LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE NO. 6 Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion Report 11 6 April 2020 www.parliament.nsw.gov.au LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Portfolio Committee No. 6 - Transport and Customer Service Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion Ordered to be printed 9 April 2020 according to Standing Order 231 Report 11 – April 2020 i LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion New South Wales Parliamentary Library cataloguing-in-publication data: New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative Council. Portfolio Committee No. 6 – Transport and Customer Service. Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion / Portfolio Committee No. 6 – Transport and Customer Service Sydney, N.S.W. : the Committee, 2020. [ix, 109] pages ; 30 cm. (Report no. 11 / Portfolio Committee No. 6 – Transport and Customer Service) “April 2020” Chair: Ms Abigail Boyd, MLC. ISBN 9781920788575 1. Railroads—New South Wales—Sydenham-Bankstown—Planning. 2. Railroads—New South Wales—Sydenham-Bankstown—Branch lines. I. Boyd, Abigail. II. Title. III. Series: New South Wales. Parliament. Legislative Council. Portfolio Committee No. 6 – Transport and Customer Service. Report ; no. 11 385.314 (DDC22) ii Report 11 – April 2020 PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE NO. 6 - TRANSPORT AND CUSTOMER SERVICE Table of contents Terms of reference v Committee details vi Chair’s foreword vii Recommendations viii Conduct of inquiry ix Chapter 1 Overview of the Metro Southwest project 1 The Metro project 1 Sydney's Rail Future: The 'preferred option' 1 Sydney Metro City & Southwest 4 Transport policy and strategy 9 Future Transport Strategy 2056 9 Key transport and land use policies and strategies 10 Chapter 2 The case for Metro Southwest 13 Overview of support and opposition to Metro Southwest 13 The case for Metro Southwest 14 The adequacy and transparency of the business case 14 The assessment of alternative options 17 The alignment of transport solutions with land use 21 The suitability of metro for Sydenham to Bankstown 24 Will Metro Southwest improve network capacity? 26 Congestion and digital signaling 26 Capacity of the Bankstown line 28 Sydenham track duplication 28 Suburban connectivity 29 Does conversion provide good value for money? 30 Private operation of the line 32 Community consultation for Metro Southwest 34 The effectiveness of consultation processes 34 Uncertainty for stations west of Bankstown 37 Committee comment 38 Report 11 - April 2020 iii LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion Chapter 3 The potential impacts of Metro Southwest 41 Impact on travel 41 Travel times 41 Multi-modal transit 43 Commuter experience 48 Construction impacts 50 Local disruption 50 Temporary Transport Plans 51 Managing mode shift 54 Impact on businesses 54 Planning and development 56 Development along the corridor 57 Heritage conservation 60 Design of the Bankstown interchange 61 Environmental impacts 62 Vegetation strategy 62 Fencing 65 Committee comment 65 Appendix 1 Submissions 69 Appendix 2 Witness at hearings 73 Appendix 3 Minutes 75 Appendix 4 Dissenting statement 98 iv Report 11 – April 2020 PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE NO. 6 - TRANSPORT AND CUSTOMER SERVICE Terms of reference 1. That Portfolio Committee No. 6 – Transport and Customer Service inquire into and report on aspects of the planned conversion of the Sydenham-Bankstown Line from heavy rail to metro, being the southwest part of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project, including: (a) the adequacy of the business case and viability of Metro, (b) the consideration of alternatives for improving capacity and reducing congestion, (c) the factors taken into account when comparing the alternatives and the robustness of the evidence used in decision-making, (d) whether metro is a suitable means of transport over long distances, (e) the consultation process undertaken with, and the adequacy of information given to, community, experts and other stakeholders, (f) the impact on the environment and heritage conservation, (g) any lobbying, political donations or other influence of the public or private sector in relation to making that decision, (h) the tender process for appointing private operators, (i) the contractual arrangements entered into in respect of the project, (j) the adequacy of temporary transport arrangements during the conversion process, including for people with a disability, (k) the impact on the stations west of Bankstown, and (l) any related matter. 2. That the committee report by Tuesday, 30 June 2020.1 The terms of reference were self-referred by the committee on 22 August 2019.2 1 The original reporting date was Tuesday, 31 March 2020 (Minutes, NSW Legislative Council, 22 August 2019, pp 378-379). The reporting date was later extended to Tuesday, 30 June 2020 (Minutes, NSW Legislative Council, 24 March 2020, p 865). 2 Minutes, NSW Legislative Council, 22 August 2019, pp 378-379 Report 11 - April 2020 v LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion Committee details Committee members Ms Abigail Boyd MLC The Greens Chair Hon Mark Banasiak MLC Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party Deputy Chair Hon Anthony D'Adam MLC* Australian Labor Party Hon Wes Fang MLC ** The Nationals Hon Scott Farlow MLC*** Liberal Party Hon Shayne Mallard MLC Liberal Party Hon Daniel Mookhey MLC Australian Labor Party Contact details Website www.parliament.nsw.gov.au Email [email protected] Telephone 02 9230 2739 *The Hon Anthony D'Adam MLC substituted for the Hon Peter Primrose MLC from 22 August 2019 to 10 November 2019, and the Hon John Graham MLC from 11 November 2019 for the duration of the inquiry. **The Hon Wes Fang MLC substituted for the Hon Sam Farraway MLC from 19 November 2019 for the duration of the inquiry. ***The Hon Scott Farlow MLC replaced the Hon Catherine Cusack MLC as a substantive member of the committee from 31 January 2020. vi Report 11 – April 2020 PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE NO. 6 - TRANSPORT AND CUSTOMER SERVICE Chair’s foreword This inquiry was established to examine aspects of the planned conversion of the Sydenham-Bankstown line from heavy rail to metro, being the southwest part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project. From the outset, I note the strong input by stakeholders and community groups to this inquiry. The committee received a high volume of submissions, pro forma and additional evidence on the wide range of issues relevant to the inquiry, and I thank all inquiry participants for contributing their views and expertise on a detailed and complex area of public planning and infrastructure. During the course of this inquiry, serious questions were raised as to the adequacy of the business case supporting the project. There were concerns about whether alternatives had been appropriately considered, how transport planning aligned with land use planning, the suitability of metro relative to heavy rail and the project's overall value for money. In particular, the publication of a summary, rather than the full business case, was a key concern for many stakeholders who argued that there was a lack of transparency regarding the project. This perception, combined with the potential negative impacts on the rail network, the scale of disruption during construction, and the clear long term disadvantages for some commuters, particularly those west of Bankstown, has resulted in some stakeholders lacking confidence in the project. Overall, the committee does not believe that the project enjoys strong community support. It also does not believe that the case and rationale for Sydney Metro Southwest has been clearly made by the NSW Government. Consequently, and notwithstanding dissent from government members, the committee recommends the Sydney Metro Southwest project not proceed and that Sydney Metro terminate at Sydenham. This will allow project funds to be spent instead on developing new rail corridors to communities which currently do not have rail services and on making improvements to the existing Sydney Trains network, such as through digital signalling. The committee has also made recommendations to address other key concerns related to the project, including publication of the business case, transparency regarding future public-private-partnerships, and improvements to community consultation processes. In the event that the project does proceed, the committee believes that further consideration of certain aspects of the project are required to ensure optimal outcomes are achieved. In this regard, the committee has made recommendations relating to services for affected stations west of Bankstown, the design of the Bankstown interchange, project resourcing for local councils, and conservation of heritage and biodiversity along the corridor. While I note the dissenting statement made by government members, I am of the view that it is imperative that governments get critical state infrastructure projects right, act in the public interest and engage in genuine and meaningful consultation with communities. On behalf of the committee, I express thanks to all who participated in this inquiry. I would also like to thank all members of the committee for their contributions, as well as the committee secretariat and Hansard for their professional support during the inquiry. Ms Abigail Boyd MLC Committee Chair Report 11 - April 2020 vii LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion Recommendations Recommendation 1 39 That the NSW Government immediately publish the full Sydney Metro City & Southwest final business case, including the final financial model and benefit cost analysis for the Metro