Over a year ago, the first phase of testing began on the new Parramatta Light Rail track – a 12-kilometre track connecting Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia. Now, after delays that have kept Western Sydneysiders on their toes for months, the L4 Westmead & Carlingford Line is officially up and running.
From today (Friday, December 20) onwards, the brand new, 45-metre-long air-conditioned light rail vehicles will run on a pretty frequent schedule across 16 stops – providing access to the Westmead Health Precinct, CommBank Stadium, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta Square, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, three Western Sydney University campuses and more than 60 cafes and restaurants on and around Parramatta’s Church Street.
With a capacity of 400 passengers, they’re set to make travelling through Sydney’s west a whole lot smoother, with Transport Minister Jo Haylen describing the network as “the public transport network Western Sydney has been waiting for”.
According to Transport for NSW, around 22,000 people are expected to use Parramatta Light Rail every day by 2026, with an estimated 130,000 people living within walking distance of the 16 light rail stops.
The current schedule will see services run every nine minutes between 7am to 7pm; every 12 minutes between 5am and 7am and 7pm and 11pm; and every 16 minutes between 11pm to 1am.
For the first few weeks of operation, you’ll find additional staff at each stop, and each stop is fitted with audio help points linking directly to staff at Parramatta Light Rail’s Operations Control Centre.
You can plan your journey on the shiny new transport system over here.
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