Madon Labib, 18, Marina Aboud, 18, and Eyleia Saleeb, 17, ride a Waratah train with Premier Mike Baird / Picture: Bradley Hunter Source: News Corp Australia

A VISION for light rail from Parramatta up to Castle Hill and Ryde and possibly down to Bankstown has been backed by Premier Mike Baird, who will commit at least $10 million to a feasibility study for the project.

In a major win for The Daily Telegraph’s Fair Go For The West campaign, Mr Baird will tonight ­announce funding for the report into the light rail project, which he described as “about as exciting as you can have”.

He also labelled the “north-south” route through Sydney as the “missing link” with the government already working on projects aimed at bringing people from the West to the CBD.

In taking on the project, Mr Baird plans to explore work done by Parramatta City Council, which has already costed the project at $1.7 billion.

Under the council’s proposal, one line would operate from Westmead through Parramatta to Eastwood and to Macquarie Park.

Another line would run from Parramatta to Castle Hill. All up, there would be 30km of track with hopes in the future of adding a Parramatta-to- Bankstown line.

Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has previously flagged a potential light rail line west of Parramatta and the state opposition has also committed to funding a feasibility study on the project if elected.

“You’ve got improved arteries ... that funnel into the CBD but the north to south is the missing link from a public transport point of view,” Mr Baird said.

“I think it (the light rail proposal) is about as exciting as you can have from a transport point of view . . and I think Parramatta Council’s done very well to do the legwork on this.

“They’ve been constructive ... we want to pick the ball up and now do it properly ... we’re going to measure the full feasibility of the light rail.”

Mr Baird said a key issue raised at the Daily Telegraph’s Fair Go For The West Youth Forum, also “raised by business and community groups ... is the transport going north to south”.

He promised to get on with the study “straight away” and wanted it completed “as quickly as possible”.

“We will crack on with it,” the Premier said, and did not rule out having the study complete in time for the election campaign.

“The initial work done seems to suggest that light rail (has) got a capacity . . in terms of patronage. It could provide an opportunity for the private sector to participate, that is what the feasibility study will look at as well.”

Any construction of a light rail would follow the construction of inner west light rail and planned construction of city light rail through the city and out to Randwick and Kingsford in Sydney’s south east.

Source: The Daily Telegraph by Andrew Clennell.  Original Article.