Shortlisted bidders announced. Operator will be one of Keolis Downer, Transdev or Deutsche Bahn. https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-a ... light-rail

The Submissions Report and Preferred Infrastructure Report have been published: https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public ... Report.pdf

Major changes:

• Prince Alfred Square stop – relocation of the stop and relocation of the alignment further to the east to reduce potential impacts on Prince Alfred Square park.
• Tramway Avenue stop configuration and flood immunity – reconfiguration of the Tramway Avenue stop arrangement from an island platform to a side platform.
• Rosehill Gardens Racecourse pedestrian link – upgrade and extension of existing pedestrian links between Camellia stop and the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse.
• Dundas stop – refinement of the design of the Dundas stop to allow for improved integration with existing heritage structures.
• Carlingford rail line decommissioning – including removal of the existing overhead rail systems and a section of the tracks within the existing Carlingford Line corridor between the proposed Camellia stop and Parramatta Road. Following the completion of works within the corridor, this section of the rail corridor would be returned to the existing land owner (RailCorp) and considered in future transport planning.

So when will the last trains run on the Carlingford line? Sounds like the state are taking the rare opportunity to close a suburban rail branch whilst it appears a transport upgrade is taking place. Sly devils.

mandonov wrote:The Submissions Report and Preferred Infrastructure Report have been published: https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public ... Report.pdf

Major changes:

• Prince Alfred Square stop – relocation of the stop and relocation of the alignment further to the east to reduce potential impacts on Prince Alfred Square park.
• Tramway Avenue stop configuration and flood immunity – reconfiguration of the Tramway Avenue stop arrangement from an island platform to a side platform.
• Rosehill Gardens Racecourse pedestrian link – upgrade and extension of existing pedestrian links between Camellia stop and the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse.
• Dundas stop – refinement of the design of the Dundas stop to allow for improved integration with existing heritage structures.
• Carlingford rail line decommissioning – including removal of the existing overhead rail systems and a section of the tracks within the existing Carlingford Line corridor between the proposed Camellia stop and Parramatta Road. Following the completion of works within the corridor, this section of the rail corridor would be returned to the existing land owner (RailCorp) and considered in future transport planning.

The Carlingford rail line decommissioning and the statement that "this section of the rail corridor would be returned to the existing land owner (Railcorp) and considered in future transport planning", appears to leave open the option of either extending the light rail to Bankstown via Granville or alternatively, constructing a new freight line to the Camellia industrial area on an alignment south of Rosehill Gardens, which had been foreshadowed in earlier planning documents.

Also the Draft Camellia Master Plan gives us an idea of what a southern alignment for Stage 2 will look like:

Announcement of a new pedestrian, cyclist, bus and light rail bridge from Wentworth Point to Melrose Park. Part of Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2.

https://www.facebook.com/7newssydney/vi ... 619385294/

Parramatta Light Rail could be absolutely stupid in not branching off to Rhodes:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the ... 4z8zn.html

Parramatta Council should operate a shuttle bus between OP station, Newington, Wentworth Point and Rhodes to cater for all this development they have approved and are getting developer levies and rates from. A user pays system would be better than tax payer subsidised.

boronia wrote:Parramatta Council should operate a shuttle bus between OP station, Newington, Wentworth Point and Rhodes to cater for all this development they have approved and are getting developer levies and rates from. A user pays system would be better than tax payer subsidised.

Auburn would've "approved" the Wentworth Point development - but that was a State Significant project which they probably had very little say in.

Melrose Park would've been approved by Parramatta.

I was going by this statement in the Herald article:

But the buses – which attract long queues of residents keen to skip a 20-minute walk – may not be around for much longer, if the City of Parramatta Council does not agree to Billbergia’s request for further planning approvals.

Good to see that the project has been been given the go ahead, even if it is the closure of a rail line dressed up as a transport upgrade. Hopefully as suggested this time the project isn't too problematic.

Well at least it will free up a train or two to be distributed across the network

mandonov wrote:Well at least it will free up a train or two to be distributed across the network

More like shut that notorious Parramatta Road level crossing forever! Good riddance!

mandonov wrote:Well at least it will free up a train or two to be distributed across the network

To be withdrawn.

They going to get the street trains (as I call them -due to record setting length) like CSELR is getting?

Swift wrote:They going to get the street trains (as I call them -due to record setting length) like CSELR is getting?

I think the Parramatta Light Rail will be using 45 metre trams. But unlike CSELR, it won't be coupled. There are plenty of 45 metre trams around the world that aren't street trains.

Regardless of the terminology used, it is going to be mega successful once opened and the vulture developers (that's what they are) will cash in.

One consequence will undoubtedly be the end of the Parramatta fare-free shuttle as the tram duplicates much of its route. I can predict that the tram won't have a fare-free zone to replace it, unlike in Melbourne and Adelaide.

NSW government likes collecting its Parking Space Levy, which was originally imposed partly to fund these fare-free circulator services, but unlike the other states that have this levy, NSW channels the money elsewhere, often outside the area in which the tax is collected. So, for example, parking station owners in City Of Sydney funded the Inner West Light Rail extension which does nothing for them, indeed probably takes business away from them. There will end up being a property owners' revolt and the tax will be abolished and with it, not only fare-free services but other public transport improvements as well.

Haha, at least its a cutdown from half hourly or hourly service for the carlingford line to a frequent tram

Hmmm, why wasn't the Carlingford line a tram line first off?
They'd of course, have to use an existing rail corridor for much of a new light rail line instead of building one from scratch along a more useful route. The lazy unimaginative Sydney way of doing things.
It will still be a huge box office draw as the traffic situation in Sydney's suburbs keep deteriorating and residents are desperate for an alternative. Buses don't cut it without priority.

Huh? From when the Carlingford line first opened?

Yeah, why convert it to a tram now when it ran as a railway while Sydney's tram system was around?

Swift wrote:Yeah, why convert it to a tram now when it ran as a railway while Sydney's tram system was around?

Because it was a railway line that was actually integrated to the broader network. Plus also consider the freight traffic carried on the line as well.

I wonder if it was originally proposed to go further and perhaps ultimately join up with another line? This could be an additional factor in being built as a railway from the outset.
Yes, I know plans and priorities change as time goes on, and a tram conversion is probably the best idea now, especially since it has been used purely for commuters for decades now.