Comment | The Parramatta Light Rail is more than a shiny new toy

Tram along the new L4 route | Parramatta Light Rail

It seems this year has been awash with major transport developments for Greater Sydney.

From the metro that has captivated Sydneysiders to the long-awaited arrival of the Mariyung intercity fleet and to the first test flight at the much-anticipated Western Sydney international airport.

There is also much to be displeased about with the failure of the government and the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) to negotiate in good faith, dragging even the world’s largest New Year’s Eve fireworks display into the dispute. Indeed, the callous refusal of the government to provide equitable pay rises and implement 24-hour train services and the adamancy of the union for staff to be present on driverless metro trains and fortnightly threats to shut down their ‘toy train set’ have soured the reputation and tanked the reliability of the city’s public transport.

Commuters, tired of being pawns in a match between a union and a Labor government, were unexpectedly informed, with two days’ notice, about the opening of Stage 1 of the Parramatta light rail project, the L4 line from Westmead to Carlingford.

A decade-long journey

The concept of a light rail network for Western Sydney was first investigated by Parramatta City Council and the O’Farrell Government in 2013. With a goal to accommodate expected growth in the second CBD as well as encourage urban renewal, the light rail was designed to connect key precincts centring around Parramatta.

Major construction on the project began in 2020, focusing on the 12-kilometre corridor with 16 stops. The route linked several high-demand areas, including the Westmead Health Precinct, Parramatta CBD, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, and the growing residential and commercial hub of Camellia.

The L4 project involved extensive preparatory work to accommodate the integration of light rail infrastructure into busy urban settings. Major undertakings included widening roads, laying over 30 kilometres of rail, and installing state-of-the-art signalling systems. Special consideration was given to retaining the historic charm of Parramatta by preserving key heritage sites and ensuring minimal disruption to the local community.

To complement the light rail’s introduction, dedicated pedestrian zones, widened footpaths, and urban landscaping work were implemented. The route’s green track, a novel planting of grass and vegetation in the track bed, helped to mitigate heat, especially near stations and busy footpaths.

Rolling stock

Controversially, a 7-segment version of the CAF Urbos 100, also in operation on the L1 and Newcastle Light Rail lines, was ordered. This tram uses two power systems; a traditional overhead catenary and a ground-based wire-free section, much like the L2/L3 lines in the Sydney CBD. The wire-free section operates on proprietary technology, which could potentially make tendering for new or replacement vehicles uncompetitive in the future. The carriages, built to accommodate 300 passengers each, include advanced features such as low floors for accessibility, air conditioning, and real-time travel information displays. Services are expected to run every 9 minutes (up from the planned 7.5 minutes) during peak times, providing a new travel option for tens of thousands of daily commuters.

Challenges

The construction process faced its fair share of hurdles. Unexpected utility relocations and delays in land acquisitions extended the project timeline and disruptions to local businesses caused frustration among residents, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and 2022’s record rainfall. In the middle of this year, the project was hit with further issues that delayed its accreditation by the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, until the past week.

The light rail’s introduction will trigger changes to bus routes, with services restructured around light rail stops. The popular and frequent 900 free shuttle will be axed, as part of the changes taking effect early next year. While these adjustments aim to streamline the network, lessons should be drawn from the cancellation of bus routes around the Eastern Suburbs light rail, where peak hour commutes became unnecessarily slow and inconvenient for some.

The future

The light rail’s journey is not over yet, with this year’s budget including a $2.1 billion funding commitment for Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 to connect Parramatta with Olympic Park via Rydalmere, Melrose Park and Ermington.

The planned alignment would involve building a brand new bridge over the Parramatta River from Melrose Park to Wentworth Point, an expensive and highly complex undertaking that has not been attempted in the past few decades.

But Transport Minister Jo Haylen on Friday summed up the significance of this week’s opening, saying it ‘is the public transport network Western Sydney has been waiting for and will provide economic and social benefits for years to come’.

Now as Western Sydney embraces the first stage of its shiny new light rail, for the larger projects to come, its appetite can only grow.

Joshua Chan is a Transport writer at @nswpol.