First green track laid as part of NSW's Parramatta Light Rail

First green track laid as part of NSW’s Parramatta Light Rail

Stage 1 of the Parramatta Light Rail is set to be completed in 2023. Image courtesy of the New South Wales Government.

Work has begun to lay Australia’s longest stretch of green track on a light rail project, in a major milestone on the first stage of the Parramatta Light Rail, in New South Wales.

The Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia with a two-way track spanning 12 kilometres.

The route will link Parramatta’s CBD and train station to prominent facilities and venues such as the Westmead Health Precinct, Cumberland Hospital Precinct, CommBank Stadium and Camellia Town Centre.

By 2026, around 28,000 people will use Parramatta Light Rail every day and an estimated 130,000 people will be living within walking distance of light rail stops.

In a New South Wales first, the construction team has designed and integrated green track with wire-free technology, within heritage-sensitive environments along the Parramatta Light Rail alignment.

The green track will use 81 per cent less concrete in its construction and deliver environmental and health benefits.

There will be 1.3 kilometres of green track laid in three areas across the 12-kilometre alignment, with grass also to be planted at Cumberland Precinct and Tramway Avenue.

The community will also benefit from the reduced urban heat and greener spaces as the result of the installation of green track on the Parramatta Light Rail.

Stage 1 of the Parramatta Light Rail, which will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD, is expected to operate services for customers in 2023.

For more information on the Parramatta Light Rail project, click here.