Category Archives: Planning

Media follow-up to my series on Sydney’s incompatible metros

Posted on 31 May, 2023 by Alex

Both the Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC have followed up some of the issues raised in my two-part series on the way that decisions of the previous NSW state government have ensured that Sydney Metro will be far from … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Infrastructure, metro, Planning, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whatever the NSW election result, metros are the winner

Posted on 23 March, 2023 by Alex

As I write this post on the eve of the 2023 NSW state election, the major parties are neck-and-neck in the opinion polls. I’m not going to attempt to pick the result but there is already one clear winner, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Growth, Infrastructure, metro, Planning, Population, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sydney: why have one metro system when you can have two (or more)? Part 2

Posted on 1 February, 2023 by Alex

In the first post in this series I took a look at the significant differences between Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport (Metro WSA) which will connect the new airport to the Sydney Trains network at St Marys, and the combined … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, metro, Planning, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sydney: why have one metro system when you can have two (or more)? Part 1

Posted on 14 January, 2023 by Alex

The second week of January 2023 featured extensive media coverage in the Sydney Morning Herald about the Sydney Metro. It’s unclear what triggered this, apart from the opening of the next stage of Metro City and Southwest from Chatswood to … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Bradfield, metro, Planning, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sydney Metro West gets a mega CBD interchange and Star Casino hits the jackpot, but no southeast link

Posted on 4 July, 2021 by Alex

Two more pieces in the Sydney Metro West puzzle were revealed in the recent announcement by the NSW Government of the location of the remaining stations on the line – Pyrmont and Hunter Street. The announcement itself was not a … Continue reading →

Posted in metro, Planning, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney Metro, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Update: Sydney West Metro station plans firm in NSW election refresh

Posted on 6 March, 2019 by Alex

It’s always easy to know when there’s an election on the way in Australia, especially in NSW, as all parties commit to new projects big and small. Top of the list are new infrastructure projects – hospitals, roads, and, increasingly, … Continue reading →

Posted in metro, Planning, Public Transport, Rail, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sydney Metro’s commercialised future

Posted on 17 May, 2018 by Alex

What if the NSW government set up a new state-owned business corporation and handed it sweeping powers that duplicated those of several established authorities, including the power to prepare strategic plans, buy, develop and sell land, run other businesses (including bus services) and, incidentally, … Continue reading →

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

The Sydney Metro – a better option?

Posted on 31 January, 2018 by Alex

After spending a large part of 2017 writing about transport issues and in particular the Government’s metro strategy, I had hoped to start 2018 on a different note. Retired transport bureaucrat and planner Dr Dick Day’s thoughtful opinion piece on … Continue reading →

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

A 60th anniversary salute to Sydney’s Great Experiment

Posted on 22 December, 2017 by Alex

I can’t let 2017 pass without paying a slightly belated tribute to the 60th anniversary of a book which has influenced me for many years. Sydney’s Great Experiment: The Progress of the Cumberland County Plan written by Denis Winston, was published … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Government, Planning, Sydney metro area | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sydney West Metro and Parramatta Light Rail revisited

Posted on 31 October, 2017 by Alex

Last year I outlined some of the route options for the Sydney Metro West following an NSW Government announcement of the project that was extremely short on detail. Earlier this year I also examined the decision to build Parramatta Light … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Planning, Public Transport, Sydney metro area, Transport, Western Sydney | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment