City of Parramatta has welcomed the State Government’s announcement that it will build a new western metro line as part of an integrated transport plan centred on Parramatta which includes the Parramatta light rail project.

The announcement of the Sydney Metro West reaffirms Parramatta’s position as Sydney’s Central City and acknowledges the need for improved transport links to the City, which is set to undergo a major transformation over the next five years underpinned by unprecedented levels of public and private investment.

The underground line will become the new spine of Sydney’s public transport system. It will effectively double rail capacity between the Eastern and Central CBDs and take pressure off the busy western railway line.

Sydney Metro West will be able to move 40,000 people an hour in each direction between the CBDs of Parramatta and Sydney, running via the Bays Precinct and Olympic Park and servicing a rapidly growing population and employment base along that corridor.

Council looks forward to working with the Government during the planning phase of the Sydney Metro West project to identify possible locations for underground stations in the Parramatta LGA, including new stations at Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park.

City of Parramatta is encouraged by the Government’s statement that it will investigate innovative ways to reduce travel times between the Parramatta and Sydney CBDs.

Council has previously argued the case for a fast rail line linking the Parramatta CBD with the Eastern CBD and the Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek.

A joint Federal and State Government scoping study of western Sydney rail needs, including a possible fast rail service linking Parramatta and Western Sydney Airport, is due for release before July 2017. The Sydney Metro West line is forecast to be operational in the second half of the 2020s.