Item 9.2 - Attachment 1

Parramatta Capital of Western Sydney

ATTACHMENT 1 – east coast fast rail

Parramatta capital of Western Sydney

5. Economy - Western Sydney has the third largest economy in Australia ($76.4b in 2006/07) with a population of 1.8m and 30% of Australia’s top 500 Companies.

6. Population - Parramatta has planned growth of an additional 30,000 jobs and 20,000 residents by 2031. The growth of Western Sydney is expected to be an additional 4 million residents over the next 40 years.

7. Retail - Westfield Parramatta is the third largest in retail space in Australia and the second busiest building with over 28m visitors every year. Sydney Airport is the busiest building.

8. Arts & Culture - Parramatta Park has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Register recognising it’s historic value. The Park plays a key role in Council’s Australia Day celebrations which attracts 80,000 visitors. Other keys events include Sydney Festival’s A R Rhman which attracted 60,000. Parramasala, the inaugural Australian Festival of South Asian Arts will take place in November 2010 and is estimated to be worth $500m to the NSW State economy.

9. Sport - Parramatta stadium is home to the NRL club the Eels which attracts over 22,000 spectators to home games. Rosehill Gardens hosts horseracing including the prestigious Golden Slipper event which attracts 60,000 visitors with $11m in prizes in 2010. Parramatta plays a key role in supporting events at Sydney Olympic Park including the Easter Show, V8 Supercars music concerts, as well as world class sporting events.

10. Education - The University of Western Sydney’s Rydalmere campus has 10,000 students and includes schools in law, business, health and computing.

11. Health - The Westmead Health precinct is the largest healthcare precinct in the southern hemisphere and includes hospitals, research and laboratory facilities.

12. Transport Connections - Connections to Western Sydney from Parramatta is provided by rail services to Penrith, Blacktown, Richmond, planned NW Growth Centre, Blue Mountains, Liverpool, Strathfield and Burwood, T-way services to Liverpool and Rouse Hill and bus services to Castle Hill, Ryde and Bankstown. In the future the SW Growth Area will be linked to Parramatta via the South West Rail Link and Macquarie Park will be connected by the Parramatta Epping Rail Link. The surrounding road network of the M4, Parramatta Rd, Victoria Rd, Cumberland Highway and Woodville Rd complements the public transport network.

David Gray

Manager, Transport Planning 30 September 2010