29 March, 2024
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NSW LABOR: NEW WESTERN SYDNEY RAPID BUS LINKS & CORRIDOR AFTER BROKEN LIBERAL PLEDGE

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A Minns Labor Government will deliver rapid bus services to connect the Western Sydney communities of Campbelltown, Liverpool and Penrith to the new Western Sydney Airport (WSA) and Aerotropolis precinct.
 
Labor will also invest $50m in a much-needed upgrade of Fifteenth Avenue, transforming this notorious local road into a new Rapid Transit Corridor.
 
LABOR’S PLAN FOR RAPID BUS SERVICES TO WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT
 
Labor will procure 84 zero emission buses – to be built right here in Western Sydney, for three rapid bus routes and four local bus services, with an initial commitment of $305m over three years, to ensure services can commence by 2026 when the airport opens. The project will also include design and planning. 
 
The plan is the key first step towards delivering rapid bus services to Western Sydney Airport from Campbelltown, Liverpool and Penrith by 2026 when the airport opens.  It also ensures that western Sydney residents will have the latest technology buses from day one of the airport starting operations.
 
Labor is forced to take this decision – because despite Dominic Perrottet and the Liberals promising public transport links in time for the airport – it is now clear that this will not happen. 

And we won’t allow a situation where a new airport is opened without any public transport connections at all. 
 
More than 1 million people are set to live in the areas serviced by this network by the year 2041.
 
SUPPORTING LOCAL MANUFACTURING JOBS
 
These buses will be built right here in NSW – in Western Sydney where they will operate.
 
This stands in stark contrast to the NSW Liberal government who has bought many of their existing zero emissions buses from overseas, along with billions of dollars of transport infrastructure like metros, light rail, trains, and ferries – costing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in contract blowouts and poor negotiation.
 
Labor will bring back the domestic manufacturing of our trains with the replacement set to the Tangara – and of our buses with this commitment today. 
 
A NEW RAPID TRANSIT CORRIDOR FOR WESTERN SYDNEY
 
Fifteenth Avenue will be a vital road on the Western Sydney Rapid Bus Network. Labor will invest $50m to transform this local road after years of neglect under the Liberals.
 
Fifteenth Avenue is a council road in the growth area of Leppington. It will form part of the rapid bus link between Liverpool and Western Sydney Airport.
  
UNDER THE LIBERALS
 
Current public transport routes do not service the future airport site. The NSW Liberal government knocked back a funding request from their own Department last year – on the last possible date for investment decision – preferring to allow the airport to open without transport links to these major hubs.
 
Because of this repeated failure to deliver infrastructure for Western Sydney, the only hope for people to reach the airport is to drive – or walk.
 
This is despite the current government promising five years ago to deliver these routes as part of the Western Sydney City Deal with the Federal government. 
 
The 2018 deal committed the NSW Government to delivering new rapid bus links to Western Sydney International ‘before it opens.’ 
 
However, confidential NSW Government documents obtained by the NSW Parliament reveal that the Government failed to approve the business case for the new routes by Transport for NSW’s July 2022 deadline.
 
Transport for NSW has also itself admitted that the growth of the bus network in the West cannot be accommodated by adjusting existing services and that there are currently no bus services in the Aerotropolis Core.
 
Quotes attributable to Chris Minns, NSW Labor leader:
 
“We have a situation where a new airport will be open, thousands of jobs created but people wanting to work at the airport don’t have access to public transport services to get there.
 
“Labor is prioritising the transport links Western Sydney needs to get to and from work and around the city.
 
“Dominic Perrottet promised the buses five years ago. They haven’t delivered. Labor will, and we’ll also create more jobs in the process by making sure the buses are built right here in NSW.”
 
Quotes attributable to John Graham, NSW Shadow Minister for Roads:
 
“Fifteenth Avenue is a vital road on the Western Sydney Rapid Bus Network alignment.
 
“It’s a part of the Western Sydney Cities Deal. That’s the deal that the Liberal-National Government broke with Western Sydney.
 
“This has been Liverpool Council’s flagship transport project and Labor will deliver $50 million to upgrade this road as a part of our Western Sydney Rapid Bus Network alignment.
 
“We will deliver the upgrade to Fifteenth Avenue, and we will deliver the Western Sydney Rapid Bus Network.”
 
Quotes attributable to Jo Haylen, NSW Shadow Minister for Transport:
 
“Western Sydney Airport won’t be able to reach its full potential without public transport links to the rest of the West. We aren’t just delivering a great new public transport service for the people of Western Sydney, we’re delivering a boost to economic development.
 
“The Liberals walked away from their own city deal and have done nothing to deliver these services that these growing communities need. Dominic Perrottet might not care about delivering this project, but Labor does.
 
‘The Liberals missed their own deadline to get this done by 2026 but Labor isn’t going to give up on delivering new public transport services to the airport.”
 
Quotes attributable to Anoulack Chanthivong, NSW Shadow Minister for Industry & Trade:
 
“For too long, this Liberal Government has ignored our local manufacturing industry, which has led to more than 40,000 fewer jobs in the NSW manufacturing industry since they were elected back in 2011. 
 
“NSW has lost its manufacturing skills base and the many job opportunities that would have come with a local domestic manufacturing industry for our transport fleet.
 
“Only a NSW Labor Government can revive our manufacturing industry and build a resilient future economy that offers better jobs and wages.”
 
Quotes attributable to Greg Warren, NSW Shadow Minister for Western Sydney:
 
“Public transport to and from the new Western Sydney Airport is critical in order to avoid congestion on local roads.
 
“Time and time again the NSW Liberals have failed to adequately deliver for residents in West and South Western Sydney.
 
“A Minns Labor Government will ensure residents in West and South West Sydney can get from point A to point B as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

CHRIS MINNS
NSW LABOR LEADER
 
JO HAYLEN MP
NSW SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT

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