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On Track

  • September 06, 2017

The Property Council of Australia has welcomed Transport for NSW’s release of the Newcastle Light Rail Review of Environmental Factors (REF) Report for public consultation.

The REF Report, a technical infrastructure document, is accompanied by new images, artist’s impressions and a video to help Novocastrians visualize their new-look Hunter Street.

NSW Regional Director, Andrew Fletcher, said it was another important milestone in the delivery of Newcastle’s first section of light rail.

“The Minister’s announcement that the project is on track to have light rail operational by 2019 is more good news for the City.”

Mr. Fletcher said that residents and investors had been craving to know how the light rail infrastructure would be integrated with Hunter Street.

“Obviously there are a range of views about how to best do that, but the Government’s plans are now on the table and we all get our chance to comment.”

He said industry policy supported several aspects of the plan including segregated running along Hunter Street and a strong focus on multi-modal integration.

But he said park and ride facilities need to be provided on the City Centre fringes as part of a suite of measures to reduce car based travel in the city centre.

“Smart cities are enhancing urban mobility to the point where walking, cycling and public transit are the best choices for most journeys.”

“That leads to a safer, healthier and more accessible city – something that is well within our reach”

Mr Fletcher then pointed to a ready-made solution for the problem of dedicated cycle lanes no longer being an option on Hunter Street.

“For years we’ve been advocating for the heavy rail corridor to be preserved as an East-West link across the City Centre and repurposed as a Cycle Transitway”

“When the mindset becomes pro-mobility, rather than pro one mode over another, the City has plenty of options for a sustainable transport network.”

 

Media contact:  Andrew Fletcher  | M  0407 410 017  |  E  [email protected]

 

On trackDelivery of Newcastle’s light rail infrastructure is on track.Commencement of earth test drilling on the light rail was announced by NSW Transport Minister and Minister for The Hunter, Gladys Berejiklian, during her recent visit to Newcastle.The minister also announced that a team of local firms had been selected from a state tendering process to undertake the project’s environmental assessment.Newcastle-based companies GHD and RPS Manidis Roberts will form the partnership charged with carrying out the environmental impact study on the light rail project. The companies recently worked on the light rail extension in Sydney’s inner west, and on Canberra’s light rail project.Delivering a keynote address to a forum attended by some of the region’s key business and industry figures at Newcastle City Hall, Ms Berejiklian said the geotechnical work would provide further evidence of ”the government getting on with what we said we would do”.”Some people who are sceptical about the heavy rail truncation are saying oh ‘but you’ll never build the light rail’,” Ms Berejiklian said. ”Well this is as strong a commitment as ever that we will be doing it, like we said we’ll be doing it.”