Online survey: yes, please, to north-south airport rail line

Western Sydney residents say a north-south rail link is just the ticket for local jobs

Almost all of the 2,000 Western Sydney residents (87 per cent) who responded to an online survey said that a north-south rail link would encourage them to find jobs in the local region, boosting the local economy and making Western Sydney a true self-sufficient city.

The survey of residents from Penrith, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden and surrounding council areas asked residents about their support for a proposed north-south rail link that would connect these centres to each other and the new Western Sydney Airport, and the response was a resounding “Yes, please!”

The proposed north-south rail line would run from Marsden Park in the north to Campbelltown-Macarthur in the south, via Western Sydney Airport and with Liverpool connected via an extension of the Leppington line.

More than 71 per cent of Campbelltown City residents who participated in the survey indicated they would use a north-south rail link if it was available.

The survey demonstrated a range of benefits for residents across the entire Western Sydney region, including:

• • 60% would use it to connect to other parts of Sydney
  • 54% would use it to avoid road congestion
  • 40% say it would save them time every day
  • Others said it would save money running a car, it’s more relaxing, better for the environment, provides an opportunity to get more work done and removes the stress of car parking.

Western Sydney Rail Alliance spokesman John Vassallo said the results confirm that this rail option will improve the lives of families living in this region, and will activate new urban communities and employment precincts – improving housing affordability and supporting jobs.

“The current isolation of the outer suburbs with increasingly growing populations is resulting in an unsustainable strain on the current rail and roads network, reinforcing the imbalance of accessible jobs in Sydney,” Mr Vassallo said.

“A cross-regional rail solution connecting people to jobs will address this unfair situation.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“A north-south rail link will be the catalyst for the growth of jobs in the health, education and services sector in established centres such as Penrith, Liverpool and Campbelltown and will add $44.7 billion to the economy (from 2024 – 2040) reaching $3.6 billion per year by 2040.”[/social_quote]

A large proportion of respondents living in Campbelltown (more than 66 per cent) spend in excess of two hours commuting to work every day, and more than 72 per cent of these workers are travelling via train.

The survey results have helped cement the need to continue to lobby for a north-south rail link for Western Sydney to effectively connect local residents with local jobs.