Image: Dushan Hanuska.
The management of one of Sydney’s biggest modes of public transport has been given a shake-up as the operation and maintenance of the Inner West Light Rail will from now on be conducted by ALTRAC Light Rail.
The move to bring the Inner West Light Rail under the ALTRAC banner has been coordinated by the New South Wales government as a way to deliver an “integrated light rail system” under one operator.
Although ALTRAC Light Rail has taken over the operation and maintenance of the Inner West Light Rail, its existing operator Transdev which has been running the line since 1999 will continue to carry out its work as part of the ALTRAC Light Rail consortium.
This consortium was announced in 2014 as the successful consortia to design, build, operate and maintain the CBS and South East Light Rail in a contract valued at $2.1 billion.
It’s made up of four companies including Alstom, Acciona, Transdev and Capella Capital.
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance considers the move as an “important step in terms of broadening network capacity in the future”.
“Light Rail has been a game changer for the Inner West with around 20,000 passenger journeys every day between Central and Dulwich Hill,” Mr Constance said.
He said it’s proven to be one of the most popular forms of public transport in the area, with customers embracing the smoother and more comfortable journey that light rail delivers.
Since the opening of the Inner West Light Rail network in 1997 between Central and Wentworth Park, the government has made significant changes and upgrades to the system in order to broaden its appeal and lengthen its reach.
The first big change was to extend the light rail corridor to Lilyfield in 2000, and further extending that to Dulwich Hill in 2014, which delivered an additional nine stations.
