Sydney’s CBD and South East Light Rail is set to open on the 14th December, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and transport minister Andrew Constance have announced.
“The CBD and South East Light Rail is a big step towards revitalising our city and will transform the way we live, work and go out in Sydney,” Berejiklian said.
“Trams will be fare-free for the opening weekend so the community can ride the new light rail to celebrate this historic event.
“The new network will move up to 13,500 commuters an hour during peak time in both directions, replacing the conga line of buses which used to sit in traffic on George Street. A coupled tram holds up to 450 customers, the equivalent of up to nine standard buses.”
The service was initially slated to open in March this year, but suffered delays as well as budget and legal issues. The total cost for the service ended up being $2.9 billion, double the original cost predicted by then transport minister Berejiklian in 2012.
Constance revealed the first passenger services will start at 11am on Saturday and run between Circular Quay and Randwick until 1am.
“We have launched multiple safety campaigns telling people to stay safe around light rail. We need pedestrians to keep their heads up and drivers to stay out of the tram corridor and not queue across intersections.”
Services on the CBD and South East Light Rail will run from 5am to 1am every day of the week, according to the timetable.