It comes after the NSW Labor Government invested $200 million in the 2023-24 NSW Budget to expedite the project's planning processes so construction can begin this term of Parliament.
Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 will connect Parramatta CBD to Sydney Olympic Park via the growing communities of Camellia, Rydalmere, Ermington, Melrose Park and Wentworth Point.
The 10-kilometre extension will include 14 new light rail stops that will provide residents with a long-awaited public transport link and unlock future housing growth.
The approved light rail corridor includes alignment changes around Rydalmere that will make connections to the Rydalmere Ferry Wharf easier and improve travel times.
Passengers will be able to travel from Sydney Olympic Park to Camellia in around 30 minutes, and on to the Parramatta CBD in another 7 minutes.
Construction will be phased, with initial work to begin later this year on a new 320-metre public and active transport bridge over Parramatta River, between Melrose Park and Wentworth Point.
Procurement to deliver the $602.4 million bridge is underway, with the initial contract for enabling works expected to be awarded later this year. This is the first stage in delivering Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2, with main construction work on the bridge expected to start in 2025.
The bridge will connect the growing communities of Melrose Park and Wentworth Point, located north and south of the river. It will be the first significant bridge crossing over Parramatta River since the completion of the southbound Ryde Bridge in 1987 - nearly 40 years ago.
Enabling works on the bridge are subject to approval by the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, and the NSW Government looks forward to a positive outcome of this process in the coming months.
