Author Archives: Alex

A tale of three light rail lines (and two to come) – part 1

Posted on 1 June, 2015 by Alex

Australian cities have come relatively late to the light rail revival which spread across the globe in the latter decades of the 20th century, but lately they seem to be making up for lost ground. There are now three substantially new or … Continue reading →

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

Local Government Growing Regional Australia report launched

Posted on 26 March, 2015 by Alex

The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) and Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) have just launched a report I co-authored with Dr Robyn Morris and Lucinda Molloy on local government’s role in building strong and sustainable regional capitals and regions. The report, Local … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Growth, Local Government, Regions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

NSW State Election 2015: what are the major parties promising to do about transport?

Posted on 23 March, 2015 by Alex

I thought it would be useful to summarise what the major parties – The Liberals/Nationals, Labor and the Greens – are promising in relation to transport in relation to the upcoming NSW state election. The following is drawn from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Governance, Infrastructure, Planning, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sydney’s light rail project part 3 – trying to do too much?

Posted on 22 March, 2015 by Alex

In my last couple of posts I talked about some of the changes to Sydney’s CBD and South East Light Rail (CSELR) project contained in the Modifications Report (MR) which was released late last year as well as the implications of one … Continue reading →

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

CBD and South East Light Rail part 2: what is the cost of going wire-free?

Posted on 22 January, 2015 by Alex

After my recent post on the CBD and South East Light Rail (CSELR) the final $2.1 billion cost was revealed with the signing of the contract for the project in December last year. The half-billion dollar increase from the government’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Transport, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

CBD and South East Light Rail – modifications, implications and complications

Posted on 8 December, 2014 by Alex

Recent reports regarding modifications to Sydney’s CBD and South East Light Rail (CSELR)project have highlighted two aspects announced by the NSW Minister for Transport – the move to longer trams and the removal of the World Square stop. These are contained in the CSELR Modifications … Continue reading →

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

The Sydney rail network: seven signs of a potential privatisation?

Posted on 29 September, 2014 by Alex

In my last post I discussed the implications of the North West Rail Link (NWRL) for the 2015 and 2019 NSW state elections. This time I thought I’d survey the wider implications of some of the state government’s public transport … Continue reading →

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

North West Rail Link – all change at the 2019 election?

Posted on 26 September, 2014 by Alex

With contracts let and tunnelling boring machines (TBMs) in the ground it is clear that the North West Rail Link (NWRL) is going to be built as a single-deck automated metro, to open between Chatswood and Cudgegong Road by early … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Lots of carrots for fewer councils: NSW Government responds to the Local Government Review Panel Proposals

Posted on 12 September, 2014 by Alex

It’s been a long time coming but the State Government has finally announced its response to the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s findings and recommendations. The Panel’s report was completed in October 2013 but its release was delayed until January … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The second Sydney airport – dead, or just resting? (part 4: final)

Posted on 5 February, 2014 by Alex

With media reports that a Federal Government announcement about a second airport for Sydney at Badgerys Creek is eminent, this is an appropriate time for me to complete my series of posts about the proposal. As with my previous posts … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Infrastructure, Transport | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment