Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun has welcomed the South West Sydney Alliance’s call for governments to plan rail, housing, jobs and essential services together, but said Liverpool’s two critical transport connections must be part of the conversation.
Mayor Mannoun said the Alliance’s report rightly recognised the scale of growth across Southwest Sydney and the need to get major transport investment ahead of population growth.
“Southwest Sydney is growing at a scale that demands serious, long-term transport planning, and I welcome the Alliance putting rail firmly on the agenda,” Mayor Mannoun said.
“For Liverpool, that means making sure two critical connections are part of the region’s future transport network: a strong public transport link along Fifteenth Avenue connecting Liverpool with Western Sydney International Airport, and a Bankstown to Liverpool Metro connection linking our city into Sydney’s growing Metro network.
“Fifteenth Avenue is particularly important. Western Sydney International Airport is now open and Bradfield is taking shape, but Liverpool needs a fast, reliable public transport connection to the airport and the new city.
“We cannot build a major road corridor today and then come back in 10 or 20 years and try to squeeze public transport into it. The public transport corridor needs to be planned and protected from the beginning.
“The same principle applies to the Bankstown to Liverpool Metro. Liverpool is one of the major centres of Southwest Sydney and should not be left as a gap between the expanding Metro network and the growing communities of the west.
“Liverpool has been advocating for these connections for years. They are not competing with the Alliance’s priorities. They complement them.
“If we are serious about planning rail, housing, jobs, and essential services as one connected program, Liverpool’s connections to the airport and the wider Sydney rail network need to be part of that program. Southwest Sydney is growing rapidly. The opportunity now is to put the transport infrastructure in place that will allow that growth to work, rather than waiting until congestion tells us we got it wrong.”
Mayor Mannoun said Liverpool City Council would continue working with the NSW and Commonwealth Governments, neighbouring councils, business, and institutions to secure the transport infrastructure needed for the region’s next stage of growth.
