Region. Western metro has potential

In its latest list of infrastructure projects, the federal government's Infrastructure Australia said the western metro had potential, even though the state government recently shelved it. With a headline cost of $10 billion to build, annual passenger numbers of a little more than 100 million and revenue of about $300 million a year, or 10 times that estimated for the CBD Metro, it is clearly the more viable proposition if federal funding for part of the capital cost is on offer. Key financial information relating to this project has been withheld from public scrutiny, making it difficult to assess fully, but its role in taking pressure off the western rail services into the city ranks it as essential growth infrastructure, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.