Sydney Light Rail takes shape

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian today inspected progress on the Sydney Light Rail project, with more than a third of the track installed and construction now underway on the first of 19 light rail stops from the City to the south east.

“At the start of the year we had 500 metres of track in the ground. As of today we have more than 8000 metres, which is more than a third of the track now in place,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“It is great to see that we have finished installing more than one kilometre of track on Alison Road at Randwick and that work is now underway at the Wansey Road light rail stop which will be the first one completed in the next couple of months.”

Track installation in the Randwick area is an important first step towards the testing and commissioning of the light rail system.

“We are also seeing progress in the CBD, with cars returning to part of George Street near Circular Quay where track has been installed including paving laid between the rails,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Each light rail vehicle will be able to carry up to 450 people, equivalent to up to nine standard buses. With up to 15 light rail vehicles an hour operating in each direction on opening, this gives a capacity of 13,500 passengers per hour. This will mean less congestion on Sydney’s roads and more reliable travel times.

The Premier said: “This demonstrates the NSW Government’s commitment to delivering important transport infrastructure on time and on budget.”

Sydney Light Rail will provide high frequency ‘turn up and go’ transport services from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford from 2019.