Trams will carry passengers through Sydney’s streets for the first time in nearly 60 years when the CBD and South East Light Rail opens on Saturday, 14 December.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance today announced the start date for the first light rail service to run down George Street since 1961.
“The CBD and South East Light Rail is a big step towards revitalising our city and will transform the way we live, work and go out in Sydney,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Trams will be fare-free for the opening weekend so the community can ride the new light rail to celebrate this historic event.
“The new network will move up to 13,500 commuters an hour during peak time in both directions, replacing the conga line of buses which used to sit in traffic on George Street. A coupled tram holds up to 450 customers, the equivalent of up to nine standard buses.”
Minister for Transport Andrew Constance revealed the first passenger services will start at 11am on Saturday and run between Circular Quay and Randwick until 1am.
“This is an exciting time and we expect a huge turnout at Circular Quay of people taking a ride on the new trams before regular services start on Monday,” Mr Constance said.
“With passenger services right around the corner it’s more important than ever for the community to pay attention to safety messages around trams.
“We have launched multiple safety campaigns telling people to stay safe around light rail. We need pedestrians to keep their heads up and drivers to stay out of the tram corridor and not queue across intersections.”
Services on the CBD and South East Light Rail will run from 5am to 1am every day of the week.
