Southern Sydney to CBD public transport enhancement
The Green Square precinct is a fast growing part of southern Sydney. The existing transport network between the Sydney CBD and the area south towards Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport lacks the capacity to effectively handle prospective population and jobs growth. The population of the Green Square Precinct is projected to grow from 33,000 in 2016 to 61,000 in 2036, with jobs in the precinct projected to grow from 21,000 in 2021 to around 24,000 in 2026.
The 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit identified existing rail and bus links from the Green Square precinct to the Sydney CBD will be significantly more crowded due to this growth. While Green Square has a railway station on its western side and its own town centre, the north and east of the precinct, including Zetland, is not directly served by rapid public transport.
Due to road congestion, bus transport to the Sydney CBD from Green Square is slow and unreliable and growth in bus transport to service a larger population will add to congestion.
With Green Square abutting the Sydney Airport precinct and close to the Port Botany precinct (which together generate more than $10 billion per year in economic activity), there is also an opportunity to grow commercial activity, facilitated by reliable, rapid public transport.
A high-capacity rapid transport link, incorporating new technology, would provide significant additional capacity between the Sydney CBD and the Green Square Precinct.
The NSW Government’s South East Sydney Transport Strategy provides a blueprint for the long-term development of the transport network to support Green Square. This Strategy recommends Rapid Bus Lines connecting Green Square to surrounding centres with services, education facilities and jobs, and improved cycling and pedestrian links to support local access and better places. It also outlines a potential Sydney Metro West extension to Sydney’s south east, including a future station at Zetland.
This proposal is at Stage 2 (identification and analysis of options) of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework. The NSW Government is undertaking strategic corridor definition work for a south east extension of Sydney Metro West, including the consideration of a future station at Zetland. This will inform a future Stage 3 business case for the proposal.
The NSW Government is also working closely with the City of Sydney to implement cycling and pedestrian links as well as the proposed Rapid Bus Lines. The NSW Government is delivering the More Trains, More Services program, including capacity improvements for Green Square.
Refer to Infrastructure Glossary for terms and definitions.