Getting on with the Job: South West Rail Link Ahead of Schedule and Under Budget

The Hon Barry O’Farrell MP
Premier of NSW
Minister for Western Sydney

NSW Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Barry O’Farrell and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced the South West Rail Link was one year ahead of schedule and more than $100 million under budget.

Workers have also finished laying the last of the 53,000 thousand rail sleepers on the final section of track.

“This great work demonstrates the NSW Government is getting on with the job of delivering key infrastructure where it is needed, at a rapid pace,” Mr O’Farrell said.

“The fantastic news for people in Sydney’s South West is that this important rail link is on track to open 12 months earlier than originally planned,” he said.

“Not only will we be running train services ahead of the originally announced date of 2016, we will also complete the project under budget.

“The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will always spend taxpayer’s dollars wisely and ensure major infrastructure projects are completed as quickly as possible.

“The approach we have taken with the delivery of the South West Rail Link is the approach we will take when building other major infrastructure projects - such as the North West Rail Link, WestConnex and the Pacific Highway upgrade.”

Ms Berejiklian said the South West Rail Link was now due to open in 2015 and it is expected the project will be completed at more than $100 million below the $2.1 billion budget.

“We committed to delivering the South West Rail Link, and one of our first acts when coming to Government was to put in place a dedicated project team to get on with the job,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Today’s announcement is the result of that focussed effort and it follows the early opening of Glenfield Station and transport interchange in September 2012, four months ahead of schedule.”

Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government had laid the first new track on the South West Rail Link in mid-2011.

“The project team has now installed the last of 53,000 thousand sleepers and laid the last of 31km of track, and 10 of the project’s 14 bridges are complete,” she said.

“Over the coming months, the project team will be finishing construction of the station buildings, installing overhead wiring, and installing rail signalling and communications systems before the new line is tested and commissioned.”

Once the 11.4km South West Rail Link is complete, two new stations at Leppington and Edmondson Park will provide modern facilities for transport customers across the region.

The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has ensured that the public transport infrastructure is in place to service the expected population growth of approximately 300,000 people over the next few decades.

Source: ProjectLink.com.au

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