North West Metro - Criticisms

Criticisms

The North West Metro has been the subject of sustained criticism by planning groups and urban transport experts. The project’s announcement meant the junking of the previously proposed Metropolitan Rail Expansion Program (MREP) that would have linked the north-west and south-west areas of Sydney, which have long been delegated for absorbing future population growth, with a direct rail line to the commercial and employment corridor encompassing Macquarie Park, Chatswood, St Leonards, North Sydney, CBD and Sydney Airport. The now defunct CBD Rail Link, which would have provided for a second crossing of Sydney Harbour and up to four new City Rail stations within the city, would also have brought faster, more reliable services to every reach of the existing network by easing capacity on the severely congested City Circle, in particular Town Hall and Wynyard stations.

The government estimated that up to 38% of north-west commuters would need to interchange at Epping to travel to the employment arc via the Epping to Chatswood line. Alternatively, commuters would have had to interchange to the North Shore line, having reached already congested Wynyard Station, in order to reach their final destination on the north shore. The Planning Institute of Australia called for the project to be reconsidered in light of these structural flaws, saying "The Epping to Rouse Hill leg should be retained as a heavy rail corridor that is part of the City Rail network," the institute says. "This provide a strong direct rail link between the north-western parts of Sydney and major employment locations on the northern side of Sydney Harbour."

Questions were raised regarding the deadlines for completion of the North West Metro. Documents tabled in the NSW parliament indicate that in order to meet the 2017 commencement date, land acquisitions for the project would have to be completed no later than 2009, even though the route of the project would not be finalised until 2010. Accordingly, a senior Treasury official, Dr David Thorp, labelled the 2010 date for construction to begin as 'a push to achieve'.

The Property Council of Australia called for the project to be reconsidered in light of its implications for the trouble-prone CityRail network, particularly the need to service the Macquarie Park corridor, which was catered for under the Metropolitan Rail Expansion Program by city-bound services from the North West Rail Link. Moreover, it criticises the prospect of forced interchange by commuters at already congested Wynyard and Town Hall stations given that the original plan included a second rail link through the city centre and up to four new stations that would have relieved pressure on the existing city circle.