Stage 2 Frequently Asked Questions

Artist impression of Stage 2 Light Rail at Australia Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park

In June 2022, the NSW Government committed $602.4 million towards enabling works for a vital public and active transport bridge connection across the Parramatta River, connecting the communities of Wentworth Point and Melrose Park. Construction of the bridge is expected to commence in 2024, subject to planning approvals.

A procurement process is underway for the delivery of the enabling works, with leading registered industry organisations invited to submit Expressions of Interest for its delivery earlier this year. The next phase of procurement is a Request for Tender process, which is expected to commence later this year.

Stage 2 project planning and development work continues, with geotechnical and utilities investigations nearing completion. The project continues to engage with the community and stakeholders to inform the planning and development phases of the project.

Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 will connect Stage 1 and the Parramatta CBD to Sydney Olympic Park via Camellia, Ermington, Melrose Park and Wentworth Point.

It will link communities north and south of the Parramatta River directly to the Parramatta CBD; the Camellia Town Centre; the booming sport, entertainment, education and employment hub at Sydney Olympic Park; and the Carter Street precinct.

Major attractions along the alignment include Accor Stadium, Qudos Bank Arena, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, events at Sydney Olympic Park, the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show, Sydney Showground and the future URBNSURF development.

  • 10 kilometres of new light rail track, extending Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 to Sydney Olympic Park
  • 14 fully accessible stops integrated into the urban environment
  • High frequency ‘turn up and go’ services seven days a week from 5am to 1am
  • Services approximately every 7.5 minutes between 7am and 7pm on weekdays
  • Travel times of around 31 minutes from Carter Street precinct to Camellia via Sydney Olympic Park, and a further 7 minutes to the Parramatta CBD
  • Connects to: three transport interchanges on the Stage 1 alignment; the future Sydney Metro West and heavy rail in Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park; and ferry services at Rydalmere and Sydney Olympic Park
  • An 8.5-kilometre active transport link, also known as a walking and bike-riding path, will run parallel to the light rail corridor and link to the existing network
  • A shared light rail and pedestrian zone along Dawn Fraser Avenue in Sydney Olympic Park between Australia Avenue and Olympic Boulevard
  • New light rail and active transport bridges, including vital connections over the Parramatta River from Camellia to Rydalmere and Melrose Park to Wentworth Point.

Construction of Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 is expected to commence in 2024 with enabling works to build a public and active transport bridge across the Parramatta River between Wentworth Point and Melrose Park. This is subject to planning approval.

The NSW Government has committed $602.4 million to commence the delivery of the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 enabling works. The cost of the project will be confirmed once contract(s) are signed to design, build, operate and maintain the light rail network.

In 2017, the NSW Government announced the preferred route for Stage 2 of the Parramatta Light Rail, which included an option to extend east through Camellia before crossing the Parramatta River to Rydalmere.

Following further assessment and engagement, south of the Parramatta River was considered the best option to support the future growth and development of the area, including the proposed Camellia-Rosehill Precinct.

To inform the alignment, there will be ongoing consultation throughout the planning and development phases, as well as the Environmental Impact Statement process. Following this work, the alignment will be finalised through the planning approval stage.

With a project of this scale, it is inevitable that some acquisitions of property will be needed. As with Stage 1 of the project, light rail is designed to fit primarily within existing road corridors, and whole or partial acquisition of property will only occur where alternative options are not feasible.

Transport for NSW’s Personal Relationship Managers have been appointed to work directly with impacted property owners and tenants and will continue to work closely with them as planning progresses.

More information about the property acquisition process is available at nsw.gov.au/housing-and-construction/property-acquisition.

Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 will reduce the need for people to travel by car around the Greater Parramatta and the Olympic Peninsula, which will in turn lower the demand for parking spaces. Around 688 parking spaces will be directly impacted as a result of light rail construction and operations. Of these, around half are currently being utilised during peak periods.

Transport for NSW will work closely with City of Parramatta Council and other key stakeholders on strategies to lessen the impacts on residential parking such as the provision of alternative parking and staged removal of parking spaces.

Following a similar approach used in the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 project, Transport for NSW will implement a small business support program and business activation plan to support impacted businesses along the alignment. These initiatives will provide a framework to support businesses and activate public places before and during the construction of light rail.

Transport for NSW will also appoint dedicated Place Managers to assist affected businesses, serving as a single point of contact through which businesses can obtain project information and discuss impacts.

With a project of this scale, there will inevitably be a loss of some trees to enable the construction and operation of light rail. Based on the current stage of design, an estimated 4000 trees within the project area will be impacted by the project. Transport for NSW will seek to minimise the loss of trees throughout the design and construction phases.

To offset any trees that need to be removed, the project is committed to delivering a strategy to achieve a significant increase in tree canopy across the alignment and surrounding areas. The strategy will be developed in consultation with key landowners, such as City of Parramatta Council and Sydney Olympic Park Authority.

Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 has been designed to minimise impacts on important heritage landmarks and items across the alignment by using existing roads to limit these impacts. However, there will be some impacts on non-Aboriginal heritage and archaeology and potential impacts on Aboriginal heritage throughout construction. Consultation with Aboriginal parties has commenced about Aboriginal heritage and cultural values to identify and mitigate these impacts.

If unexpected heritage items are discovered during construction, the work will stop until a full assessment is undertaken. Where direct impacts to heritage items cannot be avoided, the project’s heritage specialists will salvage, record and preserve them.

Transport for NSW will continue to refine the project’s design to avoid direct impacts on heritage as far as reasonably practicable.

Options are currently being explored to use locally manufactured content for the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 vehicles. While vehicle type and specifications will be determined during the procurement phase, all vehicles will be interoperable between Stage 1 and Stage 2 and comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth).

For indicative purposes, Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 will use 13 CAF Urbos 100 light rail vehicles, which are about 45-metres-long with capacity for up to 400 passengers.

Extensive public consultation was held during the exhibition of the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 Environmental Impact Statement from 9 November to 16 December 2022.

With more than 125 submissions received, the project is preparing a Response to Submissions Report, which is expected to be released later in 2023.

There will be further opportunities for Transport for NSW to engage with the community and stakeholders throughout the project’s development.

If you have any other questions or would like to find out more about the project, please contact us or meet the team.