North West Rail Link - Stations, Rail Infrastructure & Systems

Please find my EIS2 submission attached together with the EIS1 submission resubmitted as it contained information that NWRL said would be addressed in the EIS2 release. Also an invoice that I will be claiming reimbursement on from NWRL in light of the fact they did not have the accurate statistics.

Please forward this, including attachments, to the architects.

I am a young local who has been interested in this project for many years, and I'm not affiliated with Castle Towers, or anyone.

Cherrybrook station.
-The power pylon base is currently screened by bushes. Something similar to this could be used in the completed station, making sure that the pylon and screening works well with the station design.
-Bus routes need to avoid Castle Hill road, and use back routes to maximise catchment.

Cheltenham oval.
New sports facilities (to hide the service facility) would benefit from having colours, textures and shapes that fit in with the surrounding environment, and are compliment the area's old fashioned-ish architecture.

Castle hill station
-Internal architecture
The nearby Castle towers shopping centre (a prominent Castle Hill location) features very recognisable skylights, arches and metal structures. It would add a lot of local character to the station if the platform roof made reference to this, please see the attachment "Castlehill(towers)station".

-Tunnel to the station
An area in castle towers currently used as toilets could be perfect for pedestrian access to the station directly from the shopping centre. See the first attachment for details.

-External architecture
Bus structures near to the station show characteristics shared by many bus shelters in the area. Colouration in particular should be noted. See attachment "castlehill(towers)station"
Something to mark out the edge of the road intersection near the station could improve the feeling of safety for pedestrians.
-The service facility could make use of the slope for screening. The top could be used as a new area of park, behind a reconstructed war memorial area.

-Busses
It is proposed in the EIS to amalgamate the two bus stations into one. The Hills Shire council recently completed changes to the roads in this area, any modifications would need to be careful not to return the area to its previous state of traffic problems.
The new bus stop is proposed to be on Old northern rd. The bus stop on old castle hill rd is close to the castle towers shopping centre, and easy to access from it. The one way road arrangement makes crossing the road quite easy, and this is a high pedestrian area. Keeping arrangements similar to the current ones may be worth considering.

-Effects on parking
The castle towers carpark (which will probably cease to be free once the station opens) already becomes full on busy days. Adding to this the likelihood of park-and-riders, and the future expansion of Castle Towers, there will be a lot of pressure on this carpark.
*Perhaps purchasing some or all of the carpark for the use of commuters is worth considering.
*Provision of new carparking space should be discussed with the local council and management of Castle Towers, as part of their expansion, so plenty of parking is provided for both railway users, and shoppers. A new parking structure for the centre may be beneficial.
*The use of excessive parking fees should be avoided (for the first few hours at least.)

Showground station
-The hills Centre
The hills centre is an important landmark in the area, and also the area's largest performing arts centre. If possible, avoiding the demolition of this would be beneficial. The performing arts use, as well as the design of the building fit in well, and compliment the Showground. Similarly, the council building also compliments the Showground, providing space around the building where events (such as the Australia day celebration) can take place. These buildings reinforce the Showground as a place of entertainment and an important civic location within the shire.
Other uses, such as retail or residential, would not have this effect, and may experience conflict with the Showground, e.g, noise from festivals/animals. There would be less of a sense of completeness to the precinct. Smaller retail use around the station would not have such an impact.
*The station platform could be constructed slightly further south to avoid the need to demolish the hills centre. (See attachment "Showgroundstation")
*The spoil handling points could also be moved further south, with possible use of Carrington rd as a haul road.
*Space around the council building could be used for storage, parking, etc.
*The proposed roads could be modified to accommodate the retained Hills centre. (see attachment)
-If it is not possible to retain the centre, a new performing arts hall with similar facilities and overall aesthetic, could be built slightly to the west.

-Station architecture
The external architecture of the station could be made to resemble one of the pavilions, and/or reference the hills centre and Council building, to fit in.
The internal architecture could make reference to the internal appearance and textures of the hills centre and council building. Careful use of similar aesthetics could give this station an excellent sense of local identity.

Murals.
-Murals could be considered in underground stations, portraying parts of the local area, to enhance local identity.


Cudgegong station
The northwest railway will go to about 3km away from the Richmond line, but does not connect to it. Transport links from the Cudgegong Rd station to Schofeilds station could make the rail line far more useful, if it could be used for trips to and from western Sydney.
-Bus routes that link Schofeilds station and Cudgegong Rd would be beneficial.
-A bike path that links Schofields and Cudgegong Rd would also be beneficial, for buses may be intermittent at times, yet the distance is too far to walk.
-Assuming this rail line will appear on the Cityrail/Sydneytrain map, (like the tram line does), the buses and the bike path should also be marked, to promote awareness and usage.

Thank you.
Thomas Walder