“The government sees this as an opportunity to put its money where its mouth is and build more housing,close to transport links,with plenty of green space for new families,” he said.
“This is exactly the type of proposal my government has been talking about over the last six months. The more supply we have,the more we can drive down cost-of-living pressures,whether it’s for renters or those wanting to buy their own home.”
The plan to add a station at Rosehill follows a wide-ranging review of Metro West,which found that the government should target an opening date of 2032 and ensure the project does not preclude extra stops.
The government has also directed Sydney Metro to assess improved bus connections – including rapid buses – to the new Metro stations to broaden their catchments.
Minns cast doubt on Metro West several months ago when he repeatedly refused to rule out scrapping it. While confirming the future of the project,the latest decision fails to give a clear indication of the final shape of the underground line.
Although an extra two stations are now likely to be built west of Olympic Park,the decision also means the inner-city suburb of Zetland,which was frequently cited as a likely stop,has missed out.
The cost of extending the underground line from the Sydney CBD to Zetland had been put at up to $6 billion.
Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan recently told a parliamentary hearing that the cost of a station can range from $500 million to $1 billion.
Experts have also warned that the cost of building extra stations and altering its alignment would add billions of dollars to the project’s existing price tag of $25.3 billion,which under the previous government’s plans comprised nine stations.
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In a series of major housing announcements meant to cap off Labor’s first year in power,the Minns government also confirmed it will create eight major density precincts surrounding transport hubs including the Bays Precinct on the Metro West line,while also snap rezoning 400 metres of land surrounding 31 train stations across Sydney,the Hunter and the Illawarra.
The turf club met several months ago with the team led by former federal transport bureaucrat Mike Mrdak,who was commissioned by the government toscrutinise Sydney’s metro rail projects.
The ATC is part of an alliance of landowners at Rosehill and Camellia,which was formed by developer Billbergia. Members of the alliance own more than 35 hectares of land at Camellia,which neighbours Rosehill.