Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2

Please see attached technical report to support the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW submission of 12th December 2022.

G'day,
As a local resident of Ermington, I am 100% behind the construction of Stage 2 Parramatta Light Rail which is a 'Critical State Significant Infrastructure' project.
This piece of infrastructure will complement, working hand in hand with Stage 1 PLR & also the Metro West project in moving people around and in and out of the Parramatta area. Public transport is currently very poor in the area and with the increasing population bought on by the construction of large developments in Sydney Olympic Park, Melrose Park and Wentworth Point, the completion of Royal Shores in Ermington and the future rezoning of Camellia, this will put an even larger amount of pressure on roads and existing bus services. We need to fast track Stage 2 Parramatta Light Rail.
As a resident of the area and also working in the area for over 2 decades, below are a few points that I think would make the Stage 2 PLR an even bigger success than it will be and future proof it for what would work best to maximise the customer patronage;
*The Camellia option 2or 3 is obviously the best route with the redevelopment of Grand Ave over the coming years. The crossing over Parramatta River at John St Rydalmere would be a good option to both integrate with the Rydalmere Ferry wharf and avoid losing any car parking capacity for the commuters using the ferry service.
*For the Parramatta River crossing entering the Wentworth Point area, option 4 is preferred to integrate with the Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf.
*Silverwater Rd bridge needs to be option 4 to ensure the line is future proofed and will service pedestrians, cyclists and the light rail whilst also being used to access bus services on Silverwater Rd.
*The River Rd stop could be used as the main public transport stop to service the new 'Cricket NSW Central' headquarters. A pedestrian route with a wide footpath to act as a boulevard could be constructed to give all spectators getting to the ground better and safer access,especially in the future when they begin playing first class cricket at the venue.
*For the track through Ken Newman Park and along Boronia Rd between River Rd and Melrose Park stops, a wire free green track would help with making the light rail fit in with the surrounding area. It would avoid the unsightly overhead wires and also make the tracks nearly invisible whilst also acting to keep the area cooler. The track through Ken Newman Park would also need a large amount of trees and shrubs planted to act as a privacy screening for the residents backing onto the park.
* The turnback in the Parramatta CBD should be placed in an area that works best for the passengers. The light rail will be used extensively to get into the CBD for events being held at Parramatta Stadium. It's for this reason, I feel that option 2 or 3 would be the most suitable. This would avoid a bottleneck at Macquaire St with passengers alighting to change onto the other light rail service that goes to Westmead. Anywhere north of the Lennox bridge would be a more suitable location for the turnback.
* The investment needs to be made to make sure that the noise and vibration is minimised by incorporating absorption track designs such as special boots,sleeper pads,under ballast mats or a floating track where possible.
I have only covered the elements of the Stage 2 Parramatta Light Rail that I feel are crucial to making the finished product the best it can be. I believe that public transport should be integrated into the neighbouring areas to maximise its accessibility to all customers whilst incorporating and servicing the surrounding infrastructure with the local community.
Good luck, lets get it built ASAP. We all need it and it'll be a huge success.
Thank you
Daniel Green

See attached.

Whilst I support the proposal for the Light Rail Stage 2, I strongly oppose the location of the bridge at the current location in Melrose Park. It has a significant impact on residents of Melrose Park, especially those living in Wharf Road and also Lancaster Street, etc.
Futhermore, today, 14 December, there is one small notification which alludes to the fact the boat ramp, which is one of the most popular and largest boat ramps with trailer parking to the west end of the Parramatta River, will be closed for up to 3 years from this Friday. That is absolutely abhorrent to provide 2/3 days notice to our local community and other users that this will be closed. No notice provided. Please explain Transport for NSW - we have a very angry community and about 150 boat trailer users who will be extremely unhappy about this.

Please see attached.

I support the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 but have the following concerns/comments:
* The project needs to be immediately funded in full.
* The project needs to commence immediately not just the bridge from Melrose Park to Wentworth Point. The work on other sections should be completed similtaneously so the the full project can be completed as soon as possible. The proposed 2031 completion deadline is completely unacceptable and would leave the (anticipated 25,000 plus) residents of Wentworth Point in gridlock.
* The proposed stop in Wentworth Point should be the original location approximately 200 metres to the north, close to the Sydney Olympic Park Ferry Wharf. The amended first station/stop in Wentworth Point further to the South will compound the current confusion for tourists and visitors. It will also be potentially unsafe for students of Wentworth Point Public and the new High School who are likely to attempt to cross Hill Rd (without any safe crossings) to take the shortest route to school. The proposed stop will also discriminate against ferry passengers seeking to travel to Sydney Olympic Park with a physical disability or mobility issues.

Please see attached letter from the CEO of Scouts NSW (whose name should be the one published)

Hi, I am a Wentworth Point resident in the Sanctuary development and I have various concerns about this project specifically in relation to the Hill Road section in Wentworth Point.

1. Amended route - the new route for the light rail is now going through Sydney Olympic Park parkland which I fear will have extremely adverse affects on the existing biodiversity of the area. Further, the closest stop to the SOP Ferry Wharf is now 7 minutes walk - which is going to cause commuter chaos, with potentially hundreds of commuters each morning (including children) needing to walk along busy roads to get to their next part of their commute, or to get to the school. More needs to be done to find a better route that won't inconvenience commuters and decimate the biodiversity in the area.

2. No acceptable mention of construction worker transportation has been made on the project site. As residents, we cannot reasonably be expected to deal with the repercussions of the removal of street parking spots in a suburb where this is already extremely scarce. There is plenty of parking suitable for workers in Olympic Park, why is it not possible for them to park there and arrange for a shuttle bus to take them to the two Hill Road sites? Further, removing 45 parking spots forever post-project is simply untenable in this suburb. Our suburb is only growing in population, and will likely increase exponentially with the addition of new public transport - why are parking spots being removed instead of added?

3. Once operational, residents cannot be expected to accept 35dbA of noise at all hours of operation - particularly when the light rail will operate from 5AM to 1AM. Better rail technology needs that limits sound and vibration needs to be implemented when the light rail route is going to be passing mere metres away from high density residential buildings.

4. Wire-free rail technology needs to be used to keep in line with Wentworth Point being a completely wire-free suburb to this point.

5. A green track should be used at least for this section of the route - not only will this also help to reduce noise, it will also help to reduce flooding. This is extremely important as Wentworth Point is already a flood-prone suburb, and it appears this project is going to lead to less vegetation in the area.

The RAS supports the project, however please see attached submission detailing a number of issues and concerns that require resolution.

see attached submission

Given the importance of this project the Government needs to fully commit to funding this project and ensure that it commences the same time as the construction of the bridge connecting Melrose Park and Wentworth Point. The rail needs to be on the Parramatta River side of Sanctuary as originally planned to ensure that a transport hub occurs at the Sydney Olympic Park Wharf to connect the Ferry, buses and light rail. I also would like to see Wentworth Point being wire free and the green track be included in the Wentworth Point section the same way as Willowmere and Atkins Road stop. When construction commences there will be a problem with carparking for the workers, given the limited carparking now at Wentworth Point. I would propose that there be carparking spaces provided at Sydney Olympic Park, and a shuttle bus transport the workers to the Hill Road site. Also, I would like to see no work on Sunday and Public holidays as residents need a rest from the noise of construction

Our house is directly opposite Waratah Street in Melrose Park. Even though we are not mentioned as directly impacted by the light rail bridge, we would be greatly impacted not just because of the view but also the noise the light rail would make screeching around the corner right in front of our house.
I herewith would like to voice my objection to bringing the light rail right around the corner from Waratah Street into Wharf Road to then ascend onto the proposed bridge to Wentworth Point.

I would definitely support the light rail bridge to come down the car park leading to the boat ramp as per your indication in the Environmental Impact Report as “Alternate route” and the relocation of the high transmission power tower further west, thus also saving long standing residential dwellings on Wharf Road.

I do support the idea of public transport through these areas, however, the cost of relocating my small business will prove difficult, it is extremely hard to find small sites like this anymore. The relocation cost would be considerable. To find a place, re-establish, pay all the costs involved not to mind the purchase of an equivalent property that would all take a long time to happen. Surely there are better alternative routes that can be better, through all the new units proposed would make more sense.

After reading the proposed submission I would like to voice my comments regarding the design of the track in the Wentworth Point suburb. In particular, due to the extensive green space areas within Wentworth Point, and directly alongside the proposed track route itself, I believe the track throughout Wentworth Point should utilise the permeable green track option as detailed in the proposal. This would be in keeping with the existing environment in which the track is to be constructed, and would ensure that no loss of existing green areas are is made due to the installation of the light rail track. The track is planned to be constructed alongside extensive open green space/parklands throughout the Wentworth Point district and thus would be the ideal location to utilise the green track option.

In addition, Wentworth Point at present has no overhead wires of any form throughout the precinct, and the proposed track should follow suit in this regard and use underground power (similar to the proposed for the Dawn Fraser Ave. track section), rather than overhead wiring, for the powering of the light rail vehicle and plant, to ensure the project is in keeping with the existing appearance and aesthetic of the precinct as a whole.

Finally, due to the very close proximity of the proposed rail route through Wentworth Point to housing (particularly to the Sanctuary development at the northern end) I believe that further efforts should be made to minimise any potential vibration and/or noise generated by the vehicle when interacting with the rail. For example, the track and rail design to be selected should minimise the noise/vibration generated as the current proposal would generate noise figures in excess of the existing limits (especially due to the extended operating hours planned).

The project will bring convenience to the local residents by making the local areas more commuterable.

As the resident who lives in Carter street. I support this project as the SOP and Carter street are lack of public transport to Sydney and Parramatta. The resident needs to transfer via the SOP station. However, it takes roughly 30 mins to from Carter street to Lidcombe station and take another 30 mins to city. Therefore, it is important to have the well design infrastructure in Parramatta light rail stag 2 and Sydney metro west. Both of the infrastructure completed, I believe it can attract more people to living in the surrounding area such as Carter street and Melrose park. Most of employee work in the Sydney CBD and Parramatta that will shorter the commute time in both area.

It is not acceptable to close the Ermington Boat Ramp during this project's completion.
Boat ramps are already in too-short supply, and are a vital part of access to Sydney's greatest resource, the Harbour. Please ensure that either the boat ramp remains open, or that a substitute (and future compliment) is built to serve the community.

Thanks.

NO TO THE NEW PROPOSAL!
It’s not practical, interferes with my property and it effects my local nature reserve environment.

I strongly support the proposed stage 2 of the parramatta light rail. I agree with the proposed route through Wentworth Point which I believe is the most practical and lowest impact option. I strongly support the creation of new public parks and spaces around the metro stops north of the river.

I can’t wait for the new bridge to Melrose Park and bus services to start running. If possible, it would be nice to consolidate the high voltage power lines into the bridge to reduce visual clutter. At the very least, the bridge should include conduits so that it can accomodate relocation of the high voltage power lines when this becomes practical.

I hope the project can be delivered sooner than expected. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

1. Route: Initially the route was going next to the river and connected to the Ferry and Bus transport hub. The new route is going through Sanctuary and SOP parkland with the first stop somewhere around Half Street, very far away from the schools! It will cause too much chaos for both commuters and parents. We would like to stick to the original route.
2. The foot and cyclic path is considered to be 3 meters wide, the standard is 3.6! It's so important to keep the foot and cyclic path for mental health and well being of not only the people living in this suburb but also others who would like to explore the community.
3. Noise and vibration: After operation we will have ground-born noise which will exceed the limits by 35 dBA at certain hours and even above the airborne noise. The tram operation is 5AM to 1AM!! If this is the final route, we all need to demand better rail technology (like CSLER) that would limit the sound and vibration on the rail path. It will be 24/7 lighted.