In January 2019, the State Member for Ku-ring-gai, Alister Henskens SC MP, announced that the Liberal Government would install for the first time lifts at the Warrawee, Waitara, Pymble and Normanhurst railway stations. This was in addition to the announcement of a lift for the first time at Wahroonga Station made in the June 2018 Budget.

Community consultation has commenced with regard to the Warrawee Station accessibility upgrade, which will deliver a new lift and canopy, CCTV cameras and additional lighting.

The lift installation process includes design, community consultation, the finalisation of design, invitation to tender, awarding of contract and construction.

“This process will take a different length of time for each railway station, as they each have their own unique heritage and engineering considerations,” Mr Henskens said.

“I am very happy that we are seeing such prompt action from the NSW Government.”

In December 2018, community consultation for the Wahroonga Station upgrade took place. The invitation to tender closed in February 2019 and the contract for Wahroonga is expected to be awarded in the next month.

As it is anticipated to be the most straightforward of the remaining four railway stations announced in January 2019, Warrawee is the next to proceed to community consultation.

“I am advised that the Waitara and Pymble Station upgrades, in particular, will be far more complex and are not expected to move as quickly as we have with Warrawee Station,” Mr Henskens said.

“We want to make sure our less mobile customers, including those with a disability, parents and carers with prams, seniors and travellers with luggage, can easily access these railway stations and their facilities.

“During the recent state election campaign, a schoolboy in a wheelchair told me one morning at Warrawee station how excited his family and he were that the lift was being installed in the station near his home.” 

Benefits of the proposed Warrawee Station upgrade include:

• a new lift and entry points, with a canopy from the new lift to the station building on the platform
• two new accessible parking spaces on Heydon Avenue
• new kiss and ride spaces on either side of the station
• new accessible pathways throughout the station precinct, and
• improved amenities such as accessible toilets, CCTV cameras and additional lighting

“As part of the planning approval process, the local community has a chance to review and to provide feedback on the Review of Environmental Factors document, which outlines the plans for the project, any potential impacts on the local area and how these will be managed,” said Mr Henskens.

“A new virtual reality feature will make the process of providing feedback easier. Those interested will have a 360 degree view of the station and be able to comment directly, as well as see and like what others have said.”

The virtual reality consultation tool can be viewed and comments made at www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/warrawee-station-upg….

Planning documents for Warrawee Station will be on public display until 14 May 2019. These can be viewed online, at Transport for NSW’s office in Chatswood, at Ku-Ring-Gai Council’s office in Gordon or at Turramurra Library.

Feedback can be provided by:

• making a comment on the virtual reality sections on the project website
• email at [email protected];
• or mail to: Transport Access Program – Warrawee Station, Associate Director, Environmental Impact Assessment, Transport for NSW, Locked Bag 6501, St Leonards NSW 2065. 

The Warrawee Station Upgrade is being delivered under the NSW Government’s Transport Access Program, an initiative to deliver safe, modern and accessible public transport infrastructure across the state.

For more information about the upgrade and to get involved please visit: yoursay.transport.nsw.gov.au/warrawee or transport.nsw.gov.au/warrawee.

The NSW Government has invested more than $2 billion in the Transport Access Program since 2011. To date, more than 470 Transport Access Program projects are either completed or underway across the state.