[3] While a precise alignment for stage 2 of the WSFL has yet to be selected, maps released by Transport for NSW show the line running south-east from St Marys in the vicinity of Ropes Creek, running east on the south side of the M4 Western Motorway, then south-east towards Eastern Creek.

This created a significant freight task in moving cargo between Sydney Airport and Port Botany in the inner city and new industrial areas in the west.

The State's long-term objective is to separate freight and passenger trains on their own dedicated tracks within the Metropolitan Rail Area.

The first major piece of this work, connecting the Main Southern railway in Sydney's south-west to the port, opened in 2012 as the SSFL.

Western Sydney Freight Line corridor identification and draft strategic environmental assessment documents were prepared in 2018.