160 buses off Sydney CBD streets thanks to North West Rail Link
The North West Rail Link will ease bus congestion in the Sydney CBD, removing almost 160 buses from the centre of the city in the morning peak alone, Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian announced today.
And it will mean less congestion on the main Western and Northern rail lines as commuters who live in the North West leave those lines in favour of the new link, she said.
Ms Berejiklian said Transport for NSW data showed the line would see the number of M2 buses coming into the centre of Sydney fall by 66 per cent.
"This is the equivalent of removing a 2.5km long queue of M2 buses from the centre of Sydney thanks to the North West Rail Link," Ms Berejiklian said.
"This heavy rail link will make the journey to work much more reliable for the commuters of the North West but it will also have major flow-on benefits for the rest of the city."
Currently, almost 600 buses come over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and into the CBD during the morning peak – about 100 of these are M2 buses.
"The North West Rail Link will play a crucial role in easing not only bus congestion but congestion on other rail lines, especially the Western Line," Ms Berejiklian said.
"That’s why the North West Rail Link is critical to the bigger picture of a sustainable public transport network for Sydney."
Ms Berejiklian said many of the M2 buses will be re-assigned as part of the integrated transport strategy that will revolve around the North West Rail Link.
"That means a stronger local bus network and more buses taking commuters to the new railway stations on the North West Rail Link, rather than bringing them all the way into the CBD," she said.
Ms Berejiklian said train commuters from Sydney’s west and north would also benefit from the new rail line as it would mean less congestion on their lines.
"Right now, thousands of commuters from the North West drive to stations on the Northern, Western and Richmond lines then catch a train," she said.
"The North West Rail link will change their travel patterns and free up capacity on these lines, improving services for commuters and allowing for future growth.
"The North West Rail Link will see the reduction of the equivalent of more than four train loads in the morning two-hour peak on the Western and Northern lines.
"Within five years of opening, the North West Rail Link is expected to take more than 40,000 passengers a day from the Western, Northern and Richmond rail lines.
"This includes removing more than 10 train loads of commuters from these lines in the morning peak period, substantially reducing crowding and freeing-up capacity for new customers."
12 December 2011
