Residents are growing increasingly concerned over reports the Sydney Metro West line from Parramatta to the Sydney CBD could be significantly delayed or even shelved.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has recently cast severe doubt over the future of the $25 billion Metro West project, citing an “extreme” cost blowout.
Minns said a review into the Sydney Metro program and where it’s going wrong will determine what the NSW Government does with the project, despite construction on the Metro West line starting back in 2020.
The 24-kilometre metro line has stations planned for Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont and Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD.
The original timeline for the project’s completion was 2028, but it has since been pushed back to 2030.
Local resident Bryan Gilfedder said the possibility of the project being delayed further is just “bewildering”.
“If you want population growth in Parramatta, if you want Parramatta to be a true economic and viable hub, you’re going to need more transport connections. It’s just logic,” he told Parra News.
“There are those businesses on Church Street that are complaining of Light Rail delays yet again, it’s hard to make money, I’m sympathetic to that because delays are annoying. Delaying the Metro West for no reason is far worse. It’s more political footballing.”
The Metro West line is designed to cut travel time between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD down to 20 minutes. Business Western Sydney Executive Director, David Borger, has urged the State Government to push ahead with the project.
“It’s imperative that the communities of Parramatta, Olympic Park and Wentworth Point can have confidence that Sydney Metro West will be built in a realistic time frame,” he said.
“Boring machines are already in the ground and on their way from White Bay towards Parramatta. Let’s just get on with it.”
Minns is also facing pressure from within the Labor party to commit to the project, with Federal Member for Parramatta Andrew Charlton saying the Parramatta Metro needs to happen to keep the city’s growth on track.
“Parramatta is right at the heart of greater Sydney, and it’s the gateway to western Sydney. Building the Metro in Parramatta just makes sense,” he said.
“Right now, around 30 per cent of Australia’s top 100 businesses have an office in Parramatta. More recently, we’ve seen national and global companies like Westpac, the ABC and KPMG are open offices here, creating good local jobs.
“But we need the transport infrastructure to make this boom sustainable.”
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.