Hills Rail Link

One of the new measures the Federal Government has initiated is to form a body called Infrastructure Australia, which will now commence a year long review of national infrastructure projects and then fund the most important projects.

The budget has set aside $20 billion in an infrastructure fund to tackle urban congestion and planning for the transport infrastructure for the “neediest areas of Australia”.

From all of the data at hand it is clear that there is no place in Sydney which is in greater need of transport infrastructure than our electorate of Mitchell.

So whilst the most recent re-announcement of the North West Rail Line (repackaged as the North West Metro Line), was met with severe scepticism locally, there is now a chance that the Federal Government will fund transport infrastructure in Mitchell.

It is a proposition we must argue strongly for, as a united community, in the coming year.

At this stage the Federal Government is funding a feasibility study for a Western Metro Line which will duplicate the existing heavy rail from Parramatta to the city.  It provides a second transport option for those in the inner west, whilst families in the North West of Sydney are left with no means of transport, expensive tolls to and from the city, and hours of lost time in transit.

Considering 70% of the households in Mitchell have 2 or more cars compared with just 20% of the inner city, where this proposed line will run, it will be a poor decision to build the Western Metro in place of the Northwest Metro.

In coming months I will be working to put pressure on the Government to fund our NorthWest metro line before they duplicate existing heavy rail from Parramatta to the city. If you have any ideas to assist with our argument for Federal funding from the Infrastructure fund, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Please join me on my facebook group page and invite all your friends!