Great Look Bus Stop Isn't It? Or Is It?

This is a typical bus stop that has commuters waiting for a bus or is this statement correct? 
                      Check Below for answer!

Would you believe it it is a taxi stand in Parramatta and commuters are prepared to wait for long time to catch one! 
                            Unbelievable!

This Is a Bus Stop In Western Sydney Where Even Young Lovers Can Use The Bus Shelter Seats Economically!

At least  for one of them the seat is warm!

Checkout Werrington Train Station!

Single Carriageway at the end of Werrington Train Station facing St Marys Direction

Artwork  on Werrington Train Station

Train entering Werrington Train Station from Penrith

Community Sector Awards - Nominate Now!

The Zest community sector awards nominations are closing. Run by Western Sydney Community Forum the awards are to celebrate the work of community sector workers and community volunteers in Greater Western Sydney. You can nominate people. Find out more here: http://www.zestawards.com.au/nominations

Check Out Buses Needed In Shalvey Stories

This is articles by  St Marys-Mount Druitt Star and the Sun Herald - please enjoy it!

This could be happening in your area of Western Sydney - contact us and let us know?


Sydney Morning Herald/ Sun Herald Article

Click here for St Marys- Mount Druitt Star Story

Feedback From Busways - Re New Contracts Bus Region 1

We have feedback  from Busways about them taking over the entire region one - they discuss Mount Druitt - Penrith area. A lot of Mount Druitt commuter will be used to Busways and other from Mount Druitt to Penrith are to to Westbus Bus Services - it will be something to talk about as commuters find out:

Click here for the original response from Busways

Click Here for WSPTU's original blog on the new Bus Contracts

Southwest LInk Community Meetings & Updates

Checkout dates for South West Rail Link Community Sessions:

Click here

Announcement of New Bus Contracts

This could be very important for people in Greater Western Sydney.

Transport for NSW has announced the successful tenders for the bus contracts in several regions including Region 1 (Penrith to Blacktown) and Region 3 (Liverpool, Fairfield, Holroyd).

Busways was successful for Region 1 and Transit Systems Australia was successful in Region 3. Busways www.busways.com.au is well known to people in Region 1 but the other existing service providers, Westbus and Hawkesbury Valley Buses, appear to have missed out on contracts in Region 1.

The new contract for Region 3 has gone to Transit Systems Australia. They seems to be a new business in Western Sydney http://www.transitsystems.com.au/overview . Previously Region 3 was operated by a consortium of MetroLink, Busabout, Hopkinsons and Westbus. It's unknown what will happen with those businesses. http://www.a3mc.com.au/

http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/new-bus-contracts-benefit-customers-and-taxpayers

Filling In 'The Gap' - SMH

The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story this week about the difficulties some people in Sydney face while trying to access the bus system.

People associated with WSPTU groups in Mt Druitt and Bankstown are in the story.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/for-many-public-transport-is-now-a-private-hell-20121110-294wx.html

The Sydney Alliance has created maps showing where services aren't available within 400 metres and with a frequency of 15 minutes. The Sydney Alliance have created a formula for quality services: 400:15:1 SCAA.  This means 400 metres to the nearest stop, every 15 minutes, available on 1 ticket, safe, clean, accessible and affordable.

Here is a story in the SMH about how people could be linked to high-frequency services through the use of local-level 'feeder' services and 'flexible' transport services. Prof Corrine Mulley from the Institute of Transport and Logistics at Sydney Uni is quoted. Professor Mulley has presented at the WSPTU Symposium.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/linking-services-vital-to-get-the-city-moving-20121111-296h0.html

Ecotransit and the "WasteConnex" parody

Ecotransit* has created a parody of the Infrastructure NSW video about the proposed "WestConnex" motorways proposal for the M4 east extension and M5 widening. You can view it by clicking here.

*Ecotransit is a community group interested in transport and sustainability in Sydney. You can go to their website by clicking here.

World Streets Journal

Sometimes we forget that the WSPTU is working in a very similar way to many other people and groups all around the world. We have in common an agenda of social inclusion, liveability and sustainability. The World Streets Journal comes out of the UK but has a lot of connections into Europe, Africa, Asia and the US. It is one of the links provided by WSPTU in our links menu (to the left of the screen). You go to World Streets by clicking here.

Update Of The North West Rail - Courtesy of Mr Ray Williams - NSW Parliamentary Secretary, Western Sydney

North West Rail Link

 

Two key milestones had been reached on the North West Rail Link, marking significant progress in work to build the tunnels and skytrain. The Government has now officially called tenders to build the tunnels and started the process to build the skytrain.  

Three shortlisted consortia have been invited to start preparing their tender bids to design and build the 15km of tunnels between Bella Vista and Epping.  We’re on track to have the first of the tunnel boring machines in the ground in 2014. Expressions of interest have also been called for the Surface and Viaduct Civil Works (SVC) contract, which includes construction of the 4km skytrain between Bella Vista and Rouse Hill. The contract includes the design and construction of the 4km skytrain between Kellyville and Rouse Hill including bridges and crossings.  

The project’s second Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) went on exhibition at the end of October and North West Sydney got its first look at the city’s eight new railway stations and other major benefits of the North West Rail Link. 

The community will have until December 3 to have their say on the second EIS which highlights key benefits of the project, including design and operation of the eight new railway stations at Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Showground, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Cudgegong Rd, commuter parking for 4,000 cars and how the rapid transit rail link operates, including the new generation single deck trains announced as part of Sydney’s Rail Future.

The North West Rail Link is forecast to reduce car trips by 14 million a year soon after opening – this is about 12,000 fewer car trips in an average two-hour weekday morning peak. The reduction in car trips is forecast to increase to 20 million a year by 2036.

The trip from Cudgegong Road, Rouse Hill to Macquarie Park will take about 28 minutes, to Chatswood 37 minutes and to Wynyard (including an interchange) 57 minutes.