NSW government announces Westmead will be a stop on the new Sydney Metro West
One year out from the next New South Wales election, the NSW Government has announced that Westmead will feature on the second metro line that at this early stage is having its corridor refined.
Dubbed Sydney Metro West, the aim is to add more passenger capacity between the Sydney CBD and Parramatta with intermediate stops along the line offering connection opportunities.
Exact travel times are not yet set in stone, given the corridor planning's fluid state, but the Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, said Sydney Metro West will be the fastest journey between the two major centres.
Sydney Metro West will become the fastest, easiest and most reliable journey between the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs, which could be as little as 20 minutes.
We have been working hand-in-hand with the community on Sydney Metro West and we have taken on board feedback to make it an even greater infrastructure project for greater Western Sydney
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian
The Sydney Metro is an operationally-independent railway utilising driverless trainsets with its first phase ('Sydney Metro Northwest') set to enter service in 2019 between Cudgerong Road in Rouse Hill and Chatswood.
The project's second phase ('Sydney Metro City & Southwest') which involves building a new rail crossing under the harbour and new tunnels running north-south under Sydney's CBD achieved planning approval in January 2017.
The second phase of the metro line will also involve converting a portion of the existing Bankstown line for the exclusive use of new driverless metro trains.
Once both phases of are complete, the railway will be 66km in length and provide rail commuter services from Sydney's outer North West through major nodes on the northern and southern side of the harbour through to Bankstown in Sydney's south-west.
The NSW Government also announced the new Sydney Metro West will have a station either at Concord or North Strathfield in order to allow passengers to interchange between the Northern line and faster Sydney CBD or Parramatta services on the new metro line.
The Westmead and North Strathfield/Concord statements are on top of the already announced station locations at The Bays precinct, Sydney Olympic Park and still as-yet defined stations in the Sydney CBD and at Parramatta.
Further community consultation will continue as it's expected more station locations will be announced with Camellia/Rydalmere, North Burwood/Five Dock, Kings Bay and Pyrmont mentioned as possible locations.
A map published on the project's website shows potential extensions of the second metro line both eastward and westward.
