Boosting Sydney’s rail capacity – what’s the best plan of attack?

Sydney’s public transport system is bursting at the seams. So what’s the answer to boosting capacity so we can get people out of their cars onto public transport?

Not-for-profit group, EcoTransit Sydney, believes the best, quickest and cheapest solution would be to restore the two rail tracks that were originally on the eastern lanes of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Gavin Gatsby from the group says that having the additional tracks across the Bridge and under the CBD would help boost passenger capacity by 50 per cent – allowing an extra half a million commuters to use they city’s transport system everyday.

Watch this video to see how EcoTransit Sydney believes our public transport woes could be eased.

Build two extra tracks from Chatswood to St Leonards, tunnel from St Leonards to North Sydney, rebuild Wynyard Station platforms, reclaim the eastern tracks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, build two new tunnels following the Pitt St corridor and a new World Square station – is this what’s actually needed to improve our transport system?

With petrol costs pricing many people out of the market, something needs to be done to improve accessibility to public transport. Is this model the answer? Have you got other ideas on what would work?