Chris Minns won. How will he fix Sydney's transport?

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Hey! Chris Minns’ win will mean a lot for our state’s transport. Labor could be bolder, for sure, and it remains to be seen what effect their term in government will have on our transport and urban layout. I left plenty out of this video due to time constraints. If you’re interested, check out the description. Have a good day :))

[@bigjohn6330]

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[@alistairjohnson8185]

Chris Minns will destroy the current infrastructure planning for NSW. Wake up.

[@jasonwhiteley3612]

Historically labour has been for the last 50 year anti public transport hopefully this has changed.The only rail line they built was Chatswood to Epping though making a lot of promises they preferred cars. Of course a lot of people picked suburbs because of the car focus.While suburbs near rail lines use to be cheaper as Campbelltown & the Bankstown were affordable but there now an increased premium on property near rail or good public transport

[@electro_sykes]

a sydney metro station at Camelia would have great connections to the Parramatta light rail and would actually save a lot of people having to change between the Metro or Trains at Westmead & Parramatta. I don't think it would solve the problem of the Carlingford - Epping transit divide. Extend the light rail to epping via a new tunnel or elevated.

[@electro_sykes]

upgrade the Liverpool - Parramatta T-Way to a high frequency Battery powered bi-Articulated bus system, like the Brisbane Metro. It would definetly improve capacity, run more frequently and even better, would be able to utilise most of the already exsisting infrastructure along the T-way whilst still making many improvements to service along the corridor. It would be like a battery powered rubber tyred tram in a way.

[@jamesransome-haberley9298]

I would love a video looking at regional rail and the role that could and probably should be playing in future proofing housing in NSW. Maybe look at how inland states of the US grew and developed where Australia seems to be struggling to do so.

[@ChrisTopher_Urbanism]

It would definitely be great to see a regional rail revival in NSW similar to Victoria

[@ItzWindyyy]

​@@ChrisTopher_Urbanism agreed. Need to do rail straightening stuff between albury & syd as well as to wollongong, newcastle & maybe Tamworth & Coffs

[@peepeetrain8755]

@@ItzWindyyy or revive the northern rail between Armidale and the QLD Border. going from Tamworth to coffs will be a bitch because mountains.

[@tylerdavidson2400]

@I don’t have a name: Mountains? Where? They are HILLS compared to real mountains all around the world. Mate, even a developing country like India have railway lines across mighty Himalayas and you are worried about our small hills.🤦‍♂️

[@spankmeflanders1466]

@@peepeetrain8755 Tamworth should be the hub, not Armidale. and you talk about mountains, lol Armidale is literally on top of the GDR

[@anthonywalsh2164]

It’s back to the bad old days of no development and the decrepit transport department and rail unions back in control. Just at the moment Sydney metro is about to help transform the city.

[@jack2453]

Good theory but the metro will never transform the city as long as the stations are 5km apart and there are no decent interchanges.

[@YellowYT]

As a northern beaches resident, I can agree that that the Northern Beaches will never get a train line, our locals suck.

[@mrsmith-sh2px]

Government sucks, not the locals

[@jack2453]

@@mrsmith-sh2px When it comes to transport infrastructure, the northern beaches nimbys just wont take yes for an answer. Let them drown in their own traffic.

[@jdouble-l19978]

I think the best thing the Labor Government could do is make a new timetable overhaul for the Sydney Trains network that features a lot of express and fast limited stops services for a lot of stations on most lines as they announced back in February this year. I strongly feel like that it should start in the second half of this year.

[@travellingtrent8792]

I just hope they don't go back to the Bob Carr years where there was next to no Public Transport Infrastructure built.

[@rileyeyeyy]

My reasons why Sydney metro Wsyd airport should come to Macarthur or Glenfield. 1. Airport to airport connections - plan trips that can use both airports 2. Giving Oran park and surrounding areas a station 3. Giving MacArthur a big thing such as metro could push for southern highlands line to have more frequent services or even make that Kim electrified to an extent as there is many new house developments in the area such as Menangle park, Douglas park and Picton. Thank you for reading I rlly want a metro thanks bye

[@ccsaun]

And connect it to Tallawong so the line "feels" more connected with the existing line. Of course you'll have to change at Tallwong due to the different voltage but it would still be handy.

[@jack2453]

All of these could be achieved by a few really cheap extensions to the Sydney Trains network.

[@rileyeyeyy]

@@jack2453 or that I guess

[@IsthisNedsBeach]

@@jack2453 100 percent...in fact Airport to Airport is better served by that option! The conversion of heavy rail to Metro without any additional stations makes no sense.

[@saricella]

100% agree! I've always loved that Macarthur Square has a station and bus interchange, it's so well connected. But none of the new developments along Cowpasture Rd and the Hume Hwy have train access.

[@boccibee]

I would love to hear your thoughts on future light rail projects!

[@adamknight5089]

Awesome video as always, probably spend more time thinking about solution to this than government.

[@electro_sykes]

upgrade the Liverpool - Parramatta T-Way to a high frequency Battery powered bi-Articulated bus system, like the Brisbane Metro. It would definetly improve capacity, run more frequently and even better, would be able to utilise most of the already exsisting infrastructure along the T-way whilst still making many improvements to service along the corridor. It would be like a battery powered rubber tyred tram in a way.

[@aquamonkee]

From 16 years of the previous Labor government I think the crowning achievement was the Chatswood-Parramatta rail line, they built half of it at double the cost and twice the time! The rail union is going to walk all over him with zero consequences

[@electro_sykes]

i heard the the Minns government want to eventually replace the ageing K & T set trains. It is rumoured that these new train will be built in either New South Wales or up in Maryborough, QLD.

[@EEVblog]

$60 toll cap? Does anyone think the toll companies are going to cap the toll because the government tells them too? Nope. The toll company will still get paid the same, so guess where the difference comes from...

[@oufukubinta]

Very well thought-out points and fair to both sides. I am less enthusiastic about an increased focus on buses but anything is better than more cars IMO

[@owenb7911]

i think buses are great, for temporary fixes because theyre quick and cheap to implement

[@oufukubinta]

@@owenb7911 Well, yes, but we've had many decades of quick and cheap fixes and the result is now if you want to build infrastructure it costs many times what it would have cost in the past. Also they have a strong union here so they can strike and then get even more government (taxpayer) money which makes infrastructure investing more difficult than it has to be

[@owenb7911]

@@oufukubinta i reckon bus drivers would prefer to operate trams more than buses so they can avoid traffic. there fore the unions arent the problem here, its just the taste for the public and costs

[@PatSmashYT]

Telling people in the North Shore and Eastern Suburbs to f-off and make way for apartments sounds like a very bad idea, especially considering the bodge job the construction companies do on apartment blocks nowadays

[@Elanshin]

Has nothing to do with construction costs and everything to do with politicians not having a job if they try. These are some of the richest most powerful people in this country as a collective.

[@Fishmans]

Apartments are going to be low quality anyways, better to put them in accessible city areas than out west. The west has faced the brunt of the development boom for far too long. Also, Labor’s attitude towards the east is an example of why swing voting is so helpful. They’re not going to care about how the Liberal strongholds feel, because they were never going to vote for Labor anyways. If these places were swing electorates, Labor would be much more hesitant.

[@mabamabam]

Housing does have an easy fix. Cut the massive and growing demand. Australia already builds houses faster than almost every OECD country. We are building huge numbers of houses every single year. Our construction sector as a proportion of the economy is massive compared to other rich countries. But none of that makes up for the massive and growing migration programme our governments run. The easy fix is to go back to normal migration rates of around 100,000 every year. Adding 300,000 a year is just mad. Its stealing young people future to pump property prices.

[@geyrek5955]

Would also improve transport provision. Instead of sprinting just to keep up with population growth we could actually take time and improve the system

[@georgechapman9722]

By the way I believe we must fix the buses across the major cities, for me for example I live in Melbourne and take the bus to uni, my bus is almost always late and pretty much all of the buses in my area is unreliable, indirect and have uncomfortable seats. It is also frustrating seeing the Victorian government spend billions of dollars on new train lines, stations and trams whilst neglecting the buses and claiming that they care about public transport.

[@oufukubinta]

Definitely, but don't expect a temporary fix to last very long

[@ItzWindyyy]

All bus routes needs to be revamped to create versatility with nore focus on meeting train/metro lines

[@tylerdavidson2400]

The problem with buses is that they sit along other vehicles in Traffic and hence will always be delayed unless you have a dedicated bus lane all through the route. Trains (even trams for some extent )don’t have that problem.

[@focusonsummer9977]

Well Done Sharath, Keep up the good work!!

[@vintageradio3404]

Go back 12 years and read up on what successive Labor governments did to transport in NSW. We dodged a bullet because they ran the transport system, all of it, into the ground. Not one great piece of transport infrastructure has ever been built under Labor. Several attempts did get made but out of that nothing ever got finished.

[@RugbyLeaguePassport]

I'd love to see a major knockdown/rebuild of all the government housing properties in the Greater Mount Druitt area (inc Shalvey, Bidwell etc). Re-design the streets and improve public transport links. Have a 3 Private market properties for every 1 social housing property. Have apartments near rail corridors and shopping centres and town houses elsewhere. Plenty of necessary amenities including medical centres, Centrelink, job centre offices, police stations, new sports venues/facilities. They did this in Bonnyrigg a few years back and its like a whole new suburb. Just what the area needed. This would create more private and govt houses.

[@themickcollo]

the old Whalan high school site + the public school should be a site for a future metro station & housing redevelopment on the future line to St Marys, rebuild the school vertical like what they have in Parramatta.

[@iris4547]

ewww no do not build social housing in good neighbourhoods. build high density social housing, and lots of it, its needed, just keep them clustered in one area (say redfern). ive seen the results of spreading social housing out amongst nice neighbourhoods, it just ruins the whole area with crime.

[@oufukubinta]

I've also seen social housing ruin crap neighborhoods as well

[@charlielloyd1080]

The toll cap will definitely increase car use, congestion and pollution while taking cash from public transport funds. Transurban's share price has gone up 7% since election now that they are to be supported by taxpayers. I voted against this nonsense, sadly it made no difference with both major parties determined to boost Transurban's profits.

[@electro_sykes]

they want to replace the K & T sets with new locally built trains.

[@tikytak21]

Great vid, I didnt know the metro projects were so far over budget!!

[@Nebs1]

Same thing happened in Newcastle when the buses were privatised. Apparently there’s no penalty for Keolis Downer to cancel services so they will do it on a whim as a quick fix for whatever issue is happening at the time.

[@papa_gowon]

In the last few years I've seen a steady increase in bicycle use around the city. Building separated cycling infrastructure is a (relatively) cheap way to get cars off the road, and it makes things safer for everyone. I hope state and local governments get more on-board with this.

[@oufukubinta]

In countries where bicycles are the norm cyclists ride normally, but in Australia too many of them ride more dangerously than most motor vehicle drivers. The culture really needs to change for the better

[@BananaArmsMcNess]

​@@oufukubinta you need to check out how many people are killed or seriously injured by car drivers every year against how many by cyclists, cars are the dangerous ones, not bicycles

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

It only makes it safer, if cyclists use the dedicated paths and roads. In the CBD, I have been hit by cyclists six times in the past four years, whilst walking on the footpath. Five of those were motorised bikes, which are as heavy as a motorcycle and have done permanent damage to me. We need an education program on safe bike riding.

[@davidcoates2051]

I have a genuine question re our trains. I can’t think of any other developed city in the world that shuts a rail line down for an entire weekend for alleged “track work”. If Tokyo, London or another city did this that city would come to a halt. Closing tracks in Japan during business or leisure hours for example is unheard of. It couldn’t happen. Tracks need to be maintained, but why during daylight hours and for an entire weekend?

[@oufukubinta]

This

[@oufukubinta]

I think it's because the unions want to get paid weekend work penalties

[@jack2453]

Yes it's very annoying - but it's standard practice in London and most other big cities. One difference is that in places like Tokyo it's less annoying because there are alternatives.

[@oufukubinta]

@@jack2453 I've lived in Tokyo and they never have track work on the weekends on any of the major lines. If anything the trains are busier during the weekends all day long - not only during rush hour - especially on the Yamanote line or the subway Ginza line etc.

[@jack2453]

@@oufukubinta Penalties would be more if they worked overnight.

[@jd4062]

I’ll be happy if brings back the monorail

[@laoweek4047]

Very well put video as always. I can't say I am optimistic. Sydney was enlighten enough to have built new proper high capacity rail lines and station development in mind, whereas other anglophone countries are often still doing light rail lines with Costco car parks. Those days might be gone. Sure we should definitely improve bus networks, but how does that need to be at the expense of rail transport, and more importantly, buses are not permanent, the next libs government can just defund it into oblivion. Sydney Trains stood the test of time because it is permanent infrastructure, and blindly emphasising construction cost concerns ignores that fact that it's going to be mostly free from government sabotage and serve Sydney well into 2100s, which is colossally good in terms of achieving public transport outcome. New railway projects could have continue to play significant roles in shaping Sydneysider's perception of public transport and nudging the city further away from being car-centric. It's sad to see Labor to have kneejerk reaction to generally good urban planning policies just because libs were partially responsible for them. I really hope Labor can sensibly review railway projects and not let the political fighting poison the branding of Sydney railways and public transport in general, especially when Sydney is just starting to experience the benefit of metro after years of disruptions.

[@electro_sykes]

I think the review is to redesign the lines to better connect with each other. I have heard that chris minns actually wants to link Metro West from Westmead to St Marys and through run it into the Western Sydney Airport Metro, Merging it into one line, to give tourists a one seat ride.

[@oufukubinta]

@@electro_sykes That would be good 👍

[@namwens1]

What about the issues in the rest of the state? Singleton bypass, or road upgrades to support the governments REZs for example?

[@roadtonowherefilms]

I'm a bit salty about the beaches link cancellation. The traffic congestion along military/spit rd is atrocious and there needs to be an alternative to resolve this!

[@rcandelori]

Also a function of people in the North & Northern Beaches constantly opposing the project like they object to any reasonable increase in density.

[@roadtonowherefilms]

@@rcandelori The glaring issue is that density in places like Dee Why has skyrocketed but access or alternative routes have not been added. The B1 bus just doesn't cut it.

[@mickloney9826]

How about addressing the demand side of transport instead of the supply side?

[@bdk88]

Who will be subsidizing the toll above the $60 cap? There are extreme costs associated with maintaining and paying off construction of toll roads which the Govt will subsequently be billed for. No such thing as a free lunch, I expect the costs to be passed in some form of taxation

[@copenhagenizeblacktown]

I’m disappointed that no candidates pledged, including Chris Minns, to improve active transportation. Because there were “no votes in it”.

[@A420-g2d]

I do think we should invest in heavy rail as well as metro.

[@lawrencegatt4515]

Thanks for the Metro love ❤️ all over the world 🌎

[@pabloguillen5915]

People should pay for using roads, any roads, that is possible with new technology and should happen. The same goes for parking. Saying that people are entitled to free roads and parking is the same as saying they are entitled to free food or free housing, it has no economic logic. And of course, when you give something for free, it gets overused. It you build more, it still gets overused. We will be forever chasing our tails like that if people are not charged for the costs driving causes to the ones who drive and the ones who don't.

[@djfmae4089]

Government needs to stop neglecting Eastern Suburb public transport

[@DarrylAdams]

It would be interesting to compare Sydney to some of the US and Canadian disasters in urban design. As it looks like we bought into the Cars are Good(TM) rhetoric of big motor after the war, but we did not destroy Sydney like some of the YS and Canadian cities Not Just Bikes rants against. I wonder if that is due to petrol excise?

[@orangeeater453]

I like the new backround it is less distracting from the video!

[@gnhansen29]

Would there be any merit in incorprating a rail track into the Great Western Highway tunnel as a way of future proofing so we can eventually have a faster rail link between Bathurst and Sydney?

[@jack2453]

Hopefully what we'll see is a balanced and rational approach to investment between Sydney Trains as well as Metro and light rail and to lose the ideology. There is room for all technologies.

[@nperceived]

Why does Labor have to cancel Beaches Link, though...

[@kamakaze2007]

because god forbid we allow people from the working class onto our beaches

[@philip4193]

Because people who live on the beaches generally don't vote for Labor, so why would Labor spend money on people who don't vote for them? They'll spend most of their money in the west & south west i order to shore up their vote there.

[@jack2453]

Because it is an unaffordable project to indulge the nimby babies.

[@nperceived]

@@philip4193 so pork-barelling, huh?

[@jack2453]

@@marytaylor5322 ...exactly. Spoilt nimby babies.

[@zen1647]

I am 100% against capping road tolls. People should pay for roads that they use since cars and roads are so inefficient. Put the money into public transportation- this is one way to combat inflation.

[@jackpubbo]

12:03 I hope they fix housing I’m getting closer to leaving high school and don’t even want to think about what housing will be like then

[@markharwood]

For all your young viewers who never received education on the fundamentals of the 2 main parties - Labor is controlled by the unions. You have to be a union member to even join the party. Hence they hate the metro with its lack of drivers and guards with a passion.

[@jack2453]

To continue your lesson... the liberal party is controlled by big business, so they hate any infrastructure that is publicly owned and doesn't deliver enormous profits to their mates.

[@oufukubinta]

Is Chris Minns a member of a politicians' union then? 😂

[@Sonnypuss]

I worked in public transport (buses) for 27 years. The issue with getting drivers is the split shift. Most of the bus drivers live in Western Sydney and is too costly for them to commute to the Northern Beaches/ North Shore/Eastern Suburbs and then work from say 6:00am to 10:00am. Get clocked off . Sign on again at 2:30pm and finish if not delayed by traffic at around 6:30pm. Then commute back to Western Sydney. This is all done for around $30.00/ hour. Very hard to employ local people. Work 6 days on , 1off. How is that a work/life balance ?

[@murraykitson1436]

👍

[@Deadguysmile]

There is a massive void in the south west corridor between fairfield and leppington where theres no good public transport. Train lines go around us with no new plans for the area, and the connecting buses are terrible. Includes suburbs like greenfield park, bonnyrigg, hoxton park etc. With all the work at the new airport so close to us its insane that we go no connections.

[@listohan]

Extending Parramatta Light Rail to the metro at Epping and thence to Macquarie makes more sense as Epping is a more substantial transport hub capable of serving more people already at Carlingford and Epping and the line would require less work. Do you envisage Dundas/ Macquarie instead? Flights of fancy are all very well but the transport and land use planners need all the practical help they can get. Their record of spending and planning to spend the asset recycling money and more has not enhanced their reputation as you have shown.

[@benjamingygi3327]

I know people who worked on the parramatta light rail and this option was considered however epping and carlingford had a huge hill in between them with epping having limited options to rip out streets to rebuild light rail. Also carlingford is easier as it is using an existing rail corridor

[@listohan]

@@benjamingygi3327was ripping out streets the only option considered? That concern rarely prevents other grand visions from being funded. Like straightening curved platforms. Much money is still to be spent on doubling the former Carlingford line, so it should make sense to think a bit harder about how to service the growing markets east of Carlingford. The original justification for the Parramatta to Chatswood line was to relieve peak traffic on the Western lines. But in the meantime, travel patterns are becoming more varied and we should be thinking more about facilitating commuting contra flows.

[@oufukubinta]

@@benjamingygi3327 There are some steep hills there for sure but San Francisco is the same way and they've got trams everywhere

[@listohan]

@@oufukubinta The main road between the centres is clogged with heavy traffic. Any of the nearby roads are lined with houses and apartments. The transport authorities are happily tunnelling elsewhere in the city yet this short section by comparison between existing markets is ignored.

[@benjamingygi3327]

@Richard Ure First of all it was perrotett who decided to use the duplicated line into the light rail as they would sell off the excess land similar to the bankstown line when they build the metro. Light rail use 750V DC which is not very strong compared to Americas AC system as well as tunnelled is expensive, crossing roads and no space in epping to have a light rail stop ad it can't be underground. Plus not many people would benefit from this as most people from epping will use the train to get to parramatta and vise versa

[@johngore8096]

Congratulations on another great video. First a comment and then a question. I am encouraged that Chris Minns is talking about expanding Sydney Metro. I feared that the Unions, who have been strongly opposed to automated driverless trains, would put pressure on the Premier to stop any new construction of the Metro system. Now a question as it relates to the conversion of the Bankstown line. On the surface, the shut down of the line for a considerable length of time, possibly 15 months, seems logical. However, I believe that Line 1 of the Paris Metro was converted from driver operated trains to automated driverless trains without shutting the system down, although the line was closed occasionally after 11pm and some Sunday mornings. I read that only 0.7% of passengers had to alter their trip or use dedicated shuttle services. My question is, "If Paris could make the transition to full automation without any significant disruption to service, why do we need to shut the line down for an extended period like 15 months." Maybe you could do some research and present your findings in another video.

[@oufukubinta]

Their automated and non-automated trains must both be proportioned to fit the same kinds of tracks

[@listohan]

Amongst other things no doubt, the stations needed straightening. Are metros that good? If the city circle is clogged, why doesn't the metro terminate at Sydneham? At the same time, Sydneham could be further treated as a destination.

[@MGee-oc4dn]

Hopefully they can do it sooner than 15 months, but in the grand scheme of things it is worth the effort. To make sure the new Government completes the existing South West Metro would love your support signing the petition below (youtube doesn't allow links so you just need to replace the word DOT with actual full stops. Thank you! savemetro DOT good DOT do/sydney

[@jasonwhiteley3612]

Just a note on Busses to the city there is a shortage of space for Bus stops in the city during peak hour so it is becoming important to direct people to rail lines(especially if the busses are unlikely to be full during the peak) & the metro should help alleviate this.Maybe possible to reconfigure the city but not sure how to do this without using the existing parks in the city

[@oufukubinta]

There's no way to get around 95% of the CBD at all other than by walking long distances

[@listohan]

Why is more development being crammed into the CBD? We are supposed to have two other cities: Central River City and the Western Parkland City

[@billeves4627]

When the M2 deal was signed it was not allowed to have a competing transport mode for $50 years or the government had to pay the M2 operator compensation. So how much did they have to pay when the Rouse Hill metro opened?

[@hb-mek]

Id prefer they tackled housing but labor isnt going to touch housing with a 10 foot pole considering they lost the last 2 elections based off promising housing reform

[@BQS1234]

Sydney’s been designed around cars so no amount of investment in public transport infrastructure would truly alleviate the demand on driving. I think we should start considering T3 lanes on all toll roads (perhaps even dual T3 lanes) to compliment public transport infrastructure.

[@DisgruntledSydneyTrains]

If they can't add extra bus services, then they just need to at least make sure buses do not take off at the nearby bus stop to a railway station just as or 1/2min before the what could have been connecting rail service pulls in! Also increase the intermodal transfer discount from $2.00 to $2.50 or $3, in line with inflation?

[@Slippergypsy]

you should do a deep dive on why the sydney metro is a good idea, i dont think the majority of people understand what the big deal is

[@tims8305]

I agree with this. Maybe as part of that do an analysis of some OS cities that have metros or similar. What would Hong Kong be like with no metro (MTR) or what would NYC, London, Paris or Montreal be like with no metro style transport? I know many of these are well established "legacy" systems but they clearly have influenced the way these cities have developed over time.

[@chickenfrisbee]

agree, why is metro better than normal rail?

[@copenhagenizeblacktown]

Thoughts on the $60 subsidised cap on toll roads taking funds away from other transport projects?

[@MADgamer9212]

Thanks for this as usual

[@cm-pk4kq]

Hi Sharath, What are your opinions on E Scooters?

[@tld8102]

i think the new western sydney airport should open with heavy rail access. especially connecting intercity trains to it like in Europe. as well as potentially air freight access.

[@jack2453]

Great comments on buses. Underrated technology. Linking frequent buses to frequent trains/metros needs a lot more attention e.g. inner west buses feeding Newtown, Petersham, Ashfield, St Peters; unclog Parramatta Road and King Street for cyclists and pedestrians. B-Line Buses feeding Crows Nest metro etc etc.

[@oufukubinta]

Parramatta Road is the only free option for most drivers in the west commuting to the city

[@jack2453]

@@oufukubinta Why should driving to the city be free? Take the train.

[@oufukubinta]

@@jack2453 The trains are overcrowded as it is, and many people need to travel a long time to reach the nearest train station

[@oufukubinta]

@@jack2453 And still you want to convert Parramatta Road into bike lanes? It's only a two-lane road in either direction as it is for the most part

[@jack2453]

@@oufukubinta Of course. The reason we spent $billions on Westconnex was to get the traffic off Parramatta Road. Were they lying to us?

[@aussiejohn5835]

This is an excellent presentation, and I must say that there are no guarantees with any political party. I am surprised that bus companies are permitted to cancel services for any reason without penalty. The bus contracts have always penalised companies for late and early running and for cancelling services. The government pays the companies to provide services as shown on an approved timetable. The companies are penalised for cancelling a service that the government has already paid for in the contract. A service can be operated up to 5 hours late without the service being deemed as cancelled. The conditions of a bus contract dictate the frequency of service, maintaining suitable staffing levels in order to provide a service and a fleet large enough to provide the services of the contract. Each contract must meet a number of KPIs (key performance indicators) in order to keep the contract. The government can cancel a contract and award it to another operator if the terms of the contract are not met. What the government is telling us now contradicts what I have stated above, and that spells trouble for Sydney Transport as we know it today. Question to ask is, did the previous government change the terms of the bus contracts when STA was dissolved, and if so, why?

[@peterhoz]

2:00 Toll caps will lessen the disincentive to use the tollways, therefore increasing the usage. Increased usage = increased revenue and profits. Therefore these policies use taxpayer funds to increase revenue and profits of private companies. Are they funding any of it? Maybe reducing the quarterly indexation to be revenue neutral? Nope - so taxes are simply making the Transurban monopoly richer. Yeah great policy!

[@milanterzic859]

A big mistake to postpone the Blackheath tunnel. The Great Western Highway up to Katoomba was a disaster until it was double laned. I was once stuck in a two hour traffic jam when it was single laned. It is now time for this section. The traffic has increased and it needs doing. The other vital piece of infrastructure is the M9 motorway. All the way to Bells Line of Road with a flood free bridge over the Nepean river. It would take a lot of pressure off Richmond Road.

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

As there’s only one way across the mountains, we needed the tunnel, 40 years ago!

[@murraykitson1436]

What really annoyed me about the Great Western High way through the mountains was when , during the 1980s, it became almost impossible to overtake slow vehicles due to the implementation of double centre lines along most of the route where this was previously not the case. It could be argued that this could make driving conditions more dangerous due to drivers taking risks out of sheer frustration!

[@milanterzic859]

@@murraykitson1436 The same old story over and over again. Wait for a crisis to develop. Building Beautifully's next video is about the Pacific Highway. Australia's worst road that cost many lives until it was turned into a motorway. I remember driving on it during the 1980s.

[@EdwardAubury]

Love Your Videos, Sharith. I suggest making a Rogans Hill line video

[@ozzyay9720]

I'll be honest... One part of me wishes Gladys Berijiklian stayed on as Premier, she has done so much for our state to build the infrastructure that Sydney should have built 20 years before that, I remember the old video you have of Neville Wran and vision he had for Sydney's future. Gladys shared that same vision, but unfortunately she fell on her own sword and the Liberal government's treatment of Western Sydney during the lockdown began their downfall and add to the woeful train strikes that lasted over a year and held the commuters hostage. Now had labor stayed in Government after the 2011 election, would we have seen the infrastructure we have now? Very unlikely. Labor sat on the North-West metro project for over decade, talked a lot but done nothing. I fear that Chris Minns has no interest in building any new infrastructure regardless how beneficial it would have been for the state and city. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt but he's been too shouty and blaming Liberal for the financial mess they have created. Well Labor were no saints either. But thats for another time. As for Dom, well, after he replaced Gladys, he didn't give me any confidence that he's the right man for the job, who should have been the right person to replace Gladys? I don't know, definitely not Constance and Barilalo. Dom was too shifty, he spoke big words and said big things and he got lost whenever Minns questions him about the sale of Sydney Waters. but ideally I would have preferred that the Liberals gotten re-elected to continue on with projects.

[@Ritzer168]

Gladys did some really bad stuff with Darryl Macguire so I'm not all certain she should have stayed as premier. Corruption is corruption after all and should be frowned upon. While what they did within infrastructure was good, everything else was not in the interest of the average Joe

[@adamsteel7147]

they’re corrupt and can only afford the infrastructure by privatising our assets? thanks for all the roads that we now need tax payer funded concessions for whilst a private company takes in all our money, Libs. Wake up mate…

[@ozzyay9720]

@@Ritzer168 what she did with Darryl Maguire is on her, everybody knew he was a very dodgy guy and everybody was surprised about their private relationship as well. Liberal were no saints, the stadium rebuild fiasco and awarding contracts to their mates.

[@kuyans3889]

I wish public housing could be focused around the Sydney Metro more, but I guess with it being owned by property developers that's just never going to happen. A lot of these people who rely on tollroads and have no feasible transit connection to work in the city live in these outer suburbs because it's cheaper than the city, and I doubt, with private interested behind most of the development around metros, housing close to transit will get any cheaper.

[@oufukubinta]

If you want areas around stations to grow and have more people visit them than live there then putting public housing around stations doesn't help

[@kuyans3889]

@@oufukubinta there's no reason you can't have both apartments and shops near a station. That's a pretty normal thing.

[@oufukubinta]

@@kuyans3889 That's not what you initially said - you called for PUBLIC housing around stations which I think is a terrible idea. Have you ever been to Mt Druitt Station?

[@kuyans3889]

@@oufukubinta what I literally haven't gone back on anything? It would be very short sighted to build housing like mt druitt's around a new metro station. We need modern, high density, public housing.

[@rcandelori]

@@kuyans3889 it's not about public housing, it's about zoning laws that permit high density developments. At the moment, the inner west is ripe for higher density around its many stations but more development is virulently opposed by locals.

[@electrictaco]

Hey, can you do a video next on the logistics of the government buying more land for development, and why so many suburbs are falling into urban sprawl

[@djesky1]

we should legalise and tax cannabis and use the revenue from that to pay for it

[@oufukubinta]

Both parties agree on banning vaping. I doubt their priority is legalizing marijuana

[@juddy953]

That's just way to logical. Government can't think like that unless it profits their business mates

[@CYC_JP]

I've read, listened and watched all the pre-election promises and proposals of both major Parties. Minns promised a lot but I fail to see how can his government pay for the Sydney Metro project as it currently is, let alone adding new stations. I fear it would turn out to be Kristina Keneally 2.0.

[@andrewsgarage796]

Good video mate lots of valid points, both governments are as bad as one another with infrastructure best regards Andrew

[@StephenJosiahRose]

Do you have any insider information on when Bella Vista Precinct will begin construction (and when will the first retail shops open!)?

[@aussiefirestorm]

Medium time viewer 1st time commenter. Really like your work very balanced and intelligent informative films thanks. Now to the point of this comment, if you had tried to travel via either road across the Blue Mountains this weekend you would fully understand the need for a tunnel bypass to relive stress on the small towns in the mountains. I refer you to your film about the pacific Hwy upgrades and by-passes....

[@strikerbowls791]

He's not building the beaches link?? 😭 why...

[@evanhadkins5532]

The fix for housing is to abolish capital gains concessions and negative gearing.

[@oufukubinta]

Underrated comment

[@MartyG-iz7ts]

Great video as always and having someone like you advocating to keep progress going. Would be hugely disappointing to see any public transport projects get cancelled from here

[@chris_yang]

For people who are making a decision to take public transport vs driving into work from the North West, the $60 a week cap makes it both cost similar, excluding parking. This will spur more people from this area of Sydney to use the toll roads…

[@DougtheThug]

My trip to the cbd was faster on the bus prior to the metro Used to catch one bus That bus route doesn’t exist anymore Now I need a bus, metro and train, wasting time waiting for each service

[@rcandelori]

That'll change when the metro goes all the way into town from next year.

[@dariuslankarian3282]

Toll cap would mean higher tax for everyone. Both states and federal government have no money are in record debt.

[@JK-4747-f8h]

Great video, particularly appreciate the restraint taken to keep this politically balanced. As a Sydney-sider it has been truly awe-inspiring to watch the construction of Metro & Light rail and how quickly they have turned into a vital part of the transport network. The Baird/Berejiklian/Perrotet governments are truly to be commended for their long-term vision here. The transition to driverless trains will be difficult for the Unions to accept - but given the excellent punctuality of the trains (and no strikes!) it seems like a no brainier. At the same time, given rising construction costs it is sensible & timely for the new government to carry out a review of the funding & overall approach. I want to see Sydney Metro West completed ASAP but if a new station at Camellia makes that better value for taxpayers, then yes let's go for it. It may slow down the trip by 1-2 minutes, but would potentially open up Camellia to much more new housing than would be possible if it is served by light rail alone.

[@MGee-oc4dn]

Completely agree! To make sure the new Government completes the South West Metro would love your support signing the petition below (youtube doesn't allow links so you just need to replace the word DOT with actual full stops. Thank you! savemetro DOT good DOT do/sydney

[@chris_yang]

I believe many of the roads in Sydney would not have been built if not for tolls. Given the geography of this city, tunnelling is the way to go, and that costs $$$

[@griffinrails]

i think this is the first time a video, let alone a youtube channel in sydney has had a budget over $30 very impressive Jokes aside, great video as always. Screw transurban btw.

[@Griffin-Media]

I cant tell you how much the comment about the beaches link made me laugh 😂

[@gdawwg1125]

Don’t worry the spit bridge and military road will still be the same in 20 years

[@Griffin-Media]

@@gdawwg1125 😂Don't fix it, if it is broken

[@HappyDays-nk7iq]

1. Definitely agree on increasing density around not only the new Sydney Metro stations but also around the hundreds of existing Sydney Trains stations. Having said that, consideration needs to be taken into account of the existing character of the suburb e.g. the low-rise village-like character of Crows Nest will be completely obliterated if you are going to plonk massive high rise apartments and towers around the station. You don’t want all suburbs in Sydney to look the same, what makes a great city is the diversity of different areas, districts, precincts, suburbs. Sydney will be a very boring city if all suburbs looked more or less the same, with high rises in every suburb - as much as I would like to see more densification and density in Sydney as a whole. 2. To get people out of their cars and reduce car dependency, Sydney needs to increase the frequency of services for all modes of public transport be it metro, trains, buses, ferries etc. If people have to wait 10 minutes for the next metro or train or 15 minutes or more for a bus, in the rain or sun, then people will just choose to jump in their cars. 3. Buses need to firstly increase frequency and need to look nice. Like the iconic red double-decker route master buses in London. Sydney should bring back a modern 21st century interpretation of the double decker buses it once had. Public transport should not only be functional, but should be aesthetic and fun to use as well.

[@carisi2k11]

Well it means no more selling off of state assets and giving money to sydney trains instead of Sydney metro and the people of the northern beaches don't want a train line less it be stained by the less worthy of us in the western suburbs of Sydney.

[@yesand5536]

"stained by the less worthy of us in the western suburbs of Sydney." can we classify that mentality as a mental illness, and give them all counselling? Then we can stop feeding immaturity and do something useful with the area.

[@oufukubinta]

Basically this in a nutshell

[@murraykitson1436]

Blackheath would be given the same treatment as Lawson when the highway was widened- most of the historic shopping strip destroyed. Even though the shop buildings were run down and decrepit , the charm and character of Lawson is now lost forever despite claims that the village would have a " bright future indeed" according to a local news paper reader at the time! At least the hotel not only escaped destruction, but the facade has never looked better in the half century or so that I remember.

[@yesand5536]

@@murraykitson1436 Yikes! Didn't know that. That's the problem with stroads. So the road won over the community...

[@murraykitson1436]

@@yesand5536 The original Lawson shopping strip was not unlike a poor man's version of Leura! When visiting the mountains one day and seeing what was happening, not having my camera I bought a disposable one to photograph the streetscape before it was too late and am really glad I did! There are pictures of old Lawson shopping centre on Google.

[@gbf111]

Any chance for a video on the illawarra line? missed opportunities around last mile travel and lack of medium density housing near train stations

[@jimmeng2802]

I really think the current government should consider extending Southwest rail link to new airport either by conventional rail or by new metro line so that two airports can be connected. In that way, it will save government a lot of money, and it will save future passengers a lot of time if they want to catch the flights at an alternative airport

[@MGee-oc4dn]

Really interesting point. Hadn't thought about that. I've been trying to focus on making sure the new Government completes the existing South West Metro. If you're interested would love your support signing the petition below (youtube doesn't allow links so you just need to replace the word DOT with actual full stops. Thank you! savemetro DOT good DOT do/sydney

[@alimfuzzy]

Labor is easily going to increase bus services with the Bankstown line

[@garrywallace1007]

A pause and cautious review is definitely needed....building costs are sky high, debt rising, interest payments for government soaring and there is proven lack of cost control on projects. The Liberals were in for 12 years, and we need to look at exactly what was going on. There is no great rush to announce 'stuff', that will come in time.

[@brimbles4999]

When it comes to cost of living i feel public transport is vital in achieving that, giving citizens less expenses overall is a step making just trying to survive less stressful

[@aquamonkee]

The train system has been proven to be one of the worst compared with similar cities and also one of the most expensive

[@brimbles4999]

@@aquamonkee are you referring to the train system in sydney? or train systems overall being the "worst system" for transportation? if referring to sydney/australian train systems in general i would agree considering for general commuters trains are generally still slower than cars despite countries like the uk the train being far faster despite competing with highways while still having many stops as you get to your station, and that's probably the worst system in europe so not much needs to be done to australian rail transit to make in competitive and faster than car travel without having to skip important population centres in order to increase travel time (although it has been proven that public transport, even when slower can still get higher usage than car travel if made reliable, affordable and actually takes you to where u need instead of having to walk another 2 miles, as people generally prefer the ability to relax in a train seat instead of always having to be focused on the road, but high speed should still be a goal regardless) :)

[@mark123655]

There aren't going to be any new stations on Metro West. The budget has blown out due to massive increases in steel, concrete etc... The contracts are signed. Adding a new station now will be a massive variation - at least $2bn more on top.

[@oufukubinta]

I'm gonna be selfish here but as someone who has to commute from Parramatta to the city every day I don't fancy the idea of adding extra stations. Just skip all the crap and get to the city faster

[@jack2453]

I see your point... but I do have some hope that rationality will prevail. More stations means more passengers means more income.

[@oufukubinta]

@@jack2453 In the beginning more stations along that line will more likely inconvenience more people than it'll help, but it is an important investment in the future

[@jack2453]

@@oufukubinta Because of the lack of intermediate stations and the lack of connectivity with other modes the metro as currently proposed would benefit only point-to-point commuters between Sydney and Parramatta CBDs. 1. How many of them even are there? and 2. This could be delivered quickly and cheaply on the T1 with a bit of sensible investment. It is heading towards massive white elephant land. To deliver any benefits at all it needs Camelia, it needs extending east of Sydney CBD and it needs good quality interchanges along the route.

[@jack2453]

@@oufukubinta T1 from Parramatta to Sydney CBD takes 28 minutes. If the only benefit from $25 billion of my taxes is to save you 8 minutes, I want a refund. 😸

[@goodyearspokane]

Can't believe Westmead to the new airport isn't a priority. How do people in the north shore, city and east get there in any decent time frame?

[@jasonwhiteley3612]

Think they may just use Sydney Airport

[@goodyearspokane]

@@jasonwhiteley3612 might not have a choice

[@declan5073]

There's two main issues Sydney transport face, first/last mile and north/south transit. Look at the T1 and T9 lines how it all links up, down to the T2, T3 and T8 line. There's no excuse for not linking the metro to Schofields. Now all these new metros are being developed, not one has thought of doing something like Norwest-Parramatta or even to Seven Hills. Buses get stuck in traffic. More buses, more traffic. Station Link taught us this. The T-Way does a lot but it ends at Northmead and spits everyone into traffic. The NW Metro also either has no parking (Castle Hill, Norwest etc) or no walkability (Cherrybrook, Kellyville etc). The only access without a car can be an hourly bus service for some areas. Metroconnect sort of solved this but dried up. Some of these areas have such tight roads buses can't even fit.

[@tld8102]

sydney metro costs as much as heavy rail. even more because of all it’s automation and proprietary technology.

[@BulldogDynasty]

We have a lot of issues with both road and rail transport in NSW and connecting all sides of Sydney. The new aiport is coming in under Minns regime whether he likes it or not the airport will become his legacy. He can make it his long lasting legacy. This can be the big north south metro rail link we need. Just on metro I still don't like the Bankstown link being replaced by a half baked metro. It needed to go past Bankstown or be a new line elsewhere after Sydenham. I've become a keen road traveler in recent times and a lot of our roads just stop sort and it's a toll mess. I don't disagree with tolls but we need a uniformed system in the state for our tolls and now easy to do with everything being on the tag. We need to do a reset on our tolls and come with a better system. Have the electronic booths on every entry and exit point obviously working out the M4 and M5 starting points. The maximum for a day is $10-12 and for the week is $50. This also has better planning in the budgets. Currently Sydney is Australia's 2nd biggest city, Newcastle is 7th, Central Coast 10th, Wollongong 11th (which pushes onto the South Coast like Nowra not counted as part of Wollongong) and Canberra is 8th. Sydney links with 4 of the 11 biggest cities in Australia. Only Brisbane has a link close to that with the 6th and 9th biggest cities and in Toowoomba the 2nd biggest inland city. I find the only real up to speed link between major cities is Sydney to Canberra with both the M5 and M7 linking into the Hume Highway and Federal Highway. I would say Canberra and Outer Western Sydney to Newcastle is a better link as the coming from Sydney you have to go through some traffic lights between M2 and M11. Sydney to Newcastle has only one link that stops short at both ends. At the Newcastle end I'm not referring to the new bypass at Hexham being built but how the Hunter Expressway should push through to the Newcastle Inner City Bypass and that road should be a freeway of min 90km from the M1 at Hexham until the M1 at Doyalson excluding around Swansea and Belmont. The Hunter Expressway needs to push past the Singleton Bypass and also the Golden Highway passed Putty Road interchanges. The new M9 being proposed really needs to connect from Singleton, Golden Highway and Hunter Expressway, run in an alignment with Putty Road, into the proposed airport alignment and past Appin reaching the F6 north of Wollongong. The original M7 was meant to reach the Mt White area this needs to be looked at as we take some pressure off the F3 and push so much traffic to the west. The mega one is a link between Wahronga and Waterfall therefore providing the direct Wollongong links where nothing links to Wollongong from any region. With money to be made in tunnels via tolls this can be achieved. A completely new strip will take so much pressure off Wahronga, Pymble, St Ives, A3, A6, Harbour Bridge, Harbour Tunnel, M8 and provide the ultimate Wollongong to Newcastle link. The M11 needs to be pushed through to the A6 at Silverwater Road this ensures the M11 never ever becomes a white elephant and provides a great link with Sydney Olympic Park. It should have been done this way from the outset once they decided to align with Pennant Hills Road rather than go to Macquarie Park. Takes pressure off Carlingford Road and probably takes a lot of traffic away from that dangerous roundabout during sporting events. Sydney might have lost no.1 to Melbourne but when you add in the cities that connect close to Sydney such as Newcastle, Canberra, Gosford, Wollongong and the regions like South Coast, Blue Mountains and New England it's a chance to consolidate what's around and connecting to Sydney as no.1. Even though Canberra isn't a part of NSW it connects to NSW in every which way and direction. There's only two serious road outlets in Canberra. That's Canberra to Yass (currently under development) and Canberra to Goulburn, M5 & M7. Canberra to the South Coast and Canberra to the Riverina can be explored and this is better for NSW allowing the bubble that lives in Canberra better access to the coastal areas and to the Riverina. People in Canberra if given the chance will escape for a quick weekend or day trip away. We need to build the infrastructure to make that happen. I love to escape to country towns. I find Canberra from where I live (near M5) as the best escape.

[@ForTheBirbs]

Thank you for a balanced video. As mentioned by others the Metro "blowout" is due to construction materials cost, covid and so on. I do hope they don't pull the plug on a great system. I've heard they are about 1200 bus drivers short and different pay rates and conditions, like the loss of Govt super scheme.

[@AstoundingAmelia]

i think the report is more going to be about fixing budget issues going forward rather than cancellations

[@CYC_JP]

@@AstoundingAmelia Mark my words it's going to be amendments, changes, cutting downs, and eventually cancellations.

[@davidkilamon1235]

They have torn through the north shore with new apartments. Anyone who says otherwise is full of it and just looking to start a class war. The destruction of heritage store fronts has been particularly regrettable. Not saying the north shore has been hit the worse, but it has not been immune from development like labor and this video portrays.

[@moefoemonkey]

I don’t catch buses because they’re just too unreliable

[@sydneylightrailfan290]

The only issue is what’s going to happen to all the train drivers job? Like with metro ?

[@jack2453]

If we build more metro AND double the frequency on trains there will still be lots of jobs.

[@arokh72]

I live in the Central West and actually voted against Labor, because we need that tunnel and the sooner the better. As much as I dislike the Nats, at least our local member, Mr Paul toole, was for the tunnel. I fear it becoming a road version of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link.