Up and above !

There is a distinct limit to the directions that Sydney can expand.   There is a national park to it's north and south, the ocean to it's east - and  the Blue mountains are a natural western barrier.   It makes sense to consider the vast amount of land laying idle - and the opportunity to utilise the air space above.

Planners are looking at the rail corridor covering the three kilometres from Central station to Everleigh.   Right in the heart of the city, this can provide the expansion room we so desperately need.   The technology exists to build above the rail traffic and utilise the existing amenities to cut costs.   The plan would extend over a twenty year time frame and be bigger than the $ 6 billion " Barangaroo ".

Perhaps this concept could be linked to another problem facing Sydney.   We are spending immense amounts of money to widen highways and create link roads, but every year the traffic flow at peak gets slower.

A huge number of people are employed in the city business centre.  Because we have a disjointed public transport system, many still use cars as their mode of transport.   We will never get people to leave their cars at home unless we provide a transport connection that offers reliable and fast travel - at an affordable price.

Our existing road system - which is clogged with cars - has above it air space which could be used to house light rail - which is the new name for what we used to call " trams ".    If we are thinking of filling in the air space above the rail corridors to house shops, offices and apartment living, why not extend the opportunity to " move people " by applying the same thinking to the air space above our road system ?

It would be a lot cheaper to build an elevated light rail system above existing highways than to dig tunnels under the city to create rail links - and the road system is already owned by the state.  

It would be a fallacy to think that this huge expansion of shops, offices and work opportunities offered by using the rail corridor as building space will not attract commuter traffic.   It needs to go hand in hand with the provision of a fast linking to the rest of the city.   An elevated light rail connection could provide that answer.

The opportunity exists to create in the heart of the city an expansion that will truly make Sydney a city of the twenty-first century !