Yes I know the greens were in favour of the surface route. They were angry
with Carr and the little coterie of extremists around the Nature
Conservation Council and the deal between them.

Tony P

On Wednesday, 20 January 2021 at 13:56:34 UTC+11gregsut...@...
wrote:

> Actually the Lane Cove tunnel was the result of political skullduggery

> executed by Carl Scully, then the Roads Minister on behalf of the RTA.

>

> The project was (emphasis on was) the Parramatta to Chatswood Rail Link.

>

> The RTA was incensed about the amount of money being , as they saw it,

> diverted from road building to rail and they set out to scupper such

> unacceptable goings on.

>

> There were actually more 'greens' in favour of the surface rail

> particularly as it would have provided a station at the UWS campus than the

> tunnel which precluded a total of three stations in the area and required

> the construction of expensive underground stations. They also favoured

> public transport over more roads in the area. A minority of 'greens'

> pushed the 'destruction of the park' purist line. Scully seized on the

> latter and his factional mates in government fell into line.

>

> Forcing the line underground created huge cost increases, especially due

> to the need to deal with the gradients, curves that you refer to and other

> expensive infrastructure add-ons such as ventilation, drainage and

> additional power and light provisions.

>

> Such was the financial penalty that this action involved that the line was

> cut back to Epping to Chatswood.

>

> A double win for the RTA. First, the successful cutback of the road

> challenging Parramatta section and second, the ability they gained to

> ensure that any future rail proposals could be attacked as outrageously

> expensive thus ensuring more money for roads.

>

> Greg

>

>

> On 19/01/2021 4:55 pm, TP wrote:

>

> If you're designing a city from scratch nowadays, you tend to put heav

> expensivey rail lines underground because they do in fact interfere with

> how a city works. However, this outcome shouldn't be taken at extreme. In a

> city with varied topography like Sydney with its hills and dales, new lines

> tend to run in and out of tunnels. The outer west metro is no exception,

> having a mixture of tunnel and surface running several times along its

> length. The doozy of all time is surely the Bob Carr Memorial Tunnel under

> the Lane Cover River and its prodigious gradients and curves to get down

> there from high ground either side. All to please his mates in the nature

> conservation council, in an area that is entirely man-made, not natural.

> Tony P

>

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> .

>

>