Sydney to see increased bus services; Parramatta Light Rail stage one gains approval

The New South Wales Government in its budget, to be released this week, will allocate $15.6 million to deliver increased bus services in metropolitan Sydney as part of a wider $1.5 billion program that will deliver bus fleet renewal and expansion.

1000 new services will be run through the Northern Beaches and 500 new services will be added to the network in Western Sydney.

400 buses are set to be replaced over time as part of the $1.5 billion statewide bus program and the fleet will expand by 30 buses to deliver the increased services throughout the Northern Beaches, Wentworth Point, Penrith, Blacktown and Lane Cove.

“Around 20 of these new buses will cater for the increased demand in school services across the state,” the NSW Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, said.

Parramatta's Light Rail is one step closer with approval granted at the beginning of June for stage one which will see Westmead and Carlingford connected via Camellia and Parramatta's CBD.

The NSW Government will allocate $1 billion toward the project from this year's budget and the government expects a tendering process to be complete with contracts signed by the third quarter of 2018.

The final cost of the light rail line will be known following the tender and contract process.

The eastern end of the light rail route will see existing heavy rail services that run on the single-track Carlingford line cease and the corridor will transition to include two tracks for light rail vehicles.

Early works have begun with the announcement in May that Ventia had been awarded the contract to begin remediation works on the site of the new stabling and maintenance facility in Camellia.

Telopea, one of the existing heavy rail stops on the Carlingford line that will be converted to light rail, saw a master plan and rezoning proposal released in 2017 that would include between 4000 and 4700 new social, affordable and private homes to be built over 20 years.

In late March, the Minister for Social Housing, Pru Goward, commenced engagement with the development community through an expression of interest campaign to deliver key aspects of the redevelopment at Telopea.  That EOI period has now closed and proposals are now being evaluated by the NSW Government.

In October 2017 the NSW Government announced the preferred route for stage two of the Parramatta Light Rail which would see a 9km extension from stage one begin at Rydalmere and then run along the north side of the Parramatta River then crossing southwards through Wentworth Point and terminate at Sydney Olympic Park. 

Stage two is currently in a consultation round and a finalised business case is expected in 2018.