Two Sydney councils will work together to support an extension to Sydney’s light rail system, easing gridlocked streets and improving public transport. Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP and Randwick Mayor Murray Matson have agreed to join forces to support the extension of light rail into the CBD and into Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with the City of Sydney and Randwick City to formalise their cooperation through an official Memorandum of Understanding.
“Travel time, unreliability, fuel costs and air pollution associated with congestion cost Sydney $4.6 billion in 2009, and that will rise to $8 billion by 2020,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “Without investment in transport infrastructure, Sydney’s CBD will grind to a halt. Up to 80,000 people drive to events at the Moore Park sport grounds and Randwick Racecourse on the weekend, shutting down parts of the city for hours at a time.
“A light rail to the eastern suburbs would relieve the pressure, and help staff and students get to the hospitals, and students to UNSW.”
Both also welcomed the backing of the new head of Infrastructure NSW Paul Broad for the extension of light rail into the CBD and into Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The City of Sydney and Randwick Council both support a light rail link along George Street and Hickson Road to relieve the heavily congested Sydney CBD and light rail to Sydney’s east to support the flourishing education and health precinct around the University of NSW. Along the proposed route, there are four major hospitals, the University of NSW, Centennial Park and Moore Park, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Fox Studios, Sydney Cricket Ground, the Lord Mayor said that to get transport right in Sydney, there is a need to work together.
Randwick Mayor Murray Matson welcomed the Lord Mayor’s support saying it was vital to work together to improve Sydney’s transport.
“Any extension to Sydney’s light rail network needs to be integrated,” he said. “It would be logical to plan the Sydney City Centre rail link at the same time as the Randwick extension, to link them, and to minimise the need for passengers to change.”
Randwick Council had earlier earmarked $100,000 for a pre feasibility study to bring light rail back to Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Mayor Murray Matson said Randwick Council transport studies have found it is going to need a 50 per cent increase in public transport capacity in Randwick City by 2021 to effectively accommodate anticipated population and employment growth.
