The Sydney University option will be championed by the sectional interests of the University and nearby residents. The alternative Option proposes one station beneath the country platforms at Central station, with the line then presumably travelling through either Alexandria and St Peters OR possibly via Waterloo, Zetland, Beaconsfield and thence to Sydenham.
Building a Metro system is an absolutely historic opportunity. It’s a signature moment, representing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to “get it right”: decisions being made now will shape the inner city far into the future.
This article proposes building a large number of closely located Metro stations between Central and Sydenham to provide a holistic and integrated residential/transport development plan to service this densely populated corridor.
Suggesting four or five Metro stations is not fanciful: it is based on population growth projections that show this area has and will have comparable population densities to European cities, where functional mass transit systems site Metro stations from 700 metres to 1.5 kilometres apart.
Table 1: Metro station distances and population density compared
| City | Metro KMs | Metro stations | Avg distance btwn stations | Average population density per square km |
| London | 402 | 270 | 1.48km | 8,671 (inner London) |
| Barcelona | 102 | 141 | .72km | 15,779 |
| Paris | 214 | 300 | .71km | 21,498 |
| Redfern- Beaconsfield | 5 | 1? | 5km | 11,576 (2011*) |
| Redfern- Beaconsfield | 5 | 1? | 5km | 20,000 (approx)(2030-projected) |
*Data above from Internet sites on European Metro systems, ABS 2011 data, Green Square Development population projections.
Inner London for example, with closely located Metro stations, services a smaller average population density (8,671 per square kilometre) than the current Redfern-Beaconsfield corridor. Barcelona’s population density is less than the 2030 projections, yet has Metro stops every 700 metres!
The time to plan properly is now. The number of stations and the routes provided must work in tandem with the residential expansion drive of our state planning authorities. The transport plan has to move large numbers of people and provide a viable alternative to car ownership for the tens of thousands of new residents planned for the inner city.
From “outside the tent” it’s hard to know whether the current one-station proposal over the five kilometres indicates lazy planning, misplaced budget frugality or is driven by other motives.
Inner-city population growth can’t be ignored: the Green Square planning documentation projects a 2030 population of 53,000. The Ashmore Estate development in Alexandria (DA currently before Council), adds 6,000 new residents next to Sydney Park Village.
Multiple routes from Central must be evaluated. Metro station locations could include:
Redfern, O’Dea Ave, Epsom Road, Gardeners Road, Sydenham;
Redfern, O’Dea Ave, Epsom Road, Ashmore Estate, Sydenham;
Redfern, Ashmore Estate, Sydenham;
Sydney Uni, Redfern (and thence on to join routes above).
The key point is that the choice of routes be transparently chosen on an evidence-based evaluation that considers the greatest number of residents serviced, the likely economic and integrated transport benefits, and not just the additional project cost increase.
The current need does not require visionary planning: it simply requires professional planning. The one-station proposal is an epic “Fail”. An evidence-based re-evaluation of the Metro Plan by the state government is required.
