On Track
Another important milestone has been achieved in the delivery of Newcastle’s first section of light rail.
Transport for NSW has released online 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.
In a major advocacy win for industry, the Government’s REF Report adopts all of the strategic recommendations made to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure by the Property Council’s Transforming Newcastle Taskforce:
- Maintaining urban renewal as the highest order outcome
- Utilising private sector experience to develop and deliver transport services
- Separated running along Hunter Street
- Planning to expand the network to Broadmeadow and Callaghan
Providing a structure which allows the region to determine public transport outcomes was another of the Property Council’s “Top 10 Transport Recommendations”. So the announcement by NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, that Newcastle will get its own Coordinator-General of Transport for the first time, was roundly applauded by industry leaders.
The Taskforce has begun analyzing the REF Report and will make a comprehensive submission to Government before the closing date of Thursday 19 May 2016.
Member feedback is welcome via [email protected]
Other key priorities of the Taskforce will be considered during a community engagement process to be held in mid-late 2016 which will focus on maximizing urban amenity around the light rail alignment. Those priorities are:
- Establishing park and ride facilities on the City Centre fringes
- Rolling out a pricing strategy for City Centre car parking as a lever for managing demand
- Repurposing the old heavy rail corridor as a Cycle Transitway
- Shifting the proposed location of Newcastle’s light rail maintenance facility west of the Newcastle Interchange.