Parramatta. No joy until 2036

An assessment by Transport NSW of Sydney's long-term rail strategy, Long Term Rail Strategy Phase 5 Assessment, marked ''cabinet in confidence'' and dated August 2011, obtained by the Sydney Morning Hetrald, reveals that rail planners expect that so much money and expertise will be tied up building the north-west rail link until about 2019 that another big project is not considered possible until then; the Epping to Parramatta line is being planned as a shuttle between the stations but is not expected to operate until 2036.