Oatley station finally has lifts, but it was the interior design of the new footbridge that captured most attention when the first stage of the upgrade was unveiled.
“The visual amenity of the walkways is quite spectacular,” Transport Minister Andrew Constance said.
“The design, the security element with CCTV and the light and open space are impressive.”
Mr Constance said, compared with other station upgrades he had seen, “this is top of the pops”.
“I am very pleased to see Transport for NSW is starting to use a bit more urban design with the work they are doing,” he said.
Mr Constance shared the job of officially opening the $23 million project with Oatley Public School pupil Jethro Shapiro-Liu, six.
“Jethro has a passion for trains and knows the name of every station in Sydney and every type of train,” Mr Constance told a group of about 30 residents and workers, who had gathered to watch.
“Are you going to declare it open?” he asked the young train enthusiast.
Jethro nodded his head, and that was enough for the minister to declare, “It’s open.”
Mr Constance said the accessibility improvements would be a great benefit for “seniors, people with disabilities and mums and dads with prams”.
“It was a very difficult build, putting a bridge across a train network while keeping it operating, so thank you to the project team and everyone else who has worked on it,” he said.
Oatley MP Mark Coure said the upgrade was a promise he made before the 2011 election, and thanked those who had signed a community petition.
The opened section includes most of the footbridge, along with the stairs and lifts on the eastern side and to platforms one and two.
The stairs and lift on the western side are due to open in about a month.
Old stairs from the roadway beneath the rail bridge have been closed, but will reopen when platform extension work is completed.
Mr Coure said it was planned to start an accessibility upgrade at Narwee station before the end of the year.
Work still to be completed at Oatley station includes:
- Oatley Parade: Landscaping, kiss and ride area and heritage interpretive panel.
- Mulga Road: Lift installation, soft landscaping (shrubs, trees and grasses), median strip on Mulga Road, forecourt works including installation of bus shelters, seating, bike racks, hand rails, signage, CCTV surveillance
- Platforms: Extension of platforms, resurfacing and ceiling panel installation, minor painting of platform building, new glass on lever room on platform building.
