Local Government Areas (LGA) heads in Western Sydney welcomed a new federal infrastructure assessment that places a long-proposed north–south rail connection among the nation’s most urgent transport priorities.

Infrastructure Australia (IA) has just announced that a full-length rail link connecting St Marys to Tallawong, along with proposed rail connections from Bradfield to Leppington and Macarthur, has been included on its 2026 Infrastructure Priority List.

The list provides independent, evidence-based advice to the Australian government on major infrastructure proposals that should be considered for investment over the next decade.

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils says the designation signals growing recognition of the region’s rapid expansion and mounting transport needs.

“We welcome the inclusion of the north–south rail connection on the Infrastructure Australia 2026 Infrastructure Priority List as a significant step toward delivering the transport connections Western Sydney desperately needs,” says Brad Bunting, president of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils.

Bunting says a north–south rail line would help connect Sydney’s northwest, west and southwest and support the region’s long-term growth.

Western Sydney is home to some of the country’s fastest-growing communities and has developed into Australia’s third-largest regional economy by gross regional product, he says.

Improved rail connections are essential to link residents with jobs, education, and services across the expanding region, according to local leaders. The proposed corridor would also help support the success of the new Western Sydney International Airport by improving access to emerging employment hubs around the airport precinct.

The airport, scheduled to open this year, is expected to reshape the regional economy. But Bunting says its success will depend in part on a well-connected public transport network.

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils has long advocated for a more integrated transport system linking major centres and employment areas across the region.

While the listing on the national priority list is a significant step, Bunting says it must be followed by firm and long-term commitments from the Australian and New South Wales governments to plan, fund and build the full north–south rail network.

Image: Supplied by IA.

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