Western Sydney mayors call for transport to catch up with the region’s growth

Friday, 14 August 2026

Five Western Sydney council leaders will today call for continued investment and cooperation to better connect the region’s fast-growing communities with jobs, education, health and each other.

The Mayors of Penrith, Blacktown, The Hills and Campbelltown, and the Deputy Mayor of Camden, will join Transport Minister John Graham, Shadow Transport Minister Natalie Ward, experts and industry leaders at the Western Sydney Transport Forum in Penrith.

While Western Sydney is growing fast, it's still playing catchup on transport infrastructure – the network is incomplete, and services are fragmented and infrequent, driving further inequity.

The mayors say the goal is not to choose between roads, buses, parking or rail, but to make them work together as one transport network that gives people practical choices about how they travel. They say better connections are vital to ensuring people across Western Sydney can reach jobs, education, healthcare and essential services.

Hosted by the Committee for Sydney with Penrith City Council, the forum will examine how we can build on major transport investments and create a better-connected Western Sydney.

Eamon Waterford, CEO of the Committee for Sydney: “The underlying promise of Western Sydney Airport is it will deliver good jobs closer to where people live. But these jobs have to be accessible by public transport, and a crucial immediate step is filling missing links with additional rapid bus services to connect to rail and metro, reducing dependence on heavily congested roads and supporting a far more efficient network.”

“As Western Sydney grows, we need to make sure the region’s roads, buses, rail and metro lines work together as one network, and that transport infrastructure continues to keep pace with new housing and population growth. Better north-south and east-west connections are key as more people travel between homes, jobs, hospitals, universities and major centres within Western Sydney.

“Historically, Sydney’s public transport network has been built to get as many people as possible in and out of the CBD in the city’s east. Now is the time to move Sydney from a hub-and-spoke network to a web of rapid transport options that criss-cross the city and connect more people to more places.”

Cr Todd Carney, Mayor of Penrith City Council: “Western Sydney is one of the fasting growing economies in the nation, but that means nothing if people can’t access the opportunities that growth creates. Transport should connect people to opportunity, not determine who can access it.

"Western Sydney must be connected in and of itself. Our car dependent system makes daily life harder for shift workers, students, carers, elderly people, people with disability and households without reliable access to a vehicle.

"Delivering the full north-south Metro extension from Tallawong to Macarthur is the number one priority. Local bus and rail service improvements, as well as a Western Sydney freight line, will also better connect our city and our region."

Cr Brad Bunting, Mayor of Blacktown City Council: “Western Sydney is growing rapidly and our transport network needs to grow with it. We welcome the NSW Government’s investment in up to 1,100 additional commuter parking spaces at Tallawong. It will provide much-needed relief for people accessing the Metro.

“But parking at an end-of-line station is only one part of the answer. With the $40 million business case for the Tallawong to St Marys connection due to be completed this year, we want to work with the NSW Government on a clear pathway towards delivering that missing link.

“Better buses are important too, along with the road infrastructure those services rely on. This is about giving people practical choices and making it easier to get to jobs, education and services across Western Sydney.”

Dr Michelle Byrne, Mayor of The Hills Shire: “It’s great to see that regardless of political stripes, North-West Sydney mayors are united in calling for the extension of the Sydney Metro from Tallawong to St Marys. At the same time, a full upgrade of Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road is needed to support one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.”

“Windsor Road and Old Windsor Road are already under immense pressure, our residents should not be spending up to an hour travelling 20 kilometres because infrastructure delivery has fallen behind population growth.

"The Hills is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to housing delivery, but infrastructure investment is not keeping pace.”

Cr Darcy Lound, Mayor of Campbelltown City Council: “Campbelltown and the wider Macarthur region are experiencing rapid housing growth, however, our community is still heavily reliant on cars to get around.”

“Recent investment by the NSW Government to deliver new bus services between Campbelltown and the Western Sydney International Airport is a welcome step, however, it is critical that this is paired with investment in rail to provide a mix of public transport options for residents.

“We will continue to work with the NSW Government to accelerate the planning and delivery of these long-term priorities to connect the region, and ensure that residents of the Macarthur region can access the jobs and economic opportunities offered by the airport.”
Cr Ashleigh Cagney, Deputy Mayor of Camden Council: “Western Sydney is growing quickly and we need to make sure our infrastructure keeps pace with that growth.”

“It’s not enough to build more houses. We need to build connected communities, which starts with transport infrastructure that gives our communities and developers certainty.

“The growth isn’t slowing down – people are actively choosing to live in Camden and other South-West Sydney areas. We need to meet that demand by investing in public transport that connects people to jobs, education, services and opportunities, while unlocking the region’s full potential.”

Priorities for the region:

Councils across the region are advocating for better and more frequent buses, improved connections to railway and Metro stations, upgrades to major road corridors and future rail and Metro links including:

• Planning and staging of the north-south metro connection from Tallawong to Macarthur, including Tallawong to St Marys through Schofields and Marsden Park, and the southern corridor line from Bradfield to Campbelltown/Macarthur
• More direct and frequent buses, including rapid routes, and earlier public transport services for new communities, including improved public transport between Box Hill and Rouse Hill in the north-west
• Stronger long-term connections with the Western Sydney Airport and Bradfield region.

The Committee for Sydney’s 2026 State of the City report highlighted the pressure on commuter parking at Tallawong, estimating that on some days around 2,400 motorists compete for the station’s existing 975 spaces. The report also identified better feeder bus connections to railway and Metro stations as an important way to give commuters more options and reduce pressure on station parking.
Recent investment includes new and expanded bus services across Western Sydney, major upgrades to Richmond Road, $400 million jointly committed by the Australian and NSW governments to upgrade Windsor Road at Rouse Hill, and $160 million for additional commuter parking at Tallawong and Hills Showground.

The NSW Government has committed $40 million to the Tallawong to St Marys business case, which is scheduled for completion in 2026, while the Australian and NSW Governments have committed $100 million for the business case for metro between Bradfield and Campbelltown/Macarthur, and metro and heavy rail options for a connection between Bradfield and Leppington/Glenfield. The NSW Government has also announced up to 1,100 additional commuter parking spaces at Tallawong.

Information contained within this news release was correct as at Friday, 14 August 2026.