Sydney Metro West - Rail infrastructure, stations, precincts and operations

1. I hope that the Sydney Western Metro will have a good connection with the existing trains and the North West-CBD Metro Line
Connections include walking connections on transfers and connections with waiting time.
The first is the connection on the transfer walk. I checked the location of the Hunter St station in the CBD. I found that it is very far from the barangaroo or Martin Place stations of the metro northwest line. If I want to take the metro northwest line, I can only take the train from Wynyard station first. Then I change to Metro Northwest line in another station, which creates an inconvenience. And there is also still some distance to go from Hunter St Station to Wynyard Railway Station. I hope you can improve the comfort of transfer, such as opening up a special and spacious underground passage and not needing to swipe card to exit the station and then swipe card again to enter the station .

For Parramatta station, I also hope that in the future there will be a fast walk tunnel from the metro station to the train station, preferably within three minutes walking when transferring to each other.

In terms of waiting time, I hope that subways and trains can match the train schedule, so that passengers who need to transfer can get on the train without waiting when they get to the corresponding station.

2. I hope the Western Sydney Metro can have an express service from hunter st to Parramatta
At present, the existing train from central to Parramatta takes 24 minutes at the fastest. If the future metro takes 20 minutes from hunter st to Parramatta, the travel time is not reduced much, so the metro is not in advantage. If the metro can run an express service from hunter st to Parramatta, without stopping in between or only stop at North Strathfield station, reducing the time to less than 15 minutes, it can save time significantly, being much more faster and efficient. So people will be more willing to take the metro.

3. I hope the western Sydney metro construction can be completed as soon as possible
If it is completed and opened in 2030, it is too late, and it will not relieve the traffic pressure in recent years. If the construction progress can be accelerated and opened in 2025-2026, the transportation capacity of public transport in Greater Sydney can be significantly improved, catching up with the development progress of new Greater Parramatta city, making more people willing to move to the west. At the same time, it can relieve Sydney CBD's urban population. The sooner this metro line is completed, the greater its economic benefits and social contribution to the future of Greater Sydney, and the sooner citizens can live a more comfortable life.

Dundas Valley is again being overlooked as far as improved public transport is concerned. The Sydney Metro West project is very welcome, but completely disregards the public transport needs of our area. Single dwellings are rapidly being replaced by duplexes, and our population is growing accordingly. Had the route included Kissing Point Road, there would have been some benefit to our area. The new Dundas & Telopea Stations, the closest to us, are a 20-30 minute walk from our address & will necessitate the use of a car to access the Metro, especially at night & in inclement weather. Accessing Eastwood or West Ryde Stations necessitates catching a bus, one of which runs a limited service, hourly during the week & not at all on weekends (513), or driving to those stations. Continuing to ignore the transport needs of our area is done at the State Government's peril-we are sick of being ignored.

Can you please make the pedestrian crossing at the Hawkesbury Rd / Railway Pde intersection a 4 x way crossing .. stop all vehicles so that pedestrians can cross on the green walk sign from east to west and south to north all at the same time without being run over by turning traffic entering or leaving Railway Pde.

This project needs to be revised, to cut costs and to integrate it with a total transformation of all existing Cityrail services:
See: http://davidthorp.net/transport-plan/sydney-metro-hst

Regarding : Burwood North Metro Station
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Please refer to the following reading:

"“Provisions for over and/or adjacent station development :

Adjacent station development is being considered to the north of the metro station, subject to a separate planning approval including community and stakeholder engagement Spaces that could be used for retail, commercial and/or community facilities are included as part of this proposal. The future fit-out and use of these spaces will be subject to a separate planning approval including community and stakeholder engagement”

Reference-

https://media.caapp.com.au/pdf/nl9hyu/f38c0640-5939-41cc-976c-8faaf1b1eb11/Burwood%20North.pdf


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I reside at the non Concord Oval side of Burton Street Concord. I am concerned about the traffic moving into my street for the Drop off and Kiss and Ride Bays on Burton Street and the possibility and probability of future development across the road from my residence( as per attachment below). My home is heritage listed and I fear for the streetscape and the aesthetics if retail and commercial premises are built across the road from my home.This will impact the integrity of the architecture in my street. There are 7 heritage homes on this block I do not support this as It will impact the streetscape, the value of my property, increased foot traffic in my street, increased motor traffic in my street. There is already increased traffic at peak periods due to the primary school at the end of Burton Street - at times it takes me 15 minutes to enter my driveway as parents snake down the street.I am also concerned about the safety in my neighbourhood with so many people coming and going at all hours. I am concerned with loitering outside my home and increased littering.

I have completed a Master of Design at the University of New South Wales and since then investigated the Spanish/Mission Revival Architecture which can be found at the Roxy Theatre, Parramatta. Primary research for my study includes visits to Spain, Mexico and Southern California. My focus is the proposed Civic Link between Macquarie Street and George Street and immediately adjacent to the Roxy Theatre on the western side. In my opinion this development provides an opportunity to have sympathetic landscaping and features for community enjoyment. I would like to see trees along the boundary to ameliorate the plain side of the theatre. There is also the possibility of including seating and perhaps a fountain on the same alignment in the Spanish Revival/Mission style. Apart from that I support the Sydney Metro project.

Dear DPIE,
This project (ie. Sydney Metro West - Rail infrastructure, stations, precincts and operations) is directly dictating the future urban options and layouts of future precincts like the draft Bays West Precinct Stage 1. Therefore, no above ground building plans should be set in stone while those Precinct plans are still being developed.

In terms of The Bays Metro Station, there should be maximised active transport connections to the site from all surrounding directions - including the excellent suggestions to re-open the Glebe Island Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists (as well as potential light rail as hinted at in Future Transport 2056 as an 'initiative for investigation') and also the potential for a new footbridge across Rozelle Bay connecting Glebe with Rozelle Bay Marina and the Metro. The latter of these two is very important for providing a rail connection to Glebe that would then only be a few hundred metres from the Bays Station. Balmain and Rozelle should have the easiest possible bicycle connections into the Bays Metro site, taking into account the narrow width of existing roads and gradients, this should be planned in collaboration with Council - looking at the White Bay wharves as a rapid and safe, off-road option linking the deeper parts of the Balmain Peninsula with the service. The future is bright for electric vehicles including e-scooters and e-bikes. For this reason, separated cycle lanes should be provided on all arterials approaching the area, and a footbridge should be re-instated across Victoria Road to replace that which was lost during the creation of the Rozelle Interchange. People should not have to descend into the Rozelle Parklands and walk indirect paths and strenuous gradients just to cross this busy road to catch a bus service. If you want to avoid high-risk jay-walking, you will see fit to replace the footbridge once lost. My suggestion would be to build a new footbridge, 3m wide, either off the elevated cul de sac of Throsby Street over to the main Power Station building, with a ramp down to the bus stop on that side - or alternatively, a t-shaped footbridge emerging off Quirk Street through the giant figs over to Robert Street, which it could also provide a safe crossing for between the north and south corners. This would knock out a lot of gradients for cyclists trying to navigate Victoria Road onto the Anzac Bridge and vice versa.

I am not in favour of the apparent 'substation' suggested for the entrance to the precinct next to the Victoria Road underpass - this should be placed somewhere less public and if it can't be - it should be built and hidden beneath a green roof that is publicly accessible, providing a gentle walk down to the White Bay Power Station and Metro from Victoria Road - perhaps this would be an ideal place for an elevator. I think also that an elevator may be a good option to link Lilyfield Road with the underpass from the cliff face pocket park next to 6 Lilyfield Road - this could also have a large number of bike racks attached with 24hr surveillance cameras to encourage people to ride to the site before catching public transport. The stairs at the southern end of Quirk Street should become an extension of the ramp that links with Throsby Street from the Victoria Road bus stop - this is a question of equity for those using wheeled transport and would be a simple addition to get rid of the stairs and improve safety for vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists up into Rozelle. Trees should be grown in advance of urban structures.

On approach from Jacksons Landing (Pyrmont), the White Bay Memorial at Glebe Island to the US forces who unloaded their personnel and armaments there in WWII, this is a significant landmark and should be protected as such, much like the ANZAC soldiers on the bridge above - thus far, I've never seen it promoted in discussions around the Bays Precinct. There should not only be a generous and safe tree-lined walk to the Metro site from the Glebe Island Bridge - there should also be a separated cycleway. I also think there should be an underpass tunnel bored beneath the City West Link coming off the ANZAC bridge, that would allow for very direct access to the Bays Metro from the potential active bridge across Rozelle Bay from Glebe Point Road (as suggested by Terroir design on the Bays West Place Strategy for 2040). This bridge, I would encourage you to have in place by 2030. The largest private motor yachts at the Rozelle Bay Marina could still moor to the north of it, the smaller ones could moor deeper to the south and pass under it to reach Sydney Harbour.

I believe there should also be a footbridge from the Bald Rock cliff (Mansfield Street) across Robert Street and if possible over water to Glebe Island Bridge to promote direct, safe and appealing access into The Bays from Balmain/Rozelle that doesn't force residents to cross busy trafficked roads. The emphasis on bus routes is not ideal, the regional connector to the Metro within the precinct should be a light rail extension from existing the Inner West Light Rail which was suggested in the Eastern City District Plan, Infrastructure NSW's State Infrastructure Strategy and Future Transport 2056, all released in 2018. That's what this precinct deserves by way of place-making, buses should be kept out of the new Power Station Precinct entirely, along with taxis and private vehicles - minimising the need for busy roads and maximising the uptake of active and public transport (rail). A light rail extension from the Rozelle Bay stop will provide both efficient and elegant transfers to Metro from the broader Inner West catchment - not just those within walking or a confident riding distance of White Bay. This is needed, you have only provided only ONE station for the entire Inner West LGA, it sits in a somewhat isolated pocket of that LGA - and that will not prove transformative for commuters. If you are now refusing to extend light rail, the Metro alignment should be alter slightly and brought closer to the Leichhardt North stop, which could serve as a rapid transfer point were ONE additional Metro Station built in West Lilyfield. This could hold broader regional appeal for getting people out of cars on the City West Link (see attached maps)... If a Lilyfield Metro Station is not possible, please reserve a corridor NOW for a light rail extension into the Bays as forecast for investigation in 2056 - the Balmain Peninsula would greatly appreciate this for reaching the rest of their LGA car-free, as your Metro does not allow for this and Rozelle Bay is too far away on the others side of Victoria Road and the CityWest Link. Any light rail extension into the Bays that transfers passengers to the Metro (for faster commutes to not only Sydney CBD but also to Parramatta) should also service the broader Balmain Peninsula. The best way to do this, is to take its passage up White Bay and allow it to be reached from the central Village Green of Gladstone Park, this could also help people reach the Cruise Terminal. Ideally, I would ask you to deal with gradients and other issues by allowing an elevated 'green roof' AFL pitch to be built over enclosed port facilities next to Birrung Park. This would make Balmain happy as it would expand public green space to the foreshore, with an opportunity to walk down a gentler gradient to reach the Metro and Power Station. A light rail extension from Rozelle Bay could wrap around this AFL pitch, climb the gradient from the wharves to drop passengers at the height of Donnelly Street, before heading back south and across to Glebe Island Bridge. Passengers dropped at Donnelly could then access a short pedestrian tunnel (100m) to the empty Water Tank beneath Gladstone Park, which could serve as an gateway to Darling Street. From there, they could access the rest of the peninsula on foot or by bicycle (see proposal attached for this concept). Balmain needs this, but the ramp to bring light rail into Balmain could also serve to bring the population of the peninsula down to the Metro without any car-dependence necessary, as all buses in Balmain stop at Gladstone Park - it's an integrated solution that will forever integrate the broader peninsula with The Bays, while also ensuring port lands aren't compromised.

As stated at the start, I don't believe the above ground structures of this Metro Station at White Bay should be a fore-gone conclusion. I'm concerned they'll prove invasive to view lines of the Harbour Bridge from Victoria Road and that won't encourage interest in the precinct. Please just build the Metro under ground (with pedestrian tunnel to Rozelle Bay Marina by 2030) and allow the above ground structures to be decided by the broader draft Bays West Plan - Stage 1. Sydney Metro should not be imposing itself on the above ground precinct first. Again, reserve a mass transit corridor from Rozelle Bay light rail stop to the Bays as part of your rail infrastructure,
stations, precincts and operations - which is in accordance with the 2018 strategy to investigate a potential light rail extension to The Bays, which would also link with Pyrmont. Please have any extension serve central Balmain (ie. links to Gladstone Park). Finally, The Bays Metro Station site really should have the greatest number of end-of-trip facilities, cycle lock-ups, surveilenced bike mechanics cycling hub/cafes to encourage those who wish to access the Metro from further afield but don't wish to drive. Please cut back on emphasising big the new roads that snake around your station - this should be a place-making precinct, not a road. Heavy vehicles from Glebe Island to the Cruise Terminal should be using a road bridge across White Bay, with the forecourt waterway reserved for recreation - much like the 'Brisbane Beach' at Brisbane's South Bank development.
With thanks,
Nathan English