At a time Sydney residents found their sky turned blood orange from a rare city dust storm and there are no doubt more worrying climate changes to come, a leading Sydney transport planner is suggesting the most radical and comprehensive plan for the city’s public transport in almost a century.

Senior Lecturer Dr Garry Glazebrook from Sydney’s University of Sydney (School of the Built Environment)  has presented a 30-year plan for Sydney’s public transport, raising issues that will sound awfully familiar to our ears.
As a mere tourist, I’ve always been impressed with Sydney’s train service – despite train delays, it feels Sydney does have a reasonable train and bus service including rail links to the airport.
But Glazebrook says there have been many ideas floated about over many years but confusion over public transport planning and funding in Sydney and the failure to invest sufficiently has seen Sydney fall behind other Australian and world cities in its public transport performance.

In the last decade, public transport patronage has grown by 30-40% in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, but only 5% in Sydney.
Effects of the under funding include the under-utilisation of the airport line (due to inappropriate pricing policies); the virtual abandonment of the Y- link at Parramatta (because of lack of rolling stock and operating budget); the failure to design the Olympic Park rail loop as part of a longer term link between Parramatta and Strathfield; and the failure to rationalise and integrate fare structures before attempting to introduce integrated ticketing technology. (Ohh.. where have we heard that before? Can you remind me, James?!)

He proposes an extensive system of new, mostly underground, Metro trains in his plan costing an estimated A$40b, averaging $1.4 b a year on top of the state’s present expenditure of $3.2 b a year.

That would mean public transport would be reasonably accessible for virtually everyone in Sydney. He points out that cities like Singapore and Hong Kong have pursued long-term transport plans over many decades, steadily building integrated and well-designed networks.

In the last few months there have been new proposals for rail in Sydney, including a “mini-metro” from Central to Rozelle, a Western Metro between Sydney and Parramatta, and a plan to introduce metro-style trains onto the existing heavy rail network.

His examination of the current rail system for Sydney found that, contrary to popular belief, there is substantial spare capacity on the track infrastructure. Indeed there is the potential to increase the number of peak hour trains into the CBD by 25% with minimal additional infrastructure investment.  Other measures are also considered needed to improve the efficiency, speed and effectiveness of the rail system, including extension of park and ride, acceleration of timetables, and further improvements to reliability and on-time running.

Here’s his plan:
Making the most of what Sydney has by:

• Providing a detailed operations plan to increase the number of peak trains using the existing Cityrail network, by 25% to the CBD and 36% overall.
• Accelerating rail services by an average of at least 5%, and increasing reliability by dividing the network into separate sectors.
• Utilising the capacity inherent in the light rail network.
• Developing a “Double Cobweb” Network over the next thirty years by:
• Constructing a new metro network for Sydney with five new lines:

o West Metro (Parramatta – CBD via Strathfield)
o NW Metro (Epping – Rouse Hill)
o NE Metro (N Sydney – Dee Why)
o SE Metro (Central – Maroubra)
o Parramatta – Epping Metro
These lines are supported by a “Macquarie Metro” from Central to Epping, created by building a CBD metro from Central to Wynyard using the metro west alignment, and by converting the existing heavy rail line from Wynyard to Chatswood for metro operation.

• Building a new “Fast North Shore” heavy rail link from Wynyard to Chatswood, utilising the eastern lanes of the Harbour Bridge. This will improve travel times from the north and maximise the potential of the heavyrail network to handle traffic from the SW rail link, as well as future high speed rail links to Canberra and Newcastle. Other remaining Clearways Projects (especially Cronulla and Richmond line upgrades) are to becompleted.
• Creating light rail networks based in the CBD and serving the inner western, southern and eastern suburbs, plus a secondary network serving Parramatta.
• Adding a network of six ring routes (based on buses) to provide improved circumferential travel options.

Improving Service Quality by:

• Providing high frequency services across the strategic network (in general at least six services per hour in peaks and four off-peak).
• Adopting rollingstock design standards to take advantage of new technology and to ensure comfort is not sacrificed for capacity.
• Developing a seamless multimodal system through integrated fares and fare collection, real-time information, well-designed interchanges and a single marketing plan and image, similar to “Transport for London”.

Maximising Cost Effectiveness and Strategic Benefits by:

• Using the most appropriate mode for specific tasks
• Avoiding underwater crossings of the Harbour or Parramatta River, saving up to $6 billion
• Catering for freight, intercity and high speed trains
• Retaining the “Metro Pitt” alignment under the city for very long-term rail expansion needs.

For bedtime reading, you can read it in full here
Thankfully, his plan has triggered a healthy and important public and political debate in Sydney.

The Australian Greens’ publication, the Green Left Weekly, today welcomed the report but suggested there would be problems in integrating metro and heavy rail .

And the author worries that the NSW government wants to outsource commuter rail at every level, giving private interests almost complete control of the project. The government’s agenda in advancing the metro system may also provide a tool to smash the influential Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), which covers rail workers and government bus drivers.“The experience shows privatisation is a recipe for failure. “

Here in NZ we can confirm that.

At least Sydney’s now having a lively debate about improving public transport in an era of global warming.
Now: How do we fire up car-crazy Aucklanders to participate in something similar?