rogf24 wrote:There is a large amount of new housing being developed in Carlingford and Epping so I guess to the government it makes more sense to provide access to these areas rather than a new Eastwood alone. There is also some, but not on a very large scale, urban consolidation along the rest of the Carlingford line. Maybe the Carlingford line has potential more people than the Kissing Point Road corridor. The government's public transport and housing strategy seems to be mostly squeezing all they can out of existing infrastructure rather than investing in brand new lines and a Carlingford line conversion seems to able to suit that ticket better than an Eastwood alignment but I'm not exactly sure.
My query is not so much about the relative merits of a route via Eastwood or Carlingford/Epping, but Parramatta Council's last minute change in it's preferred option, contrary to its feasibility study, without any apparent explanation. No further study has been undertaken on its behalf to influence this decision. Sounds like some backroom dealing to me, or perhaps the fact that the Carlingford/Epping route is primarily within its jurisdiction rather than Ryde Council through the Eastwood Town Centre. It appears they have distanced themselves from their original feasibility study, as it is no longer available on their website, seemingly not even acknowledging its existence. They have also been silent on the recommended link to Castle Hill as part of the Macquarie Park link. Seems odd to me. If Parramatta Council wants to take over the western part of Ryde Council, which includes Eastwood, then they're not exactly endearing themselves to Eastwood residents and business community.
On another note, the only other location along the Carlingford Line suitable for urban consolidation is Telopea, which can equally be accommodated on a light rail route via Kissing Point Rd. There has been recent redevelopment of high density apartments along Carlingford Rd, Carlingford (in Hornsby Council's jurisdiction, not Parramatta's), but it pales into insignificance compared with the redevelopment potential of Eastwood. Epping is already undergoing redevelopment as part of a Priority Precinct on the North West Metro and it doesn't need a light rail link to enhance its potential. On the other hand, the redevelopment potential of Eastwood has never been objectively assessed (thanks to the disinterest by Ryde Council which is more focussed on Macquarie Park and Top Ryde). As an example, there are whole blocks of current single lot residential housing along the southern side of the County Rd between Blaxland Rd and Shaftsbury Rd (First Ave and Rutledge St) which are within 800m of the railway station and could be rezoned for high density. It could accommodate hundreds if not thousands of apartments within walking distance of the Town Centre and transport interchange. That doesn't even take into account the redevelopment potential within the Town Centre itself if the same planning controls applicable to Epping were implemented (being a larger retail/commercial centre, you'd think this would be justifiable).
However, a light rail route from Dundas to Macquarie Park via Eastwood doesn't preclude a branch to Carlingford along the rest of the rail corridor. On the evidence available to date, there is no prospect of a light rail route either to or through Epping.