Western FastRail
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected public transportation infrastructure. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the infrastructure approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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| Western FastRail | |
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|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Mode | Commuter rail proposed |
| Area | Sydney Parramatta Penrith |
| Owner | Yet to be determined |
| Design | |
| 2005 | Line announced |
| Operations | |
| Public transport | | |
Western FastRail is a proposed $2 billion privately funded underground and above-ground train line that would link central Sydney with Western Sydney.
Two 26 kilometre underground will link Sydney (possibly Wynard station or a new nearby station to be built as part of MetroPitt) with Parramatta, with high-speed trains transversing across the distance in eleven minutes at speeds of up to 160 km/h. The line will continue above-ground to Blacktown in six minutes, and onwards to Penrith in a further eleven minutes. Currently on existing CityRail lines these journies take up to three times as long.
Western FastRail is being backed by a consortium lead by union leader Michael Easson, which includes Dutch bank ABN AMRO and Australian construction company Leighton Holdings.
The project has been prompted by congestion on Sydney's westbound trains and roads, the growing importance of Parramatta as a business centre, higher petrol prices, public opposition to tolled roads and environmental concerns. An unreleased government document leaked to The Daily Telegraph suggests that such a train would eliminate the need of around 18 million car trips per year, reducing between 34,000 and 45,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions being injected into the atmosphere.
