Menangle Park residents travelling by road and rail face a grim future unless the NSW Government alters its plans -or rather its lack of plans – for the historic village.
Just a few hundred people currently live in the small settlement 10 minutes by car from the heart of Campbelltown.
However the population is expected to explode in the next 15 years as Menangle Park has been earmarked for large new housing developments.
The state government has so far refused to provide any concrete commitment to electrifying the rail line south of Macarthur station.
Shelter at Menangle Park train station is also scarce, and there are no plans for additional commuter parking to be provided.
There is no concourse or underpass linking platforms at the station, with commuters forced to walk across the actual train line to get from one platform to the other.
Planning and construction on station upgrades and the electrification of the line need to occur well before Menangle Park is transformed into a massive satellite suburb of Campbelltown, says local MP Greg Warren.
He says all the State Government is offering are half-baked plans for the Menangle Road and Hume Motorway connections.
Currently there are only plans for north facing entry and exit ramps at the junction.
Mr Warren said that was not good enough and it was imperative south facing entry and exit ramps were also constructed.
The MP also called for the prioritisation of the full road link from Spring Farm Parkway to Menangle Road (via the Hume Motorway) and through to Appin Road.
“Menangle Park may only have a few hundred residents at the moment, but in 15 years it will be a bustling town,’’ he says.
“There are people who are both in favour and opposed to the development at Menangle Park – but I’m sure everyone agrees that appropriate and adequate infrastructure is a must.
“To create happy, vibrant and sustainable communities, adequate infrastructure must be built before people move in – that’s just sensible planning.
“You can’t increase the population of a suburb 40 fold without upgrading road and rail infrastructure, but that’s exactly what the State Government is proposing to do.
“If rail upgrades do not occur, residents will jump in their cars and head to Macarthur and Campbelltown stations – where commuter parking is already woefully inadequate,’’ Mr warren said.
“If south bound entry and exit ramps are not built at the Hume Highway and Menangle Road junction, it will simply cause even more traffic chaos on Narellan Road.
“I call on the newly-elected Member for Wollondilly – as these issues will affect a significant number of his constituents as well – to join me and demand his Liberal colleagues plan and deliver these upgrades as a matter of urgency.
“Menangle Park may be a small, quiet town, but I vow to be the big, loud voice in Macquarie Street advocating on behalf of both new and existing residents in Menangle Park.”
Mr Warren has written to the roads and transport minister to express his concerns regarding the lack of road and rail infrastructure planning for Menangle Park.
