- New metro to reduce travel times significantly
- Stations to be located close to major interchanges including light rail
- Experts said the move is welcome, and long overdue
Commuting to the CBD has long been the bane of many Sydney-siders, with those living in the outer suburbs losing more than an hour per day getting to and from work.
Sydney locals told The Property Tribune that new stations on the Sydney Metro West line are set to put some smiles back on the face of commuters… or at least reduce a scowl to something less wrinkle-inducing.
The new stations to be completed at Pyrmont and Hunter Street are close to major interchanges, including Wynyard Station and Martin Place.
The project is also expected to delight sports fans travelling from Bondi Junction. Currently, a trip to the Sydney Olympic Park takes some 56 minutes. Sydney Metro Chief Executive Peter Regan said Sydney Metro West will make the journey just 27 minutes.
Ross Grove, the Western Sydney Regional Director for the Property Council NSW told The Property Tribune, it is a long-overdue development.
“Sydney Metro West is part of addressing the east-west transport crisis that has plagued our city for generations. The existing Western Rail Line is the most congested in the southern hemisphere and Western Sydney’s capacity for further growth relies heavily on unlocking this new capacity.”
Ross Grove, Western Sydney Regional Director, Property Council NSW
The new rail line purports to significantly reduce travel times. The NSW Government said a trip from Burwood, which is located some 16 kilometres away from North Sydney, would normally take 32 minutes. With Sydney Metro, this will be reduced to 20 minutes.
Longer journeys from more affordable suburbs like Castle Hill to Pyrmont could be reduced by half an hour.
If successful, it will be a step forward towards providing affordable housing options for CBD working individuals, as housing has become exorbitant in many postcodes around the city.
Inner Sydney’s current asking price for a three-bedroom house is just shy of $2.8 million. Nearby Surry Hills is around $2.3 million, while the less prestigious surroundings of Glebe still fetch an asking price of $2 million.
Inner Sydney (postcode 2000)
[Select part of the chart to zoom in on various years, and ‘reset zoom’ button to return]
Further out, the Hills District, some half an hour by car or about an hour by public transport, tends to fetch around $1.2 million for a three-bedroom house. Similar houses start to resemble something more ‘affordable’ further west, Oxley Park asking prices currently floating around $630,000.
Parramatta (postcode 2150)
Parramatta is also one of the more affordable options, three-bedroom houses are asking just over $1 million.
While faster travel from the outer suburbs may be a boon for some, this may not be the best possible solution. Using cities such as Parramatta as a nucleus of activity could be a better way forward.
Similar to the calls for ’20 minute cities’ The Property Tribune reported on earlier this year, Mr Grove said Sydney needs to move away from the idea that Western Sydney plays second fiddle to the harbour city.
“Going forward there is a need to focus on the creation of 30-minute cities.
Places like Parramatta should no longer be seen as worker dormitories for the eastern city but job centres at the heart of its own population catchment.”
Ross Grove, Western Sydney Regional Director, Property Council NSW
The continued growth of Parramatta as the second city is now truly taking shape, Mr Grove said, “Sydney Metro West is part of the shared vision for delivering the transport, cultural, health and educational infrastructure to shape Parramatta as an attractive centre and one of the country’s hottest office markets.”
