Building A Better City: How Light Rail supports urban rejuvenation
Since its introduction to Sydney’s streets, light rail has served as a catalyst for major urban renewal throughout the CBD, helping transform once-traffic-choked streets into pedestrian-friendly spaces for walking, cycling and outdoor dining.
In Sydney’s George Street, in particular, the change has been remarkable, as lanes of gridlocked traffic have been replaced by a quiet, open and easily traversable boulevard that reflects Sydney’s status as a modern global city. As light rail expands across the city and the quality of the service continues to improve, we look forward to seeing the positive transformation that will accompany it, and the flow-on effects on businesses, residents and commuters.
“The work to turn noisy, traffic-choked George Street into a pedestrian boulevard and central spine for the city began in 2007, when Jan Gehl’s report on public spaces suggested three city squares at Circular Quay, Town Hall and Railway Square, all linked by a light-rail and pedestrian boulevard,” the Lord Mayor said.
Journey Time Improvements: A 20-Minute reduction in just two years
Since the L2 (Circular Quay to Randwick) services commenced in December 2019, ALTRAC has been able to deliver a near 20-minute reduction in journey time even as passenger numbers have hit record highs. As of June 2022, passengers are now able to travel the entire length of the CSELR in just 35 minutes, which is an almost 50% reduction from the 52 minutes it took in 2019.
This reduction has been enabled by the ongoing collaboration of ALTRAC, Transport for NSW (TfNSW), Transdev and the City of Sydney, who have developed innovative solutions to cut journey times despite growing light rail adoption amongst commuters.
Our News
The CBD & South East Light Rail (Sydney Light Rail) will be the first operational public private partnership to be financed with a certified Green Loan certificate in NSW.
The CBD & South East Light Rail (Sydney Light Rail) will be the first operational public private partnership to be financed with a certified Green Loan certificate in NSW.
2 Nov 2022City street transformations create more space for people
George Street’s transformation as a pedestrian boulevard has been extended to create more than 9,000m2 of additional space for people in the city centre.
7 Nov 2022A Message from Penny Graham, Chair ALTRAC Light Rail - International Women’s Day
At ALTRAC Light Rail, we are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive environment for women on the Sydney light rail network.
8 Mar 2023The Sun-Herald Article - New Vision for Parramatta Road
The benefits of light rail as a catalyst for major urban renewal is well-recognised. There is now growing interest and support to achieve the remarkable transformation that has occurred on Sydney’s George Street along Parramatta Road, as reported in The Sun-Herald.
28 Oct 2023Do you have any questions or would you like to start an exciting project with us?