Gladys Berejiklian med rel: Plans for new ferry hub at Barangaroo open for feedback

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced plans are progressing well for a new ferry hub at Barangaroo to cater for thousands of residents, workers and visitors expected to travel to Sydney’s newest commercial district.

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new ferry hub will open for community feedback tomorrow, detailing the design of new ferry wharves.

Ms Berejiklian said the NSW Government was investing in the transport infrastructure needed to support over 23,000 office workers and over 33,000 people expected to travel to Barangaroo every day by the time the three commercial towers open.

“The new Barangaroo Ferry Hub will include two wharves for ferry customers travelling from the Inner Harbour and Sydney’s West, with room for a third wharf to be constructed when demand picks up,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The ferry hub will take customers right into the heart of the Barangaroo precinct, with fully accessible pontoons, seated waiting areas, weather protection, real-time service information and Opal ticketing for customers.

“As well as catering for workers and residents, we expect that the new ferry hub will become a key destination for people wanting to access the area on weekends, and for major events around Sydney Harbour such as New Years Eve and the Vivid Festival.

“I encourage all interested members of the community to view the plans for the Barangaroo Ferry Hub and provide their feedback. This is a great opportunity to have your say on this important project.”

Work on the Barangaroo Ferry Hub follows last month’s announcement that tenders are now open for six brand new Sydney Ferries vessels to service all inner harbour routes, including the new Barangaroo Ferry Hub.

Subject to community feedback and planning approval, construction of new ferry hub is expected to start in 2015 and open to customers in 2016.

During construction, ferry customers will access Barangaroo via the existing King Street Wharf, which is a short walk away. Once construction is complete, public transport services from King Street Wharf will move to Barangaroo and King Street Wharf will remain open for commercial and tourist operators.

The ferry hub is one of a number of major transport infrastructure projects the NSW Government is delivering to provide access to the Barangaroo precinct.

Ms Berejiklian said train customers accessing Barangaroo will also be able to use Wynyard Walk – the fully accessible pedestrian link that will allow customers to get from Wynyard Station to the Barangaroo waterfront in around six minutes.

“This week we reached a major milestone on the Wynyard Walk project, finishing excavation of the 18 metre deep Clarence Street Portal in the heart of Sydney’s CBD,” she said.

“Excavation has involved removing around 20,000 tonnes of rock from the site on the corner of Margaret Street and Clarence Street.

“When Wynyard Walk opens in 2016, the Clarence Street Portal will become the new, western entrance to Wynyard Station – the gateway to Sydney’s financial district and western CBD.”

The EIS for Barangaroo ferry hub is on public exhibition from tomorrow until Monday 9 February 2015. The EIS and details on how to make a submission will be available at www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au.