White Bay Green Link
Introduction
The White Bay Green Link (WBGL) concept is a combined light rail route and cycleway running from Lilyfield light rail stop to the Barangaroo precinct and the northern CBD via the existing, now unused, White Bay rail corridor and a tunnel beneath the Balmain Peninsula and under Darling Harbour. An overview of the proposal can be downloaded here
This new route would create a direct express corridor (or ‘arc’) from the inner west to the northern and central CBD and would act as the spine on which a more comprehensive light rail and cycling network would, by steps, serve a widening commuter catchment.
The WBGL would transform the Barangaroo precinct from an enclave with poor public transport into a major public and active transport entry point for the CBD.
The broader planning context
Originally included as part of EcoTransit Sydney's submission to the Barangaroo Review the White Bay Green Link concept has benefits that extend beyond its immediate environs.
The White Bay Green Link represents a bold solution to several important planning imperatives for the City of Sydney and the wider metropolis. It addresses the need to:
- Future-proof Sydney in the face of declining oil supplies.
- Reduce reliance on buses for access to, or circulation within, the CBD in favour of a modern and more efficient light rail system.
- Reduce the carbon footprint and the air pollutant load associated with the current, heavily congested transport mix of private vehicles and buses.
- Provide fast commuter access to Barangaroo from Sydney’s west and inner west, without putting additional stress on the heavy rail network.
- Reduce the volume of car traffic entering CBD and diffuse predictable acute congestion points.
- Relieve pressure on CBD heavy rail stations, especially Wynyard and Town Hall.
- Increase cycling’s share of commuter trips to and from the CBD.
- Simplify and speed up access to the central and northern CBD from the west and the north-west.
