another new metro? heard it all before..
With the North West Metro (St James-Epping-Rouse Hill) on the verge of being sent to the recycle bin along with countless other transport route ideas over the last 10 years, the Government has unveiled a patched and short-sighted solution devised only in the last few weeks: the Sydney CBD metro. This $4 billion line will begin construction in 2010 and will be federally funded through the Infrastructure Australia program, that is if Kevin Rudd allows it.
This new metro will service:- Balmain/Rozelle
- Pyrmont
- Darling Harbour
- Barrangaroo
- Wynyard
- Martin Place
- Town Hall
- Central
Whilst I did not believe a frequent metro service was feasible for the north-west due to a lack of population density, I do not believe this new CBD metro is a good use of funds either. Why?
- It is too short and does not lead or connect to any other major population centre, but only provides transportation within the CBD which would be better served through an extensive light-rail network
- How will a terminus at Balmain/Rozelle function?
- Metro tunnels under Darling Harbour and through to Balmain would be a logistical nightmare, notwithstanding the tunnel depth that is also required within the CBD to avoid the underground Cityrail train lines
- Having the tunnel cross from Wynyard to Martin Place will block the only corridor left underground for a north-south transport corridor west of Martin Place/Pitt Street
- Without an intergrated ticketing system, there will be no ease of interchange with current Cityrail stations and will only cause further delay
So what should we have had if the NSW Government remained true to all its promises?
Rail projects:
- Bondi Beach Railway (2002)
- Parramatta Rail Link to Epping and Chatswood (2006)
- Hornsby to Newcastle High Speed Rail (stage 1 to Warnervale 2007)
- North West Rail Link Epping to Castle Hill (2010)
- Sutherland to Wollongong High Speed Rail (2010)
- Hurstville to Strathfield Railway (to start by 2010 and be completed in 2014)
- Liverpool Y Link (work to start by 2010)
(stage 2 to Newcastle work to start by 2010)
- Integrated and seamless ticketing by 2002
With the population currently at 4 million and expected to increase to 6 million by 2025, myopic planning by the state government now will only lead to disastrous results in the future. Sydney will lose its ability to function if investment into public transport infrastructure is not a priority. But then again, look at the state of public transport now. It's a disaster already. I would not want to imagine the catastrophe that it will become in the future.
With 2025 only 17 years away, and squabbling/new premiers overturning prior projects/stupid people protesting/announcing then cutting back taking at least 5 years, planning another 5 and construction 5, then 8, then 10 for any project; it's far too late. For projects planned now, their completion won't be for another 20 years according to that optimistic timeframe.
A disenchanted public (me) has had enough. It's just one excuse after another to delay these vital projects from getting off the drawing board and frankly, it's just not good enough. I don't believe a change of government will make any difference. There needs to be a drastic change in mindset away from political ambitions, aspirations, individual greed and self-pride, to doing what a government is really meant to do: provide quality public services for its people. Only when this happens will we come out of this dark tunnel and into the light.
So what do you think of public transport in this city? Or have I said it all...
benny | Saturday, October 25, 2008 
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Mags
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benny
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I'm glad to see my content came in handy =P Yeh it's a bit lame...I'd prefer to see the original plan (CBD rail link, NWRL and SWRL) as designed. That would have worked well.
Unknown |
Saturday, October 25, 2008 6:50:00 pm
I too think that privatisation might be the key to delivering quality services, although the question is 'who would want to buy the system in its current shape?'
As well, I believe replacing the double-decker trains with more frequent single-deck services is a better idea.
I think there should also be a link from my street to Kogarah station to replace the unreliable buses!
benny |
Monday, October 27, 2008 9:15:00 pm
Funnily enough, I had this conversation with a colleague yesterday... I reckon the only solution to this dilemma is to privatise the whole system.
Privatisation will mean that money's not spent unnecessarily on projects that aren't carefully thought out and won't work(CBD metro, Epping to Chatswood - need I say more?) as they know they will not reap the rewards (i.e. stock price), will not affect the state budget, and would probably be more likely to deliver on projects such as the T-card on time and with minimal fuss.
I'm all for fares going up as long as we can see value coming from it. The way I see it, Cityrail's fare hike in January is just another way to re-coup costs against the already over-budget Epping to Chatswood project.