Global cities like London and Paris have population density that can support metro public transport. Photo: iStock
As Sydney's population heads towards that of other global cities such as London and Paris, we need to accelerate the move to a metro public transport system that matches the networks these global cities have.
The success of the Paris, London, New York and Tokyo metro systems comes from the urban densities that provide the patronage that makes rapid transit feasible and justifiable. How can Sydney retrofit Paris or New York-like densities in locations where a metro makes sense?
The answer is to find large inner city sites where new urban development can create sufficient density to justify a new metro station.
A detailed examination of recent government plans and announcements provides evidence of redevelopment sites that could each sustain a new centre of more than 20,000 people. Remarkably, four of these sites are located on an east-west line from Sydney's CBD to Parramatta's CBD, and each site could be defined by towers up to 60 storeys in height.
The four new urban towns would become new stations along a central metro line matching that of other world cities.
The current metro proposals by the NSW government are skirting around the edges of the Sydney basin as the line sweeps from the north west through Epping to Chatswood, under the harbour and on to Bankstown.
This is the equivalent of London's Circle Line or Line 2 and 6 in Paris. But the major metro cities of the world all have a central line. London's is called Central, New York has the 4th Avenue Line, Tokyo has the Ginza Line and Paris has Line 4, linking the north to the south.
Sydney should also have a Central metro line that connects the proposed new station at Barangaroo with the Bays Precinct to its west. There has been much discussion about the Bays Precinct but today no viable public transport connection to the city has been confirmed.
Glebe Island is the obvious location for a new station and this should generate significant development on the island with towers matching the height of the existing silos.
Heading west, the next big development site is on Parramatta Road at Kings Bay.
The government's own plans provide for more than 7000 new homes around Concord Oval at Kings Bay, but this should be doubled as the result of a new metro station with towers that get views across to the harbour.
Chris Johnson's sketch of the four sites that would be ideal for the development needed to support an expanded metro system.
Heading further west, the struggling Sydney Olympic Park site would really take off with a fast metro connecting it to the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs, which would help draw office development back to this centre. The massive crowds that attend sporting events cannot be transported on light rail. Metro trains can move far more people.
The final metro stop before Parramatta would be at the Clyde redevelopment site, where redundant industrial uses can lead to a new development for 20,000 people in tall towers. The proposal for a light rail connection should be redirected to the north along the Carlingford Line.
Some form of special area levy, captured through rates and spread across the new centres, as proposed by the Committee for Sydney, could contribute funds towards the new metro infrastructure.
The great world cities have extensive metro rail systems that serve much larger populations than Sydney's, but because of their higher densities they are much shorter.
Sydney has over 800 kilometres of rail network for 4.8 million people, while London's system serves 9.7 million people with 400 kilometres. New York also has around 400 kilometres of rail network to serve 20 million people. Paris, with just over 200 kilometres, serves 12.2 million people.
The metro rail systems work well in these world cities because they have urban densities to support this form of transport.
The four sites I have outlined are ideal for developing precincts with the density needed to support a series of metro stations that would create an east-west metro line for Sydney.
That would be an important advance in the development of a metro system worthy of a global city.
Chris Johnson is the chief executive of the Urban Taskforce
103 comments so far
More comments
New user? Sign up
Make a comment
You are logged in as [Logout]
All information entered below may be published.
Thank you
Your comment has been submitted for approval.
Comments are moderated and are generally published if they are on-topic and not abusive.