Sydney Metro West has been in the news this week. The headline story was the Australian Turf Corporation (ATC) proposing the redevelopment of the Rosehill Racecourse site into about 25,000 homes, to be supported by an additional station on the Sydney Metro West Line. Although the line is still under construction, it’s hard to not think of Rosehill as an ‘infill’ station – the planning for the line was so far advanced and the tunnels are already being excavated. All this got me thinking about infill stations in general, and the role they can play in redeveloping existing neighbourhoods to provide more housing close to quality public transport. So in this post I’m going to propose 34 locations on existing lines where we could build ‘infill’ stations to support new homes.
The Inner City (within 5km of the CBD)
1. Redfern Street (2.4km from Town Hall)
The Airport Line has a relatively large 2.6km gap between Central and Green Square. An infill station at Redfern Street would halve this gap and improve rail access on the eastern edges of Redfern. It would allow more homes to be built close to the city.
2. Woollahra (3.5km from Town Hall)
Anyone with a basic knowledge of Sydney’s rail network would have heard about the unfinished Woollahra station on the Eastern Suburbs Railway. With the current shortage in housing stock, I think it’s the right time to finish it off. Most of the capital works were completed when the line originally opened – for example, the platform structure already exists. Woollahra would be a relatively simple and cheap ‘new station’ and allow greater density of homes in the locality.
The abandoned Woollahra station cutting and platform. Image by highplains68.
3. Liberty Street (4km from Town Hall)
The distance between Newtown and Stanmore stations on the Main West Line is about 1.5km – quite a large gap considering its proximity to the city. If a new station was added to the West Local tracks at Liberty Street, the new station could stimulate redevelopment nearby. Most of the buildings in the area are 1-2 storeys, presenting an opportunity for significant uplift in density.
Olympic Park Line
4. Pippita (13.5km from Town Hall)
A new station between the M4 Motorway and the Flemington railway depot could support new high-density development near the busy Olympic Park precinct.
Illawarra & Cronulla Lines
5. Sutherland Hospital (20km from Town Hall)
A new station on the Cronulla Line at Kareena Rd would split the 2km gap between Miranda and Caringbah. It would improve access to the Sutherland Hospital and stimulate redevelopment in the surrounding low density residential area.
6. Gannons Road (20km from Town Hall)
Similarly to the Sutherland Hospital station above, this site would split a 2km gap between Caringbah and Woolooware. Despite much of the vicinity being occupied by green space, the station would be relatively cheap to construct and enable greater residential density in the surrounding streets.
7. Yarrawarrah (26km from Town Hall)
A station at Yarrawarrah (near the Princes Highway bridge) would split a 4.6km gap between Loftus and Engadine on the Illawarra Line. The area is entirely low-density in character and a new station here could support a significant uplift in housing stock.
East Hills Line
8. Voyager Point (24km from Town Hall)
This is an isolated location which consists entirely of detached homes, making it another suitable candidate for new development near the railway. A new station here would split the 2.7km gap between East Hills and Holsworthy stations.
9. Wattle Grove (27km from Town Hall)
This location is only slightly further down the line from Voyager Point, and has similar low-density character. A new station at the end of Evandale Circuit would link well with an existing active transport path and provide relief for the busy Holsworthy station. It would split a 6km gap between Holsworthy and Glenfield stations.
10. Georges River (29km from Town Hall)
In the same 6km gap between Holsworthy and Glenfield, another station could be added on the western side of the Georges River. This location is undeveloped and could support a series of new high-density residential developments.
Main South Line
11. Lansvale (24km from Town Hall)
A station at this site would halve the 2.5km gap between Carramar and Cabramatta. The neighbourhood currently consists of low-density residential which is suitable for renewal.
12. Liverpool Hospital (26km from Town Hall)
A new station adjacent to the Liverpool Hospital would split the 1.5km gap between Liverpool and Warwick Farm stations. It would provide better access to the hospital precinct and could support new homes on the eastern side of the railway. Some of these new homes could be specifically reserved as ‘affordable housing’ for hospital workers.
13. Liverpool South (27km from Town Hall)
The homes in immediate proximity to this location are predominantly low-density. A new station near the 90-degree bend in Congressional Drive would support increased housing density close to the Liverpool CBD, splitting a 3km gap between Liverpool and Casula stations.
14. Ingleburn South (36km from Town Hall)
A new station near Wilkinson Crescent would split the 4km gap between Ingleburn and Minto. Industrial land to the west of the railway could be repurposed for residential uses.
15. Glen Alpine (46km from Town Hall)
A station 2km beyond Macarthur station could directly serve new homes near the railway.
Leppington Line
16. Hume Motorway (33km from Town Hall)
A station on the east side of the Hume Motorway would split the 3.5km gap between Edmondson Park and Glenfield. The land surrounding this site is undeveloped and suitable for a new master-planned development.
17. Camden Valley Way (35km from Town Hall)
A new station on the Leppington line at Camden Valley Way would split a 5.6km gap between Leppington and Edmondson Park. It could support a new local centre similar to the development that has taken place at Edmondson Park in recent years.
18. Rossmore (39km from Town Hall)
The tracks continue beyond Leppington for 2km to the Rossmore stabling yard. A few of the stabling roads could be converted into an island platform to create a new station.
Western Line
19. Parramatta West (20km from Town Hall)
An infill station near Pitt Street would increase rail access along the western fringes of Parramatta CBD and could support new pockets of high-density residential development.
20. Blacktown Hospital (29km from Town Hall)
A station in this location would serve the Blacktown Hospital precinct and split the 2.8km gap between Seven Hills and Blacktown stations. Housing density could be increased on both the north and south sides of the railway.
21. Lancaster Street (31km from Town Hall)
This area is entirely low-density in character. A new station on the western side of the Lancaster Street bridge would sit in the 3.6km gap between Blacktown and Doonside. The new station could support additional housing stock close to the major Blacktown activity centre.
22. Blacktown Sports Park (35km from Town Hall)
A station here would split the 2.3km gap between Doonside and Rooty Hill. It would improve access to the recreation precinct and could support a high-density mixed-use development on a small footprint at the eastern edge of the facility.
23. Oxley Park (40km from Town Hall)
This location is low-density in character and sits in the 4.2km gap between Mt Druitt and St Marys stations. A new station here would support higher housing density.
24. UWS Werrington (45km from Town Hall)
A new station at this location would serve the UWS Werrington campus and stimulate higher-density development in the existing low-density area. It would split the 3.5km gap between Werrington and Kingswood stations.
25. Penrith East (48km from Town Hall)
This location is on the edge of Penrith CBD and lies in the 2.4km gap between Kingswood and Penrith stations. A new station near Kendall St would support increased housing density near the rail corridor and stimulate the expansion of Penrith’s CBD to the east.
26. Russell Street (53km from Town Hall)
This location has low-density residential development to the south, and an industrial precinct to the north. A new station at the Russell Street bridge would split the 6km gap between Emu Plains and Lapstone, serving the workers of the industrial precinct and supporting new development in the surrounding area.
Metro North West Line
27. Marsfield (15km from Town Hall)
The ECRL tunnels pass directly beneath the TG Milner sports fields, which Eastwood Rugby Club have proposed to be redeveloped. While Ryde Council is in staunch opposition to this plan, a new metro station here could support a huge uplift in housing stock.
28. Thompsons Corner (20km from Town Hall)
There is a huge 6km gap between Epping and Cherrybrook. A new station at Thompsons Corner could support new housing developments near the well-connected Pennant Hills Rd.
29. Windsor Road (32km from Town Hall)
An infill station at this location would sit halfway between Kellyville and Rouse Hill, which are 2.6km apart. It would support further housing growth in North West Sydney.
Richmond Line
30. Blacktown North (31km from Town Hall)
The recent Ashlar Golf Course redevelopment to the west of the railway could have incorporated higher densities if a new station had been constructed in the 2.5km gap between Blacktown and Marayong.
31. M7 Motorway (33km from Town Hall)
A station near the M7 Motorway would split the 2.5km gap between Marayong and Quakers Hill, supporting increased housing density in this area.
32. Nirimba Fields (35km from Town Hall)
Another substantial gap of 2.8km exists between Quakers Hill and Schofields. A new station here would again support greater residential densities.
33. Old Schofields (37km from Town Hall)
Building a new station near the Westminster Avenue bridge would halve the 3km gap between Schofields and Riverstone and support new residential development.
Old Main South Line
34. Holroyd (20km from Town Hall)
Right on Parramatta’s doorstep, a new station at Holroyd would split gaps of over 2km between Merrylands and Granville / Harris Park. It could support increased housing stock in a convenient location, with direct train access to both Parramatta and the City.
Conclusion
After current major projects are finished, Sydney will have 197 stations, and these proposed additional infill stations would increase that figure to 231 – a 17% increase. Overall, these new stations could probably support around 150,000 additional homes, which is quite impressive when one considers that this could be done using only existing lines. Obviously, it is unlikely that many of these stations would actually be built in real life. However, these examples help to illustrate the potential of Sydney's rail network to support new homes in a growing city. Perhaps in the future we will see a similar scheme to what I have proposed here.
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