Author Archives: Alex

Greater Macarthur Land Release – many questions but few answers

Posted on 24 September, 2015 by Alex

The recent announcement by the State Government of the release of 7,700-hectares of land south of Campbelltown at Menangle Park, Mount Gilead and Wilton Junction with up to 35,000 new homes is surprisingly short on detail. A five-page preliminary land … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hazelbrook Station – “beautification” over accessibility

Posted on 7 September, 2015 by Alex

In my last post I looked at the “bridges to nowhere” on the Blue Mountains railway line –  the new pedestrian bridges built as part of the recently completed widening of the Great Western Highway, especially in the mid-mountains. These have all been … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Transport, Transport | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Blue Mountains’ “bridges to nowhere”

Posted on 1 September, 2015 by Alex

Imagine for a moment that you are able-bodied and healthy person out for a walk and you encounter a major barrier on your trip. Luckily there is an impressive-looking new bridge nearby. You can access and walk over it easily, … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Transport, Transport | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Sydney Metro City and Southwest options: submissions close soon

Posted on 15 July, 2015 by Alex

A reminder that the closing date for submissions on the City and Southwest second stage of the Sydney Metro is this coming Friday 17 July 2015. While the Sydney Metro website explicitly seeks feedback about the alignment and options for … Continue reading →

Posted in Planning, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Sydney’s new light rail: not the world’s most expensive after all

Posted on 29 June, 2015 by Alex

With a total construction cost of $2.1 billion, Sydney’s planned CBD and Eastern Suburbs Light Rail (CESLR), it is not surprising that the project has been dubbed as the world’s most expensive light rail line. As my series of articles on … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Sydney Metro: where to, south (and north) of the Harbour?

Posted on 25 June, 2015 by Alex

Barangaroo and the Other Proposed Stations While the 2015 NSW budget released earlier this week has confirmed that an additional station will be built as part of the planned Sydney Metro at Barangaroo to service new commercial and residential development there, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth, Infrastructure, Planning, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport, Uncategorized, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A tale of three light rail lines (and two to come) – clarification on CESLR travel times

Posted on 23 June, 2015 by Alex

A response to the final article in my three part series on Australia’s new light rail systems raised some issues regarding the travel times for Sydney’s planned CBD and South East Light Rail (CSELR) project. I had stated in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Transport | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A tale of three light rail lines (and two to come) – part 3: performance, expansion and concluding comments

Posted on 16 June, 2015 by Alex

What are the key performance characteristics of Australia’s current and planned light rail systems and what are the prospects for their future expansion, as well as for the development of new lines and systems? This is the focus of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth, Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A tale of three light rail lines (and two to come) – part 2: technical features and construction costs

Posted on 11 June, 2015 by Alex

This is the second in a series of articles regarding the recent growth of interest in light rail in Australian cities which has led to the extension of lines in Adelaide and Sydney, the development of a completely new line … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Sydney Metro – the new poles and wires, and where to for Labor’s transport policies?

Posted on 5 June, 2015 by Alex

For better or for worse, the State Government’s recent victory on power assets means it has both the power and the financial resources to fundamentally reshape Sydney’s public transport infrastructure for the next 30 to 50 years. So instead of continuing my series … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Growth, Introduction, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments