Central NSW Councils (Centroc), the Western NSW Business Chamber and RDA Central West are calling on the community to put their hands up in support of better transport links between Central NSW and Sydney. “We are still driving over bridges on the Great Western Highway that were built 180 years ago. While a testament to those great engineers, we need to get freight in High Mass Vehicles over the mountains to port and have a safe swift link by road for car travel. The current roads just don’t cut it,” said Cr Reg Kidd, Acting Chair of RDACW.
“Businesses across the region are calling out for better transport links into Sydney. This is not just for freight to and from the region but for our growing tourism industry,” said Regional Manager, Western NSW Business Chamber, Vicki Seccombe.
“The Draft Future Transport 2056 Strategy, which was developed without any consultation in this region, has no solutions for our region, not even securing the corridor between the M7 and Kurrajong. Securing the corridor is an election commitment of this State Government,” said Cr Medcalf.
“Addressing the current inefficiencies in transporting goods over the Blue Mountains will assist the Central West region to grow and prosper. The region is home to approximately 19,300 businesses, many of which are in agricultural, retail and manufacturing sectors, which are highly dependent on transport networks. Assisting these businesses through greater efficiencies will allow these sectors to reach new and expanded markets, employ more people and strengthen the economy,” said Ms Seccombe.
“We are developing a database of interested businesses and peak community organisations to reach out to as we ramp up this campaign. Please contact our Centroc Forbes Office on 6850 2323,” said Cr Medcalf.
“Strategic work carried out by RDA Central West shows that 80% of the region’s freight goes through Lithgow. We have also done some work on linkages into Inland Rail which will be a game changer for this region,” said Cr Kidd.