It’s been confirmed the construction of Newcastle’s Light Rail Project will be completed by the end of September.
The NSW Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, made the announcement during a visit to the light rail site on Monday.
“It was just 12 months ago when construction started on a 350 metre section of Newcastle’s light rail at Civic, and here we are today with the track all but finished and the first of the fleet here for testing,” said Mr Constance.
It comes after the first tram was lifted onto the tracks last week and the project’s scheduled completion in the first quarter of 2019.
Testing will begin before the end of the year, while a community awareness program will also be run ahead of its full completion.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald said today was the first day towards the future of Newcastle
“We’ve connected Newcastle to its harbour after the heavy rail corridor acted like the Berlin Wall for more than 100 years. Today workers, tourists and families can freely move between the waterfront and the city centre to create more foot traffic and more activity for businesses.
“As the fences come down to open the remainder of the light rail route, Novocastrians will see just how much their city has changed, with upgraded roads, widened footpaths, and new public spaces at the restored Newcastle Station and Market Street Lawn,” Mr MacDonald said.
More than three-thousand individuals have worked on the project.
