Sydney and Randwick councils team up for light rail extension – and welcome backing of Infrastructure NSW boss

1 July 2011

Two major Sydney councils will work together to support an extension to Sydney's light rail system, easing gridlocked streets and improving public transport in Australia's only global city.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP and Randwick Mayor Murray Matson have agreed to join forces to support the extension of light rail into the CBD and into Sydney's eastern suburbs, with the City of Sydney and Randwick City to formalise their cooperation through an official Memorandum of Understanding.

Ms Moore and Mr Matson have also welcomed the backing of the new head of Infrastructure NSW, Mr Paul Broad, for the extension of light rail into the CBD and into Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Mr Broad, appointed by the O'Farrell State Government to plan Sydney's future transport infrastructure needs, said he supported the light rail extension in today's Sydney Morning Herald:

"Mr Broad said he supported expanding Sydney's light rail network into the CBD and the eastern suburbs. ''I do think that is classic low-hanging fruit.''."

- Sydney Morning Herald, p1, June 30, 2011

The City of Sydney and Randwick Council both support a light rail link along George Street and Hickson Road to relieve the heavily congested Sydney CBD and light rail to Sydney's east to support the flourishing education and health precinct around the University of NSW.

Ms Moore said that to get transport right in Sydney, we need to work together.

"Travel time, unreliability, fuel costs and air pollution associated with congestion cost Sydney $4.6 billion in 2009, and that will rise to $8 billion by 2020. Without investment in transport infrastructure, Sydney's CBD will grind to a halt," the Lord Mayor said.

"Up to 80,000 people drive to events at the Moore Park sport grounds and Randwick Racecourse on the weekend, shutting down parts of the city for hours at a time - a light rail to the eastern suburbs would relieve the pressure, and help staff and students get to the hospitals, and students to UNSW."

Randwick Mayor Murray Matson welcomed the Lord Mayor's support saying it was vital to work together to improve Sydney's transport.

"Any extension to Sydney's light rail network needs to be integrated. It would be logical to plan the Sydney City Centre rail link at the same time as the Randwick extension to link them and minimise the need for passengers to change.

"Sydney's east has for some time been the ugly duckling of public transport," Mayor Matson said.

"Hundreds of thousands of people visit Randwick City every day to work, study and shop.

"There are four major hospitals, the University of NSW, Centennial Park and Moore Park, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Randwick TAFE, Fox Studios, Sydney Cricket Ground, NIDA and the Sydney Football Stadium all supported solely by buses. And UNSW remains the only Sydney university to lack any rail transport," Mayor Matson said.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Lord Mayor Clover Moore:

Shehana Teixeira 0418 238 373

steixeira@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

City of Sydney media:

Leanne Lincoln 9265 9910

llincoln@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Randwick Council media:

Josh Hay 0402 351 459

joshua.hay@randwick.nsw.gov.au