East Sydney trams to be implemented long-term

Despite being overlooked in NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s announcement last December of an expanded light rail network, local politicians maintain the service will be implemented in the eastern suburbs and extend as far as Bondi Beach.

Waverley Mayor Sally Betts, Vaucluse MP Gabrielle Upton and Coogee MP Bruce Notley-Smith were united in the belief light rail is a high priority item.

The trio, all Liberal Party politicians, are pushing the State Government to consider light rail for east Sydney and believe it will inevitably be implemented. Ms Betts was emphatic that east Sydney will have a light rail corridor.

“Light rail is a major item on our agenda. We are very supportive of light rail and there will be light rail to the Bondi Beach. I have started working [on this] with the State Government some years ago,” she said.

Ms Betts said there would be a community consultation on light rail later this year should a technical study of the feasibility of light rail be successful.

“We will go to community consultation some time this year. We are just working on technical stuff,” she said.

NSW Minister for Transport, Gladys Berejiklian did not rule out the possibility of light rail extending as far as Bondi, but said the State Government is focused on current plans. Ms Berejiklian said the State Government is focusing on the recently announced Sydney CBD to Randwick light rail corridor.

“In December 2012 the NSW Government announced the CBD and South-East corridor to UNSW light rail project which will provide transport benefits for passengers,” she said.

Ms Berejiklian highlighted the State Government’s “Long-Term Transport Master Plan”, which suggests on page 20 that east Sydney have a light rail line extending to Bondi.

“The Long Term Transport Master Plan outlines how the eastern suburbs will be served by several priority bus corridors linking it to other strategic centres,” she said.

Ms Upton and Mr Notley-Smith were not as optimistic about light rail being implemented as soon as Ms Betts suggested, but said it was a long-term proposition.

“This is something that is going to happen down the track. We have constantly been suggesting it to the Minister [Berejiklian] and it will probably happen once current projects are dealt with,” said Ms Upton.

“I have also been working with councillors to get plans started for light rail in the east.”

Mr Notley-Smith said light rail in the Eastern Suburbs is a logical extension of the current CBD to Randwick corridor, announced in December.

“There are no firm plans at this time but this [new CBD corridor] is the start of an expanded light rail network across the east,” he said.