First North West Rail Link EIS sent to public

The first of two environmental impact statements (EIS) for the North West Rail Link in Sydney, Australia was released on Wednesday. The announcement followed a statement on 12 March that the New South Wales Government would secure an additional transport corridor for future expansion.

New South Wales Premier and minister for Western Sydney Barry O’Farrell said, “The release of this EIS is further evidence the NSW Government is getting on with the job of delivering the North West Rail Link. This is the most important transport project in the country, and we are proceeding full steam ahead with its delivery.”

The EIS was released for public exhibition for 48 days until 21 May. Eight public sessions will form part of the exhibition including sessions on specific topics including noise and vibration, construction traffic and construction methods.

Minister for Transport Galdys Berejiklian said, “We are building tunnels almost six times longer than the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. The economic benefits of the North West Rail Link are immense – the new line will support more than 16,200 jobs during construction and inject about $25 billion into the NSW economy.”

Some 17 construction sites will be set up along the alignment. Major tunnelling work will begin in 2014 (see feature, T&TI March 2012, page 34). State government estimates valued the project at over USD 8bn.

The EIS can be read at www.northwestrail.com.au. The second EIS will be released later in 2012.