North West. All trains through Chatswood

The state government is racing ahead with a plan for its centrepiece north-west rail link that would require all trains from the new line to run through Chatswood and onto the crowded North Shore line, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. On Transport NSW's own figures, this would allow it to run as few as two trains an hour from the north-west to the city before it had to start cutting other services on the north shore. Early plans for the link, a 23-kilometre stretch of track from Rouse Hill to Epping, allowed for trains to run from Epping to the city both via Chatswood and south through Strathfield. This would spread the load across the crowded CityRail network. The tender documents describe plans for a 15.5-kilometre tunnel straight from Epping station almost as far as Kellyville.