Attention: NSW Caretaker period has commenced

The caretaker period for the NSW Election commenced on 3 March 2023. Accordingly, no Ministerial media releases or related information issued by the Government from this date will be available on this website.

For copies of recently issued Ministerial press releases or information on the election policies of any political party as they relate to this project, please go directly to the website of the relevant political party.

Stage 1 Frequently Asked Questions

Artist's impression of light rail travelling along Macquarie Street

 

Stage 1 of the Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia, with a two-way track spanning 12 kilometres. 

It will connect customers to key areas being transformed by the NSW Government and private investment. This includes the Westmead Health Precinct, Cumberland Precinct, Camellia Town Centre, Telopea Precinct, the redeveloped Arthur Phillip High School; as well as the Western Sydney University campuses at Westmead, Rydalmere and Parramatta.

The Parramatta Light Rail will connect customers to major attractions, including the vibrant Parramatta Square, cafés and restaurants on Church Street, CommBank Stadium, Riverside Theatres, the largest museum in NSW Powerhouse Parramatta and Rosehill Gardens Racecourse.

There will be 16 highly accessible stops; regular services from early morning to late at night, including services every 7.5 minutes from 7am to 7pm on weekdays; integrated NSW Opal card ticketing; as well as modern and comfortable air-conditioned vehicles that can carry up to 300 passengers.

Major construction on the Parramatta Light Rail is almost complete, with 100 per cent of track installed. The team continues to work on road, kerbing, gutter, footpath and landscaping work, as well as the construction of the Stabling and Maintenance Facility at Camellia, which will house the light rail vehicle fleet.

A second phase of work has also commenced to construct the remaining operational assets. These works will involve the installation of light rail stop canopies and infrastructure, power substations, overhead wiring and underground cabling. 

Passenger services are expected to start in 2024. Prior to operations, there will be an extensive testing and commissioning program to ensure the vehicles operate safely on the newly built system, before approval is gained from relevant authorities to commence passenger services.

The Parramatta Light Rail is part of a $2.875 billion program. This budget includes two major contracts to build and operate the light rail, remediation works of the future light rail depot site, road and traffic works and upgrades, new bridges, walking and bike riding paths, urban design, changes to the bus network and project costs since 2015.

The Parramatta Light Rail will use 13 Urbos 100 vehicles developed by CAF, which have been upgraded to incorporate an evolved design based on the fleet performance around the world. These vehicles will provide a modern, fully accessible and comfortable customer experience, with real-time travel information.

Although construction of the walking and bike riding path, also known as the Active Transport Link, is now complete, the project still requires access to the path to facilitate the next phase of work. This includes the installation of the light rail stop canopies and infrastructure, traction power substations, overhead wiring, and underground cabling, as well as testing and commissioning of the new light rail system. It is a priority of Transport for NSW to open the path as soon as possible, while also ensuring the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

Transport for NSW recognises the importance of supporting and managing impacts on business during construction. Dedicated Place Managers continue to engage directly with local businesses along the route to provide information and assistance, and to answer questions about the impacts of construction, such as wayfinding, noise and vibration, and access for deliveries and customers.

This includes responding to preferred work hours and altering construction schedules, where possible, to provide a break in construction during busy meal periods for eateries.

Delivering a major infrastructure project such as the Parramatta Light Rail in an existing environment has resulted in some impacts on parking and trees. Transport for NSW has a Tree Offset Strategy in place, and continues to minimise any loss of parking and trees where possible. Visit parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/trees and parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/parking to find out more.

The Parramatta Light Rail has been designed to minimise impacts on heritage landmarks and items across the Parramatta region, such as using existing road and rail corridors to limit impacts. While there have been some impacts on Aboriginal archaeological sites and non-Aboriginal heritage items, the project is committed to preserving archaeological, environmental, and Aboriginal heritage across the light rail route. 

The project continues to work closely with NSW Government departments and agencies, including Heritage NSW and City of Parramatta Council, and local community organisations, including the Local Aboriginal Land Council and Registered Aboriginal Parties, to ensure important heritage is preserved and maintained. Visit parramattalightrail.nsw.gov.au/heritage to find out more.

The connection from Carlingford to Epping is not part of the current Parramatta Light Rail program. A transport connection between Parramatta and Epping has been identified in the Future Transport 2056 Strategy, the NSW Government's overarching vision for the Sydney transport network. Visit future.transport.nsw.gov.au to find out more.

The NSW Government has committed $602.4 million to Stage 2 of the Parramatta Light Rail for the project's detailed planning process and enabling works for a bridge across Parramatta River between Wentworth Point and Melrose Park. Planning and development work is continuing, including geotechnical and utilities investigations, to progress the development of the project’s Environmental Impact Statement, which will be released for public comment by the end of 2022. There is ongoing community and stakeholder engagement to inform the planning and design phases of the project.