney Airport Metro underway."

He declined to say what his preferred alignment for a metro line to the south-east was.

Transport for NSW said it was "always exploring ways to better connect customers across NSW".

While naming Sydney Metro West as its top priority, NSW Labor has said it will consider building a metro train line through southern Sydney if it wins government at the state election in March, instead of building the F6 Extension motorway and two other toll roads promised by the Berejiklian government.

They might convert the current Bondi Junction Line  to Metro standard and extend that via Randwick then South? That was the plan back when the line was originally thought of years back.

^^It seems that they are thinking about the future in the right way. Convert as much as possible where they can to Driverless Metro standard. This leads to a sustainable high frequency service without the need to consult with the rail union each year or each timetable change.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AndrewConstance/status/1097314318092185600

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https://twitter.com/AndrewConstance/status/1100987584958783488

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https://twitter.com/GladysB/status/1102041104516440064

[verbatim9]

^^All I can say. It's going "Gangbusters" in NSW in regards to reform and improvements to Public and Active Transport. Good to see!

What's stopping Se Qld achieving the same or something similar? We need good strong directives in rolling out better, frequent 7 day public transport, which runs efficiently and not a drain on the public purse? **Time to upgrade and prepare for  Driver Only Operation for trains in South East Qld!

[ozbob]

SMH --> New metro line signals change ahead for commuter habits

Commuters in Sydney's north west will increasingly need to switch modes of public transport, such as from buses to trains, to get to their destinations following the opening of a new $8 billion metro train line in May.

Changes designed to route more bus services from suburbs in the north west to stations along the new 36-kilometre rail line from Rouse Hill to Chatswood will be gradually introduced to give commuters time to adjust their travel habits, the government says.

In an attempt to allay concerns from commuters, the government says express bus services between the north west and central Sydney via the M2 motorway will be maintained.

Transport for NSW secretary Rodd Staples said the changes to the bus network in the north west would be progressively rolled out following the opening of the new rail line.

"What we're going to do with customers is give them a bit of time to adjust. So when that service starts running on day one, people can keep doing what they're doing now in terms of buses," he said.

However, Mr Staples said the public could expect, over the longer term, fewer buses running directly from suburbs such as Rouse Hill directly to the central city; instead, more of them would be focused on providing a link to the metro train stations.

The prospect of trains running along the rail line every four minutes during peak hours was "ideal for interchange" because it meant passengers would not be left waiting on platforms for long periods, he said.

"For some people, there will be more interchange than maybe what they've been used to. But at the same time, they are not running on a motorway where there's risk of traffic congestion," he said.

"If you want to get from Rouse Hill to Central [station in the CBD] at the moment, just getting through the city on a bus is very busy. So you have to look at the total journey."

Once the first stage of the metro project opens in May, the time taken to travel by rail from Tallawong station at Rouse Hill to the CBD is estimated at 57 minutes. The rail trip will require commuters to change trains at Chatswood or Epping stations. But when trains begin running along the second stage of the metro line to the CBD and onwards by 2024, the journey time is estimated to be about 48 minutes.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said bus services in the north west would not be cut, rather the intention was to operate more to the new train stations.

"We have the benefit of Opal data and the aim is to put more services in, not less, in terms of transport options for the people of the north west," he said.

"The growth in the city means people do have to interchange like every other global city. What we want to do is make it easy and that is why we have done that with the $2 transfer discount built into the transport ticket."

Adult Opal card holders receive the $2 discount when they switch modes of public transport, such as from a bus to a train, in a single journey and within an hour of their last tap off. Seniors, children, students and holders of Opal concession cards get a $1 discount on their journey.

But Labor's candidate for the seat of Epping, Alan Mascarenhas, said residents in the north west were concerned that there would be a significant reduction of direct bus services to the central city.

"The people right on the rail line will really benefit but these are big suburbs and people live an hour's walk from it. They would rather keep the existing door-to-door Hillsbus," he said.

"People need to have a say on what services are kept and what won't be."

Transport for NSW will launch a campaign to help make commuters aware of changes to buses in the north west about three weeks before they are introduced.

[verbatim9]

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https://twitter.com/AndrewConstance/status/1107905286272999425

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https://twitter.com/Rabe9/status/1107817216924241920

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https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1108033375812485120

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https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney/status/1113718503888920576

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https://twitter.com/AndrewConstance/status/1113973940680921088

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https://twitter.com/kypros1992/status/1115904189044019200

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Daily Telegraph --> NSW Government to finally announce Sydney Metro northwest opening date

The Sydney Metro northwest will open to the public to coincide with one of the state's largest tourism events — Vivid Sydney.

A NSW Government source revealed exclusively to The Hills Shire Times thatthe Metro northwest network would be opened on Sunday, May 26.NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance is expected to announce the official opening date at a scheduled press conference at a northwest metro station tomorrow, with a senior Transport for NSW source confirming to the Times the $8 billion landmark metro line, stretching from Tallawong Station at Rouse Hill to Chatswood Station, would open in time to ferry thousands of customers from The Hills and Sydney's north west to Vivid Sydney.

Timetables for services are expected to be available from midday Sunday, allowing commuters three weeks to plan for the first trip.

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Andrew Constance said an announcement about the opening date of the Metro would be made shortly.

The scheduled opening of the Sydney Metro northwest comes amid newly discredited claims an investigation into the accessibility of driver consoles was being conducted by SafeWork NSW and the Rail Safety Authority, resulting in delays in the opening of the line.

A Transport for NSW spokesman said SafeWork NSW has "no regulatory role in the operations of railways and the Rail Safety Authority is not an organisation".

"The national rail safety regulator has been closely involved in the commissioning of Sydney Metro and has not raised any issues with Sydney Metro about train consoles," the spokesman said.

"The consoles are secured and not easily accessible — Metro trains like Sydney's new trains are safely used around the world."

Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne said she was glad an opening date had been set.

"As a community we are incredibly excited to know that in just three short weeks we will be stepping onto our metro for the very first time after decades of on-again, off-again promises," she said.

"I want to thank the NSW Government for delivering the metro to the Hills and in particularly "I would like to acknowledge the role the Premier had in the planning and delivery of the rail when she was the Transport Minister."

Cr Byrne said the opening of the rail will be a 'game changer' for the area, "making it easier for residents to travel around the Hills as well as to other parts of Sydney".

"With a rapidly growing population we desperately need the rail to improve the quality of life for our residents and to reduce the congestion on our roads," she said.

"I know what I will be doing on May 26th and I encourage the community to join me in celebrating the opening of our rail."

A Sydney Metro northwest construction employee, who did not wish to be named, said he and other colleagues were working on the fit-out of the tunnels and stabling yards as late as this week.

"I have worked on the project for the past two-and-a-half years," he said.

"We are expecting a major announcement on Sunday morning, but some of the stations just aren't finished."

The construction worker said testing and operational work was still underway across the entire project, as they work to 'polish up the line'.

"I have been working in the tunnels, so I haven't seen the stations in months, but they need every minute over the next three weeks to finish things up," he said.

"I am looking forward to the rides, I will be telling my son everything that I contributed to —

I am excited to say that I was part of it.

"It has been a fantastic project working with a group of amazing people from all different backgrounds and skills."

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1124468186621964288