Western Sydney needs rail as soon as possible, not just to service the Badgerys Creek precinct and the growth areas, but to service two million residents whose access to rail has been put on the backburner by successive governments over many decades.
The years of neglect has resulted in a situation where 75 per cent of Western Sydney residents (around 1.3 million people) do not live within a walkable distance of a train station, and where the Western Line is the most severely over-crowded in Sydney.
“This is before we account for the 500,000 additional residents who are fast moving into brand new communities along the north-south corridor,” says Charles Casuscelli, the CEO of Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC).
Speaking after the announcement of a massive $4 billion surplus in the state budget, he said WSROC was calling for a serious commitment to building rail in western Sydney.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Leading up to Federation in 1901, NSW was able to build over 100 kilometres of rail line every year for 20 years forming the majority of the rail network we use today.[/social_quote]
“This rail network came at a significant debt to the state but was an investment that continues to pay dividends up to the present day.
“We need that kind of visionary investment today. We need a commitment to providing what the West needs. And providing it quickly,” he said.
Mr Casuscelli pointed out that there has never been a better time to invest in rail with the budget in surplus, interest rates at an all-time low and investor interest in the West high.
“We commend the government’s Western Sydney Rail Needs Study, but stress that the outcome must be more than just corridor preservation – we need to see tracks hitting the ground as soon as possible once the priority routes are identified.
“Western Sydney’s growth is unprecedented in both scale and speed and we need a proportionally significant and swift response to ensure an adequate level of public transport service for these communities,” he said.
