December 21st, 2011
On behalf of the steering committee, I’d like to wish you and all the Members of the Hills Transport Working Group a Merry Christmas, Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year.
Over the last 12 months, we’ve been busy giving North Western Sydney residents, visitors, transport users and commuters a voice at the highest levels of government and across the media. We’ve had ups and downs and twists and turns – overall, we’ve had a great year.
Thank you for your support this year – I’m excited about the new year; some of the projects being planned for 2012 will blow your socks off! I’ve included some highlights for 2011 below.
Take a moment to become a member on our mailing list and stay up-to-date with all our work in 2012.
Have a safe Christmas and see you in 2012.
James Fiander – Chair
Hills Transport Working Group
What happened in 2011?
The First Hills Transport Forum
More than 50 Members engaged with local transport companies, councillors and industry groups through our Hills Transport Forum – “Integrated transport: fact or fiction”.
February and March
In the weeks leading up to the election, it became clear that neither Labor nor Liberal party were intending to give voters details of their transport plans – So, we ramped up pressure by writing letters and getting the media involved (
click here to read one of the local newspapers). Closer to the election, we published our own report (
click here to view the report) detailing all the promises each political party made during the election campaign so Members were able to make informed decisions about their vote. The local media published our report
here. When we – eventually – received written confirmation from the Liberal Party, Labor Party and the Greens, we went to the end of the rail way line at Rouse Hill Town Centre and ‘turned the first sod’ with Members and the media.
April
After the election, the working group began pressuring the new O’Farrell Government for a solution to the traffic congestion caused by the construction work on the M2 (here’s the article in SMH) – we suggested a tidal flow bus lane and completely cashless tolls to open up a third stop-less lane in westbound afternoon peak hour. We’re excited that the Government announced in July (read in the SMH) they will implement our cashless tolling suggestion in January 2012. A small step in the right direction for commuters!
May
July
The Hills Transport Working Group held our inaugural strategic planning day to develop a list of priorities and establish our overall direction based on the views of Members – a reporter from a national industry publication came along and we were applauded for our vision of integrated transport for North Western Sydney and for Members’ proactive stance during the election (
click here to read their article).
August
We began our push for a cash-back scheme for tolls on the Hills M2 Motorway (
Read in the Daily Telegraph) – we’ll be working on this goal to achieve cheaper, more integrated transport for regular commuters in 2012.
September
November and December
And just this week, we received an internal memo from RailCorp suggesting that there will be a fee for access model (similar to the Airport Link) despite the government’s insistence that this would not be the case (The Daily Telegraph reported here). We’ll be following this one up to make sure the government stays true to their word and delivers a rail link for North Western Sydney that is the same price to use as any other rail line in Sydney.
Don’t forget to join our mailing list to stay up-to-date with all our work in 2012.
Happy and Safe Travelling for Christmas and 2012!
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December 14th, 2011
The Hills Transport Working Group today issued a ‘please explain’ to the NSW Minister for Transport, Ms Gladys Berejiklian, after a leaked internal memo from Mr. Rob Mason the CEO of RailCorp reveals that “a private sector entity will design, construct, commission, operate and maintain the North West rail link including rail and tunnel systems, track, structures and stations for a period of 20 to 30 years” under an “access model”.
Mr. James Fiander, Hills Transport Working Group Chair, said today “The Minister is on record committing the North West Rail Link would not be a privately operated line in the same way as the Sydney Airport Link, operated under an access model, and we believe – if true – this is a betrayal of the residents, commuters and businesses of North Western Sydney.
“The North West Rail Link is a priority-one piece of infrastructure. Using a fee for access model on the line as indicated in Mr Mason’s memo will raise the barrier of entry and would be a disastrous outcome for commuters.
“Residents of North Western Sydney will not accept paying more for a service identical to any other suburban rail line.
“Having a private operator involved in this project, operating under an access model in the same way as the failed Sydney Airport Link is completely unacceptable for the 300,000 residents of North Western Sydney.”
The Hills Transport Working Group has previously warned that an airport link-style private operator and station access model on the North West Rail Link could see North West residents paying as much as $20 extra per trip.
“It seems the O’Farrell Liberal Government is on track to make the same mistakes on the North West Rail Link as the Greiner Government made in the early 1990s on the Hills M2 Motorway.” Mr. Fiander said.
“North West residents currently pay in-excess of $26 per day for the privilege of travelling to work by car with no other choice.”
Hills residents demand that Ms Berejiklian and Mr. O’Farrell repudiate Mr. Mason’s statement and reconfirm their commitment to deliver this desperately needed rail infrastructure for North Western Sydney without any additional fees for access – as they both promised during their election campaign.
For further comment or a photo opportunity, please contact:
James Fiander – Chair, Hills Transport Working Group
M: 0421 222 481 - E: james@myhillstransport.com
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June 9th, 2011
This week, the NSW government requested tenders be submitted to provide financial advice for the North West Rail Link project.
Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian says “The successful tenderer will be responsible for providing advice on a whole range of finance options”.
Hills Transport Working Group Chair, James Fiander said today “included in the tender document produced by the O’Farrell Government is clear stipulation that the government intends to investigate a public-private partnership similar to that of the Sydney Airport Link.
“The Sydney Airport Link costs $12 per trip over and above the normal CityRail fare and initial calculations suggest that an equivalent PPP arrangement for the North West Rail Link could see an addition to ticket prices of more than $20 per trip.
“Hills residents have vast experience with privately-held transport infrastructure, with both of Australia’s two most expensive toll roads going into and out of the district. Many Hills residents have little choice but to pay over $26 a day in tolls to drive to and from work.
“During the election campaign, The Premier Mr. O’Farrell, his Transport Minister and Liberal MPs were asked by Hills Transport Working Group members whether the train line would be publicly owned; each eluded that the infrastructure would be publicly owned. Mr. Ray Williams MP, Representative for Hawkesbury, even went so far as to verbally confirm they [the Liberal Party] would ‘borrow money to make improvements’.
Mr Fiander has written to Mr O’Farrell in an open letter to urge him to rule out a public-private partnership model that could see a station access fee charged or ticket prices more expensive for Hills Residents than other CityRail users.
“Given the potential choice of $26 on the M2 or $52 on the North West Rail Link, I would question the Government’s commitment to achieving the project’s objectives of creating an integrated and affordable transport system that encourages people out of their cars”
Mr Barry O’Farrell, MP
Premier of New South Wales
27 Redleaf Avenue
WAHROONGA NSW 2076
Dear Mr O’Farrell,
It has brought to the attention of the Hills Transport Working that the New South Wales Governmenthas called for tenders for financial advice on the North West Rail Link (NWRL) project.
As I’m sure you are aware, one of the crucial pieces of financial advice being sought is a comparison between “agovernment delivery model” and “a privately funded project model”.
I write this letter today to urge you to avoid a public-private partnership for this piece of crucial infrastructure. The North West Rail Link is decades overdue and will, hopefully, form the very centre of an integrated transport system for North Western Sydney – a goal the Hills Transport Working Groupaims to help achieve over the coming years.
Success of public-private partnerships (PPP) for transport infrastructure in New South Wales (primarily in Sydney) has been rather lack lustre. The one PPP which has avoided going into administration and/or bankruptcy is the Airport Link.
The 30-year lease-style agreement between the Airport Link Company and the NSW Government provided the government with a saving of just $200 million from the $900 million project. Over the course of the 30-year contract, commuters using the Airport Link will pay in excess of $2.5 billion morethan they would have otherwise paid on a normal CityRail line.
If these figures are overlayed on the North West Rail Link project, it will see the private sector invest$1.7 billion, saving the government approximate $2.2 billion (assuming entire infrastructure investment is financed with issuing of State Government Bonds). However this will, over the term of 30 years, cost the residents of North Western Sydney more than $6 billion or as much as $15-20 per passenger journey.
This additional expense is completely unacceptable to the community in North Western Sydney. During a Sydney Morning Herald forum held in Epping in the weeks prior to the 2011 election, Ms Gladys Berejiklian spoke of “working towards one network” and “build a system people want to use”. Building the North West Rail Link with such an enormous barrier to entry will not achieve Ms Berejiklian’s stated goal to “build a system people want to use”.
During the 2011 election campaign, members of the Hills Transport Working Group put questions to you and members of the Liberal party about the funding model you would utilise to build the new rail link. Only one Liberal Party member, Mr Ray Williams – representing the electorate of Hawkesbury, was willing to discuss options and even then only vaguely. Mr Williams verbally advised me “We [the LiberalParty] will borrow money to improve Hawkesbury neighbourhoods”.
I urge you to stick to Ms Berejiklian’s stated goal and “build a system people want to use” and avoid theunnecessary expense to commuters of a public-private partnership.
Warm Regards,
James Fiander – Chair
Hills Transport Working Group
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March 18th, 2011
Use the below to view the report:
Media Release
18 March 2011 – for immediate release
Hills Transport Working Group publishes Election Policy Report
The Hills Transport Working Group has published a report answering some key questions about the transport policies of the three major parties.
After the release of the Hills Transport Scorecard on 21 February 2011, the Hills Transport Working Group surveyed the transport spokespeople of the Labor, Liberal and Greens parties.
Hills Transport Chairperson, James Fiander, said today:
“Over the past 20 years there have been a lot of promises on transport initiatives for The Hills. The Working Group has set out to try and cut through the spin and allow voters to compare like for like.
“It is a great outcome for the Hills that there is a universal commitment to the North West Rail Link and the expansion of the Metrobus initiative.
“Despite the different delivery timetables, all three parties are committed to invest in transport infrastructure for the area at the same time.
“Major infrastructure spending will take years to deliver so the Working Group will be looking to constructively engage with the new Government to ensure they keep their promises and look to initiatives in the meantime to ease the strain on our congested transport network.
“We wish to thank Transport Minister John Robertson and Greens Transport Spokeswoman Cate Faerman for responding to our survey.
“Despite many attempts to engage with the Shadow Transport Spokesperson, Gladys Berejiklian over the past three months, the Liberal party did not respond to Hills residents’ questions. We have collated Liberal Party responses though a combination of press releases and attending events where Ms Berejiklian attended to quiz her on Hills transport issues.
“As an independent group of residents we are not going to tell people how to vote, we are wanting to get the information into the public domain so that voters can make an informed decision come March 26.
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February 21st, 2011
A scorecard released by The Hills Transport Working Group reveals that serious questions remain unanswered about the transport promises of the major parties heading into the 2011 NSW State Election.
With less than six weeks to go, the damning Scorecard, compiled from the policy documents currently in the public domain highlights major gaps in the promises of plans to deliver the long overdue North West Rail Link.
Click here for the North Western Sydney Transport Scorecard – 21 February 2011
James Fiander, Chair of The Hills Transport Working Group, said today:
“The Hills has been promised a railway line in one form or another for decades and now, more than ever, residents deserve some transparency on what political parties are actually promising
“We have found that no party has a fully costed plan for the North West Rail Link and this is a big concern. No assumptions are available for where the money will come from and no firm commitments have been published by the Labor or Liberal Parties that the line will be publically owned.
“What we could see is a privately owned line, like the Airport Line, where passengers pay up to $19.60 each way versus $7.80 for the rest of the CityRail network.”
There are also gaps in delivery timetables.
“Residents believe it is unacceptable that commuters in Rouse Hill would need to wait until 2024 before the first train rolls in under Labor but, similarly, we only have a commitment from the Liberals to start within the next four years – no date for completion.
“If we were to take the timetable for delivery in our state’s transport blueprint and apply it to the Liberal timeline for commencement, it would not be until 2022 that a Liberal-delivered train rolls into Rouse Hill.
“We have found that only the Labor Party has committed to a route and number of stations. This key information is missing from the Liberal and Greens election platforms.”
Mr Fiander believes that it is incumbent on all parties to come clean on policy detail.
“Hills voters deserve to know what we are voting for and we have written to the three major parties calling on them to make this information available. We will be publishing a revised Scorecard ahead of the March 26 poll with the responses we receive.”
Click here for the North Western Sydney Transport Scorecard – 21 February 2011
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January 28th, 2011
A letter from the Hill Transport Working Group Chair, James Fiander
Dear Members and Friends,
After the success of the inaugural Hills Transport Forum late last year, we planned a second transport forum for February 24.
The Working Group sent out official invitations to the New South Wales Transport representatives of the Liberal party, Labor party and Greens.
To date, serious questions remain unanswered by all parties about their plans for Transport in North Western Sydney, such as the North West Rail Link funding model, public vs. private ownership, service frequency and more importantly, what initiatives will be introduced to relieve the current transport situation, which is at breaking point.
Just two weeks from the planned Forum date and weeks after the original RSVP date for the major parties, we have been able to confirm a transport spokesperson from only two of the three major parties.
As a community group, we have limited resources and it was our decision from the early stages of planning this event that we were not willing to host a partisan or biased forum. We agreed that if we were unable to get all major parties to attend, we would not go ahead.
For these reasons we have, today, taken the unfortunate decision to cancel the Hills Transport Forum scheduled for Thursday 24 February.
I am disappointed in a political party whose elected representatives are willing to offer lip service from Macquarie Street, but not willing to come to The Hills and consult with the community directly.
We look forward to the next forum and hope that this unwillingness to consult with the community is not a sign of things to come in the next term of the NSW Parliament.
Kind Regards,
James Fiander
In place of the planned forum, over the coming week, the Hills Transport Working Group will publish a report card analysis of the major party’s transport commitments for North Western Sydney.
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October 8th, 2010
9 October 2010, 10am-4pm
Market Square, Rouse Hill Town Centre
Join us for a day of fun and entertainment. This will be the first day out for the Hills Transport Working Group to come by and say hello, pick up a show bag and find out what the Working Group is up to and how you can become involved. The day will feature over 50 exhibitors, live entertainment and children’s activities. Ride in an electric car, talk to experts and just enjoy the day.
For more information about the Green Travel and Lving Expo visit the Green Travel Club website.
See you there!!
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September 21st, 2010
This week we’re excited to announce the launch of My Hills Transport, an initiative of the Hills Transport Working Group with the goal to empower you to effect positive transport changes; enabling all Hills District transport users to strive for integrated transport solutions for North Western Sydney.
To stay tuned for upcoming events, use the Join form on the right hand side to join the announcements email list. We’ll keep you informed in ways in which you can get involved to create a more integrated approach to transport for our community.
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