High speed rail potential squandered if it skips Parramatta

A proposed high speed rail network along Australia’s east coast must connect to Parramatta and the new Western Sydney Airport to unlock its full potential for Greater Sydney.

The City of Parramatta is calling on the Federal Government to include stations at Parramatta and Western Sydney Airport in its business case for stage one of the high speed rail from Newcastle to Sydney, due for completion by the end of the year.

City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Martin Zaiter said recent commentary by the federal High Speed Rail Authority suggesting stage one should terminate at Central Station and that Parramatta would only be considered at a later stage did not reflect the reality of where the majority of Sydney’s population live.

“Central Station is no longer central to the growing population of Greater Sydney – or where the jobs of the future will come from,” Cr Zaiter said.

“With more people in Sydney now living in and around the west compared to the east, Parramatta is in a prime position to become the future Grand Central of Sydney’s transport network.

“High speed rail will cost billions and won’t be delivered until at least the 2030s. It makes no sense to design a project of this scale around the Sydney of the past instead of a future which we know holds a new airport in Western Sydney and Metro West.”

Over the next 25 years, the City of Parramatta is set to grow to more than 500,000 residents and add over 150,000 new jobs.  

“We have one shot to get this right and make sure the benefits of this transformational infrastructure flow through to all Sydneysiders, not just the eastern city, but to Parramatta and Western Sydney as well,” Cr Zaiter said.

“An east coast line to Sydney CBD will be of no value to many Western Sydney residents as travel times using public transport to Central to connect to a service to Newcastle will be slower than driving.”

Cr Zaiter said that stops in both Parramatta and Western Sydney Airport would be a major drawcard, attracting international travellers and enhancing the viability of the airport with fast connections to the major commercial centres of Greater Sydney.

“International travellers will only book flights in and out of the new Western Sydney Airport if they are guaranteed fast, frequent public transport links to the major central business districts in Parramatta and Sydney,” Cr Zaiter said.

High speed rail connections in Parramatta and the new airport will bring both locals living up and down the line plus international visitors directly into the City of Parramatta’s growing CBD and major attractions like Sydney Olympic Park, CommBank Stadium, the soon to be redeveloped Riverside Theatres and the new Powerhouse Museum.

“A failure to realise stops in Parramatta and Western Sydney Airport in this first critical stage will limit the economic benefits of Australia’s first high speed rail line for the fastest growing regions of Greater Sydney,” Cr Zaiter said.

The Federal Government has established the High Speed Rail Authority to plan and protect a corridor for stage 1 of high speed rail from Sydney to Newcastle, and prepare a business case for investment by the end of this year.

Council is continuing to advocate for its long-held position that any alignment of east coast high speed rail should have a station in the City of Parramatta to support equitable access to the rail itself and a more equitable distribution of jobs and activity among Greater Sydney.

Cr Zaiter said it was now time to deliver for the people of Parramatta.

“I am putting the State and Federal governments on notice that I will be the strongest advocate that this council has seen for many years.

“Parramatta is not waiting for these decisions to be made – we will shape them. We will be on the front foot fighting for our fair share”