Investing in the future
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne has thrown her support behind a north-south rail link, saying it could free-up road congestion, provide access to more jobs and allow residents a direct link to the new Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek.
“Over the coming decades, an extra 200,000 people will move into the North West Growth Centre, taking its population well above 600,000,” Mayor Byrne said.
“It makes sense to connect the north with the south via a direct rail link before our growing population explodes and the demand for better transport is needed.
“The Hills Shire Council has continued to voice its support for this very important connection and has done so for many years.
“Without easy access via a north-south rail link, hundreds of thousands of residents living in north-west Sydney will miss out on jobs and easy access into the south-west, as well as into the new airport.”
Mayor Byrne said the success of the new airport was dependent on how well it connects to the greater north-west Sydney region.
“I think the airport will fall short of expectation and won’t reach its full potential because it will be too far for north-west Sydney residents to get to,” Mayor Byrne said.
“But if we do have the proper connections in place, including a rail link, workers in Norwest Business Park and residents in the surrounding suburbs could easily jump on a train to the airport where they could then catch a flight to Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide or even into Asia,” Mayor Byrne added.
Mayor Byrne envisaged the north-south link to start at Cudgegong Road Station in Rouse Hill through to Marsden Park, then onto the future Western Sydney Airport. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
