Redfern to Chatswood railway line, Sydney

Public transport infrastructure in Sydney
logo=
name=Redfern to Chatswood Rail Link
transport_mode=Commuter rail
"cancelled"
line_owner=Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation
operation_area=North Sydney
Sydney
Willoughby
date_1=2005
event_1=Line announced
date_2=2006
event_2=Corridors identified
date_3=2008
event_3=Project cancelled and partly superseded by the North West MetroThe Redfern to Chatswood Rail Link (RCRL) is the name of one of the routes proposed for a new underground railway line in Sydney's central business district. The line, which is part of the planned North West-CBD-South West link, will start at Redfern Station, travel under the Central Business District, cross under Sydney Harbour, pass through the Northern Sydney suburbs and end at the existing Chatswood railway station. Alternative working plans for the planned route have included the "Redfern to Chatswood Harbour Rail Link", "MetroPitt" and "CBD Rail Link".

The likelihood that the New South Wales government would commit to the RCRL was changed when on 13 September 2007 they announced a proposal for another railway line that would span the harbour, the Anzac Line.Fact|date=September 2007 On 19 March 2008 the State Government announced that the line would be on hold after construction begins on the North West Metro in 2010, its role to be partly superseded by that railway line. [Besser L and Smith A. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/city-catches-fasttracked-metro/2008/03/18/1205602385115.html City catches fast-tracked metro] . Sydney Morning Herald, 19 March 2008.]

Proposal

The proposal was announced by Premier Bob Carr on 15 June 2005 (shortly before his resignation), and forms part of the $8 billion Metropolitan Rail Expansion Project (MREP). The MREP forms part of the New South Wales government's $8 billion North West - CBD - South West line, including the North West Rail Link (to extend from Cheltenham to Rouse Hill), and the spur to Leppington in Sydney's South West. The six kilometre cross-tunnel alone is slated to cost $5 billion. Duplicated tracks will be added on the line between St Leonards and Chatswood.

Currently, southbound commuters heading to work generally alight at either Town Hall or Wynyard stations after crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Both stations and the lines that connect them are considerably crowded and cannot be easily expanded to handle increased capacity. A second railway line transversing Sydney Harbour would ease congestion at both stations, reduce travelling times between the City and North Sydney, and facilitate travel from North Sydney to both the Eastern Suburbs and to the south-west trunk lines.

The RCRL may mean MetroWest is scuttled, the government's previous plan of running a subway line from Haymarket in the city's Chinatown precinct near Darling Harbour, along the western edge of the city under Sussex or Kent Street and either stopping at Wynyard station or crossing the harbour 'strapped' to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This option would not serve the part of the city experiencing the fastest growth of employment, and would have necessitated the destruction of eight office buildings. The previous MetroPitt proposal, travelling further east (and under its namesake Pitt Street) and through the financial district, could also be built deeper underground, limiting the impact on existing infrastructure. However in 2006 the Iemma government hasn't totally ruled out the possibility of using the MetroWest corridor sometime in the future. [Cite web |url=http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/dev/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=59&languageId=1&contentId=457 |title=Iemma Government locks in future city rail corridors |work=Sydney Metropolitan Strategy |publisher=NSW Government - Department of Planning |date=2006-02-18 |accessdate=2007-01-24]

On 18 February 2006 Premier Morris Iemma said that his government had placed planning buffers along the corridors of both the MetroWest and MetroPitt routes in the city centre to secure future accessibility. [Cite news |url=http://www.hillsshiretimes.com.au/article/2006/02/20/91_news_pf.html |title=Rail routes sealed off |work=Hill Shire Times |date=2006-02-20 |accessdate=2007-01-24] Developers who want to excavate deeper than two metres within a 25-metre buffer zone of the corridors will need to seek RailCorp's approval.

A report by the government that states the project will need to connect The Rocks station as soon as possible in order to relieve capacity on Town Hall and Wynyard, and expects the tunnel would be built by 2018. However neither the Carr nor Iemma governments have wanted to publicly announce an expected date of completion, with some commentators like the State Liberal member for Baulkham Hills Wayne Merton doubting the government will follow through with the promise. Previous projects, such as the Parramatta Rail Link have been either curtailed, delayed or cancelled.

tations

In the plan the stations along the RCRL will include: [Cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/revealed-the-harbour-tunnel-to-ease-rail-crisis/2005/06/08/1118123901385.html |title=Revealed: the harbour tunnel to ease rail crisis |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2005-06-09 |accessdate=2007-01-24]

* Redfern
* Central (joining All of Cityrail's Subarban Lines)
* Pitt Street
* Martin Place (joining Eastern Subarbs/Illawarra Lines, West & North West Metro)
* Circular Quay (joining Bankstown, Inner West, South, Airport/East Hills Lines & West Metro)
* Victoria Cross
* Crows Nest
* St Leonards (joining North Shore & Northern Lines)
* Artarmon
* Chatswood (joining North Shore & Northern Line)

A map [Cite web |url=http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/dev/digitalAssets/1621_1143781831174_cbdrail.pdf |title=Protected CBD Rail Corridors Map |work=Sydney Metropolitan Strategy |publisher=NSW Government - Department of Planning |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-01-24] of the protected corridors suggests there may be the potential for another station at Macquarie Place, between The Rocks and Castlereagh Street.

Notes

See also

* SydneyLink

External links

* [http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/dev/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=59&languageId=1&contentId=457 Sydney Metropolitan Strategy, Department of Planning information and map]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/ffxmedia/gr_railpage1.jpgSatellite image of the proposed MetroPitt route, originally prepared by The Sydney Morning Herald]
* [http://www.raillink.nsw.gov.au/SectionIndex.aspx?PageID=33 Rail Link website]