Parramatta Light Rail

Parramatta Light Rail is an ongoing infrastructure project tasked with introducing Light Rail to Parramatta and surrounding areas. The project consists of two stages with early works beginning in 2019.

Stage 1 will connect Westmead and Carlingford via 12km of new track. As part of this project, a majority of the T6 Carlingford Line will be converted to Light Rail. Major construction is set to begin in early 2020, with a completion timeframe of 2023. A total of 16 new and converted Light Rail stations will be built.

The second stage will link Parramatta CBD and Olympic Park with an additional 10km of rail. Currently, this Stage is in the planning phase.

The line is expected to be coded as the L4 line.

Stations
As of August 2019, Stage 1 will have 16 stops.
 * Westmead station: Located on the eastern side of Hawkesbury Road, at the intersection with Railway Parade. This stop will allow transfer to and from other modes of transport, such as trains and buses.
 * Westmead Hospital: Located on Hawkesbury Road between Caroline and Helen Streets. Provides improved access to Westmead Hospital, the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, and adjacent apartment blocks.
 * The Children’s Hospital at Westmead: Provides improved access to Westmead Children’s Hospital, Children's Medical Research Institute, and nearby apartments.
 * Cumberland Hospital: Located within the Cumberland Hospital site between Fleet and Factory Streets. It also improves access to the Parramatta Female Factory, Parramatta Park and Wisteria Gardens.
 * Factory Street: Located along Church Street to the south of the intersection with Factory Street. This stop will serve the residential areas of North Parramatta, the Richie Benaud Oval and St Patrick’s Cemetery.
 * Fennell Street: Also Located along Church Street, but between Harold and Fennell Streets. Provides improved access to the North Parramatta shopping district and Parramatta North Public School.
 * Prince Alfred Square: Located along Church Street and adjacent Prince Alfred Square. Provides improved access to Bankwest Stadium, hotels, the new Powerhouse Museum, St Patrick’s Cathedral and local schools.
 * Eat Street: Located along Church Street between Phillip and George Streets, within a new shared light rail and pedestrian zone. Provides improved access to the entertainment and restaurant precinct on Eat Street.
 * Parramatta Square: Located along Macquarie Street, between Horwood Place and Smith Street. Provides easier access to entertainment, restaurants/cafes and education facilities. This stop will also allow transfer to train or bus services via Parramatta railway station.
 * Harris Street: Located on Macquarie Street, between Argus Lane and Harris Street. Provides easier access to Robin Thomas Reserve and is the closest stop to Parramatta Ferry Wharf.
 * Tramway Avenue: Located along Tramway Avenue between Alfred and Arthur Streets. This stop will serve the existing industrial precinct.
 * Camellia: Located in the same approximate location as the existing railway station, however the station will be rebuilt to accommodate Light Rail only. The stop will service Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and a future town centre at Camellia.
 * Rydalmere: Located in the same location as the existing railway station. Provides easier access to Western Sydney University Parramatta campus and serves local residential and industrial areas.
 * Dundas: Located near the existing railway station. This stop will serve the local residential areas as well as Dundas Public School.
 * Telopea: Located near the existing railway station. The stop will serve local residents and the rezoned Telopea Precinct.
 * Carlingford: Located in the same area as the existing railway station. This stop will allow interchange to local buses and will serve local residents, the retail area and points of interest such as the Carlingford Bowling Club and Carlingford Library.

History
Between 2012 and 2013, Parramatta City Council conducted a feasibility study into Light Rail for Western Sydney. The study found the transport mode beneficial to the “social, economic and physical function of [the region].” From the initial proposal for 150km+ of track, the final report identified two potential routes:


 * Macquarie Park Line: Runs from Westmead to Macquarie Centre via Rydalmere.
 * Castle Hill Line: Runs from Rydalmere to Castle Hill via Windsor Road.

A report by Urban Growth NSW, released in early 2014, contained a map of the proposed Light Rail Lines. The transport minister at the time (Gladys Berejiklian) confirmed the project was being considered as part of a government "strategy for lands it owns in Parramatta North." It was estimated that the project would cost around $1.7 billion to construct at the time.  Later in June, Premier Mike Baird announced $10 million would be committed to further feasibility studies. This task would begin immediately, and over the following months $400 million would be set aside for Western Sydney Light Rail.

By October, four potential routes were shortlisted:
 * Parramatta to Macquarie Park via Carlingford,
 * Parramatta to Castle Hill via Old Northern Road,
 * Parramatta to Bankstown and,
 * Parramatta to Sydney Olympic Park and Strathfield/Burwood.

On December 8th 2015, the Premier announced that the Parramatta to Carlingford and Olympic Park Lines have been selected for construction. At this point the government had pledged $1 billion into the project, but expected further funds via a "value capture, a form of public financing aimed at recovering windfall gains landowners pocket from the construction of public infrastructure." Construction was expected to begin in 2019.

An industry briefing paper was released by Transport for NSW on March 2016. It stated "up to six interchanges" could be built on the rail-line. Namely, "Westmead, Parramatta, Carlingford, Olympic Park and Strathﬁeld Stations." The sixth potential interchange was not identified.

In early 2017, the project was divided into two stages. Stage 1 would be the Parramatta to Carlingford line, with a completion date of 2023. The Olympic Park Line was now the second stage, however its start and completion dates are unknown. According to reports, Stage 2 would be "developed in collaboration with Sydney Metro West", another proposed rail infrastructure project.