Light
Rail in the City UPDATE
There
has been much discussion in the media about bringing trams back
to the inner city of Sydney. The prospect is an exciting one.
Trams offer commuters, residents and visitors a clean, green, easy,
pleasant and efficient way to travel the City.
Why
trams in Sydney's CBD?
Sydney's
CBD traffic is currently unworkable, there is gridlock everyday
at peak hour, and polution is becoming increasingly worse. The number
of people living and working in the City will only increase.
Trams
can easily move large numbers of people very quickly and provide
green, pollution free transport.
The planned
inner city network will feature 13 state-of-the-art trams able to
carry 200 passengers each, which is the equvalent of 52 buses.
Running
from 6.00am until midnight every day, trams would run every 2.5
minutes in peak hours.
With a
new high quality interchange between buses and trams at Central
Station as well as joint ticketing with buses and trains, there
will be a seamless interchange between modes of transport.
It is
estimated about 40,000 people will use the tram every day.
Where
will the trams go?
Following extensive studies
and consultation, two options for extension of light rail network
from Central Station to Circular Quay have been put forward, via
George Street or Castlereagh Street. We believe that the George
Street route is the better option.
What about the
cars & buses?
Private
cars will not be affected and will continue to run down George Street.
A tram
can move four times as many people as a bus, in a much shorter time
so trams would replace some of the buses that run between Circular
Quay from Central reducing the traffic congestion.
Some
buses will terminate at Central Station and some at the Queen Victoria
Building. Buses will continue to run down other streets but most
will not continue in George Street all the way to the Quay.
When
will it happen?
Metro Transport Sydney submitted
its proposal to extend the current light rail network from Central
Station to Circular Quay to the Department of Infrastructure, Planning
and Natural Resources (DIPNR) and we are waiting approval for the
next step. The construction will take 18 months but will be done
in stages, block by block one side of the road at a time causing
little disruption and no inconvenience.
How
much will it cost to ride the tram?
A single fare within the
CBD will be $2.
How
long will it take to get from Central to Circular Quay?
It will take less than 15 minutes including stops, considerably
less time than a bus in peak hour.
Will
trams only be in the CBD and Inner West?
We see
the extension of the current light rail service from Central to
the Circular Quay as the beginning of a comprehensive inner city
light rail system which could ultimately service Bondi, Uni of NSW
and Green Square as well as Leichhardt, Balmain and Parramatta Road (see PDF map of extension options).
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