Is it of interest that a 2018 study by Transport for NSW and its federal counterpart into rail connections to Sydney’s second airport was made at roughly the time the same the federal portfolio spent $30 million to buy land near Leppington worth only $3 million?
What is behind the NSW government’s Metro mania, which at an unnecessary cost of more than $40 billion jeopardises transport throughout Sydney?
The speculation is that the folly is continuing because of a bureaucratic spat and for fear of admitting gullibility and error. That is, policy is based on vanity.
Do things take on a different light in view of recent revelations from a parliamentary inquiry about federal land deals near Western Sydney Airport and at the ICAC inquiry into Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s one-time beau Daryl Maguire?
Sydney Metro rail project was referred to a NSW parliamentary inquiry into its extension from Sydenham to Bankstown. In April, the inquiry recommended against the extension as it would create permanent disruption to commuters.
The majority of the inquiry members, comprising Labor, Greens and Shooters and Fishers parties, were not persuaded by evidence put forward by the government, which appeared nothing more than ludicrous propaganda. Evidence included claims of a ‘plan’ in which Metro would take over Sydney’s branch lines – the inverse of the situation everywhere else in the world.
The members were also not persuaded by Infrastructure Australia’s suspect 2017 ‘assessment’ which merely recited NSW Government claims; recommended the project proceed without knowing the costs; has not been revisited despite a $4.5-$5.5 billion cost blowout becoming known by the Government in 2018 (which was publicly revealed only after the 2019 state election).
The NSW committee majority also recommended there be better explanations of, and consultation for, future projects and that actual business cases (if any) be published.
A committee minority – government members – dissented, claiming the inquiry was politically motivated.
In early October, the Government rejected the Committee’s recommendations and proceeded without addressing any of the serious issues raised. Such obstinacy is as consistent and unsurprising as the idiocy of reasons advanced – which included an oxymoronic reference to the publication of a detailed summary as an excuse for failure to produce a business case. As usual, the Premier intends to push ahead no matter what.
And it gets worse. At present, the most outlandishly stupid infrastructure idea involves preventing public transport users from readily accessing the Western Sydney Airport, which is under construction. The long-established plan was to extend an existing rail line a short distance from Leppington – which would have allowed direct trains to run to the airport from most of Sydney.
The plan now is to have a stand-alone Metro from a much more distant suburban St Marys, 50 kilometres from the CBD, a plan that will cost perhaps five times as much. It also means the millions of residents in Western Sydney need to change trains at least three times to get to the new airport.
Yet NSW is not alone in planning this lunatic scheme. The Commonwealth is paying half the cost, some $5.25 billion for the first stage alone. This was announced in June 2020, three months before even a flimsy promotional pamphlet became available, with an assessment or even business case yet to be sighted – Infrastructure Australia is “.
The Commonwealth contribution – to total well over $11 billion – is on the back of a March 2018 study report jointly authored by Transport for NSW and the Federal Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities. The study was likely rigged to achieve a pre-ordained result – the Commonwealth Minister lamely reiterated its preposterous reason for preventing connection of the airport to Sydney’s rail network: single deck trains cannot run on tracks used by double deck trains. A previous post on the matter concluded:
‘As it is almost impossible to believe any report could be so incompetent, there probably are undisclosed reasons for the recommendations.’
So is it of interest to observe the study report and farcical comments were made at roughly the time the same Federal portfolio spent $30 million to buy land near Leppington worth only $3 million – a matter referred to the police by the Audit Office?
Same area, same Department-author and same time for an incredibly incompetent report and a possibly criminal purchase of land – coincidence? Hopefully nothing more, given the enormous project expenditures and consequences. Yet well before hearing of the land deal, I was so disturbed by the study report and the Commonwealth Minister’s “explanation” that I wrote to him in August 2018 saying:
‘You should:
- commence an investigation into what lies behind the advice given to your Government about this matter;
- withdraw Commonwealth support for Metro and Western Sydney rail until an independent public inquiry has examined and reported on Sydney rail matters.’
To which there was no response.
Another matter that ‘hopefully’ is merely coincident with the Department’s behaviour is activity of the Premier’s one-time beau regarding land etc. near the airport site, which is part of the NSW Corruption Commission investigation that led to the Premier’s latest ‘hand on heart’ pronouncement.
For completeness, it might be noted the Premier, when Transport Minister, publicly opposed the airport when initiating Sydney Metro – i.e. her grand transport scheme is predicated on there not being a Western Sydney Airport.
Epithets like ‘hard working’ don’t count for much when viewing a Premier presiding over the world-scale Metro debacle. Especially when the disgrace is compounded by such recent revelations of her Government spending $250m on projects (mostly in Government held electorates) in the lead up to the last election – $100m reputedly at her behest – without (written) authorisation.
There has to be a public inquiry into what has been going on in NSW transport and infrastructure. A Royal Commission is overdue but inevitable.
In addition to the need for a fundamental revision of Sydney transport plans in the light of Covid, all Sydney Metro projects should be stopped immediately, and the Commonwealth should suspend funding to all NSW infrastructure projects – pending the results of thorough investigations including into possible malfeasance.
John Austen is a happily retired former senior official of Infrastructure Australia living in Western Sydney. Details are at thejadebeagle.com.
Comments
3 responses to “Sydney’s Metro mania is policy based on vanity”
I couldn’t agree more with your expose regarding the NSW LNP Government’s incompetent, ideologically driven metro agenda, while starving the existing Sydney Trains’ network of adequate funding to address its infrastructure deficiencies, of which there are still many. It’s all well and good to boast about ordering new double deck trains to meet the increasing pre-COVID travel demand, but unless it’s backed up by significantly increased funding for upgrading and amplifying track infrastructure, there comes a point where there’s no room for them to run on the system.
While the introduction Automatic Train Control (ATO) over the next decade is welcome, allowing for an increase in frequencies and reduction in journey times, it is just a band-aid solution without amplifying the existing track infrastructure. By Transport for NSW own admission, the existing Sydney Trains’ network will continue to provide 80% of train services for the foreseeable future after existing metro projects are completed and it’s incomprehensible that there isn’t a commensurate funding commitment, while billions of dollars are wasted on questionable metro projects.
The rot really started under the Iemma Labor Government, which opted for a segregated North West Metro instead of the previously proposed North West Rail Link as an extension of the existing network. At the time it was suggested that this was an attempt to side-line the existing heavily unionised then CityRail, now Sydney Trains’ network, which seemed odd for a Labor Government. However, it never came to pass and the infamous abbreviated version from Central to Rozelle was proposed and that also fell by the wayside after wasting some $0.5 billion on it.
After Kristina Keneally replaced Nathan Rees as Premier in the dying days of the Labor Government, then Transport Minister John Robertson announced that Labor would revert to the original North West Rail Link proposal as an extension of the existing network and would reconsider the original proposal to branch from the Northern Line at Beecroft, which had previously been opposed by the Cheltenham-Beecroft NIMBYS. Alas, it was all too late as Labor was defeated by the LNP at the subsequent election in 2011.
In the leadup to that election, the LNP had also promised to build the North West Rail Link as an extension of the existing network and after winning Government it kept its word shortly after by beginning the community consultation process under Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian. However, after completion of the consultation process, the North West Rail Link suddenly morphed without warning into another metro, taking over the existing Epping to Chatswood Rail link completed only a few years earlier. There had never previously been any mention during the community consultation of a metro option and its impact on the existing network because of the incompatibility between the two systems. All subsequent objections were just ignored. Since then, all new rail lines have been proposed as metros, regardless of their appropriateness.
There is one common factor under both sides of government in all of this and that is one Rodd Staples, a former Railcorp engineer. He has been influential in pushing the metro agenda, at the expense of upgrading the existing network, for which he appears to regard with some disdain. He has now been fast-tracked to the role of Secretary of Transport for NSW and I am extremely apprehensive and sceptical whether any objective analysis of future rail options is possible under his stewardship. It’s like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank. His political masters just follow the same line, because they’re none the wiser.
Although conversion of the Bankstown Line to metro is bad enough, the thing that really disturbs and frustrates me is the proposed inappropriate isolated metro lines on the fringe of Sydney connecting with the Western Sydney Airport. Even to the most casual observer, it would seem bleedingly obvious that the existing South West Rail Link should be extended from Leppington to the airport as the first priority. However, it’s been given the lowest priority and won’t even connect to the airport, but will terminate one station short at the Aerotropolis, requiring interchange to the metro to reach the airport itself. Sheer madness!
The SWRL extension not only connects directly with the broader rail network in Western and South Western Sydney, compared with the metro link to St Marys, but also provides an immediate more direct fast rail link with the CBD without the need to change trains. It doesn’t preclude compatible single deck trains being introduced for an Airport Express style service similar to that in Hong Kong. Existing quadruplicated track on the East Hills Line allows for a limited stop express service which can overtake the slower all stations services. ATO will allow for even higher speeds than is currently the case. I estimate that a journey time of 40-45 minutes from the airport to the CBD would be achievable. Of course the government doesn’t want you to know that, because it would bring into question the justification for their metro agenda.
The Feds really haven’t got a clue and it’s obvious that they are just parroting the NSW Government’s spin. It’s even more disturbing that Infrastructure Australia hasn’t carried out an independent objective analysis on behalf of the Commonwealth, which is a joint partner in this venture.
While I share your desire for a public inquiry, or even better, a Royal Commission into NSW’s rail planning strategy, it’s unlikely to happen under either of the Federal or State LNP Governments. Is Labor up to the task?
“What is behind the NSW government’s Metro mania?”
Perhaps it is as simple as a desire to look after their capitalist mates and the deeply held commitment to ‘neo-liberal’ economic policies by NSW Treasury. Like private motorways, their Metro projects are ripe for privatisation. The same is evident in the hiving off and restructuring of NSW local government water services.
I do not doubt your alarm and agree with your suspicions that other factors may be at play. There is hardly a LNP NSW project to which the public hasn’t objected and as equally been totally ignored. I cannot see how Sydney can function at this rate of ignorance and stubbornness. Everything is shoddy and poorly designed; people are suffering; nothing is designed to improve the environment, rather to degrade it further. Why?