Transport in Sydney in the 2010s
The incumbent NSW Labor government's management of public transport was perceived as poor and a succession of infrastructure projects that were announced and then abandoned proved politically damaging.
[8] As part of the 2011 reforms that established Transport for NSW, Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) was created as a new agency of the New South Wales Government.
The number of fare bands was reduced, which provided some commuters with substantial price cuts for public transport.
Like the previous ticketing range, MyZone used the existing magnetic-stripe Automated Fare Collection system on trains, government buses and ferries.
Private bus services and the light rail required manual checking or validation of the ticket by the driver or conductor.
The New South Wales Government pledged $77 million in funding to evaluate the design and construction feasibility of the project.
[18] The NSW Government announced $6 million for planning the Western Sydney Airport Motorway as part of the 2014–2015 State Budget.
[24][25] At the start of the decade, Sydney's suburban passenger rail network was owned by RailCorp and operated under its CityRail brand.
[39][40] The railway was integrated with the T2 Inner West & South Line in December 2015, replacing the initial shuttle service between Leppington and Liverpool.
[42] These changes mean the section of the network between Glenfield and Macarthur is served exclusively by services operating via the East Hills railway line.
It runs parallel to the Main South line and was constructed to avoid a curfew for freight trains that restricts them from operating in the suburban area during peak hours.
A third track between Epping and Thornleigh provides an additional overtaking opportunity for northbound trains on this steeply graded section.
In October 2008, the NSW Government announced that the North West Metro would be indefinitely deferred due to budgetary cuts.
[45] In February 2010, two and a half months after Kristina Keneally had become Premier, the NSW Government revealed the cancellation of the entire Sydney Metro project in its Metropolitan Transport Plan[46][47] and returned to the North West Rail Link main line rail proposal.
The decision to build the line as a metro meant passengers travelling to and from the Sydney central business district are required to change trains at Chatswood.
A rail link to the Western Sydney Airport was announced by the New South Wales and Australian governments in March 2018.
The private owner, Sydney Light Rail Company, was awarded a 30.5-year concession, allowing it to operate the line until February 2028, when ownership would pass to the New South Wales Government.
[67] The contract gave the company significant control over the commercial arrangements relating to future extensions or interconnecting lines.
[68] The government purchased the company in March 2012, removing the contractual restrictions on expanding the light rail network.
[69][70] Another motivation for the purchase was the government's desire to redevelop the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour.
The Sydney Monorail, a loop line between the Central Business District and Darling Harbour, shared an ownership and operational structure with the light rail.
[71] Opening in 1988, the monorail was built as a response to an earlier redevelopment of Darling Harbour from a port to a leisure precinct.
Sixty Alstom Citadis X05 trams were purchased to provide services on the CBD and South East Light Rail.
The service runs for 27 kilometres, between Mona Vale on the Northern Beaches and the Sydney central business district.
On 3 April 2007, Bret Walker, a Senior Counsel, was appointed to undertake a commission of inquiry into Sydney Ferries' operations.
[102] Walker's report, delivered in November 2007, was highly critical of the ferry management, industrial relations and government interference.
[107][108][109] In December 2016, Transdev took full control of the joint venture, and to coincide with a new contract commencing 1 July 2019 and finishing in 2028, the operation was renamed Transdev Sydney Ferries[110] As part of the 2013 public transport branding changes, route numbers were introduced to the Sydney Ferries network.
[111] In May 2013, the government outlined plans to build a new ferry terminal at Barangaroo to replace the nearby Darling Harbour wharf.
In April 2012 the Australian Government committed to developing the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal with private sector involvement.
The site will be connected to the Southern Sydney Freight Line near Casula station, providing access to Port Botany.
