The 12 km Parramatta light rail transit (LRT) line in Sydney carried an average of 12,000 passengers per day in its first 11 months of operation. This means that the line fell well short of the 22,000 passengers expected by the federal state of New South Wales. The approximately EUR 1.64 billion (AUD 2.88 billion) line between Carlingford and Westmead went into operation on 20th December 2024 after five years of construction, but had already been delayed during the test phase due to electrical problems. In its first year of operation, there were also several collisions with light rail vehicles (LRV) at level crossings. At the same time, construction is underway on the approximately 10 km phase 2 with 14 additional stops. The extension runs from Parramatta Square via Camellia to a new depot at Sandown Boulevard station and on to Carter Street in Sydney Olympic Park. The Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) authority expects the extension to increase demand in the long term, as the disappointing passenger numbers in the first phase are mainly attributed to a lack of residential and destination locations along the existing routing.
