The North West Rail Link: Winners and losers in the locality of the north west area

Abstract

The appraisal of large scale transport infrastructure projects by governments tends to focus on the costs and benefits to society as a whole or to broad communities affected by the project. In so doing, it is often believed by members of these communities that the greatest benefits of a scheme are likely to accrue in the immediate environs of the project. This paper examines one specific project (the NSW State Government’s proposed North West Rail Link in Metropolitan Sydney) to examine how this project impacts on different spatial areas in the environs of the project in terms of travel times and fares. Following the election of a new state government in 2011, an extension of the CityRail network into the Hills District of Sydney was announced. Known as the North-West Rail Line (NWRL), it will link Epping to Cudgegong Road beyond Rouse Hill. The project will provide rail access for the first time from the centre of the growing North West region to major employment centres in the North-West and to major centres located between the North-west and Sydney CBD. Currently there are a number of public transport options available for travel to the CBD of Sydney, the most popular being a service that operates from various locations in the NW Hills area and connects directly onto the M2 toll road; with a substantial amount of bus lane priority along its routes into the CBD of Sydney. The available information suggests existing bus services will be re-directed to the NWRL. This paper examines changes in door to door travel times for different spatial areas in the environs of the proposed new line, comparing existing services with services directed via the NWRL. The paper concludes that there are winners and losers thus challenging the belief that communities close to new infrastructure are the main beneficiaries.