[The Epoch Times, November 14, 2023](Epoch Times reporter Xia Chujun compiled and reported from Sydney, Australia) One prediction states that by 2036, more than 12% of Sydneysiders will live in residential areas within a 10-minute walk of a subway station.
The latest forecasts from the Sydney Metro Corporation show that in 13 years, Sydney’s population is expected to reach 5.75 million. By then, about 774,000 people will live within walking distance of a subway station, and another 1.296 million people will live within a 10-minute walk of a subway station. work within.
Prominent businessman Tony Shepherd, who has been involved in projects such as the Sydney Harbor Tunnel and Lane Cove Tunnel, said the NSW government needs a “50-year plan” to achieve the goals proposed by the famous Australian engineer John Bradfield more than a century ago. Shaping a vision for urban mobility. Bradfield planned the Sydney Harbor Bridge, railway electrification and the design and construction of the city’s circular underpass.
Sheffield said the plan should have started with a direct line connecting Parramatta to Western Sydney Airport, but the Chris Minns government put the brakes on the project after Labor came to power.
“It’s great to have a metro line from the CBD all the way to Parramatta, but now it should continue to be extended to the new airport,” he said.
Currently, passengers traveling from the city to the airport will take the existing train line to St Marys, where they will transfer to the Western Sydney Airport Metro Line.
“Then they have to lug their luggage through the station… What fool would suggest that?” Shepherd said.
Sheffield said the government needed a master plan.
“We don’t expect to do it all in one day, but there is a master plan and it will be refined as we go along,” he said.
“What we learned from Bradfield is that you need a central planning body with a real vision for the future. What we need is a vision for the next 10, 20 and 50 years.”
When asked about a metro extension between Parramatta and the new airport, Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the government wanted to continue rolling out major projects.
“We need to keep pushing forward and there’s still a need for some critical public transport infrastructure in western Sydney because western Sydney continues to grow,” she said.
The new airport line will be opened before the first flights take off in 2026.
Metro West, which connects Parramatta and Sydney’s CBD, could have more stations added to support housing construction and increase footfall on the line, Premier Steve Cumin said.
Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan told parliament the options had been studied but warned the average cost per station would be between $500 million and $1 billion.
Council of Sydney chief executive Eamon Waterford said the government should build a metro line every five years.
“Bradfield’s vision is to make a great train journey accessible to everyone,” he said.
“The lines proposed by Bradfield are on the map and his vision is to make train lines a better place for Sydneysiders.”
Editor in charge: Zong Minqing
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