The New South Wales Government’s recently-announced course of action for Metro West makes all but impossible the inclusion of a station at the University of Sydney.
The rejection of a station at Zetland and the uncertainty regarding Silverwater appears to exclude the possibility of a University of Sydney station on the line entirely, though it will stop elsewhere in the Inner West on a more northerly route.
Uncertainty surrounding the Sydney Metro West project earlier this year, including the possibility of more stations being added to the line, invoked discussion about the potential for the University of Sydney to receive its own stop.
The University stated its intention to secure a station at a time when the entire project had been thrown into doubt by the New South Wales Government’s desire for economies.
Vice Chancellor Mark Scott remarked in August that the University has “always strongly advocated for a station at the University which would serve our students, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and health precinct as well as the local community – the need for this is greater than ever”.
In response to the University’s advocacy for a station to serve campus, then-Student Representative Council President Lia Perkins stated that a station “could do well” whilst highlighting the need for policies to alleviate the cost of living and the lack of affordable housing for students.
On 6 December, Premier Chris Minns announced that the construction of the Metro West line would continue, with a new timeline seeking its completion in 2032, a delay of two years. Roseville has been selected to receive a new station, following a proposal by the Australian Turf Club that will see the racecourse there relocated.
An extension that would lead to a station in Zetland was rejected as prohibitively expensive – estimated as costing up to $6 billion – despite the support of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO. No pledge was made to build a station at industrial Silverwater despite calls to do so.
The line is to have a station at North Strathfield followed by Five Dock, from which it will pass under Iron Cove and Balmain to reach The Bays station, to be built between Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station.
Buses from Five Dock, Rozelle, and the city centre among other locales to be served by the line stop at the University of Sydney, offering connectivity.
A short-lived 2009 metro proposal included a shared Broadway-University of Sydney stop. This would have required the line to take a much more southerly route from Five Dock.
While the proposal for a University of Sydney station on the already-under-construction line seems dead under a cost-saving government, the inclusion of a station at Rosehill is to bring with it the construction of 25,000 homes in the suburb.
The metro stop proposal was not the only one put forth this year that would improve public transport to the University. In July, the City of Sydney proposed to extend light rail down Parramatta Road from Central to Broadway.
Travellers would have easy access at the terminus to shops, the University, and the green space offered by Victoria Park, while significant environmental improvements would be attained.
The University is within walking distance of Redfern Station and is served by a number of bus routes departing from various stops.
