Sustainable transport provides our visitors with more choice, while reducing our impact on the environment. We are committed to promoting sustainable transport solutions, including public and active transport. Sydney Airport is already served by two railway stations offering 13-minute trips to the city and has a bus service and cycling facilities.

Managing ground access in and around Sydney Airport is important for our customers and our local communities. Development and urbanisation in areas around the airport, together with air passenger growth, has increased demand on ground transport infrastructure in the past five years.

We have been working to improve access to and from the airport in recent years. Under Master Plan 2039’s five-year Ground Transport Plan, we have delivered precinct road network upgrades that have increased road capacity at T1 and improved traffic flows at T2 and T3.

We worked collaboratively with the NSW Government as we developed Master Plan 2039 to assess the transport access needs of the airport and the wider network around the airport.

Sydney Gateway

Currently, about half of the traffic on Airport Drive during the peak periods is not destined for the airport.

Sydney Gateway is a NSW Government road project to connect the city’s motorway network to the airport. Once complete, it will deliver major new connections from Sydney Airport’s Domestic and International terminals to the Sydney motorway network at St Peters Interchange. Together with WestConnex, it will provide a faster connection from the airport to greater Sydney and assist in taking traffic not destined for the airport off surrounding roads.

With 70 per cent of the project’s construction taking place on Sydney Airport land, we are working closely with Transport for NSW to facilitate the development of the project. We helped in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for NSW Government approvals, and a Major Development Plan (MDP) for Commonwealth Government approvals, which were approved in September 2020. There are 18 environmental chapters in the EIS and MDP, covering topics including traffic, transport and access, noise and vibration, airport operations and air quality.

Sydney Gateway complements future upgrades taking place within and connecting to the T1 and T2/T3 precincts and is set to save up to 40 minutes during the morning peak travelling between Parramatta and T2/T3 and Dee Why and T2/T3 when used with other Sydney motorway connections.

Strategy and Plans

Our five-year Ground Transport Plan and 20-year Ground Transport Strategy contained in Chapter 11 of Master Plan 2039 are designed to improve road network performance in and around Sydney Airport to 2024 and beyond and accommodate forecast increases in ground transport demand over the planning period.

Section 3.6 of the Airport Environment Strategy 2019-2024 sets out our key objectives in relation to landside access to and from the airport, and our action plan sets out how these will be achieved. Our objectives are to:

• Encourage the increased use of sustainable transport modes
• Minimise traffic-related environmental impacts (such as greenhouse gas, air and noise emissions)
• Landside access to Sydney Airport has three main components, the road network in and around the airport, public transport and active transport

Public transport

Sydney Airport works with the NSW Government and transport operators to develop sustainable transport options for airport users, including travellers and staff, which will assist to minimise traffic related environmental impacts.

We are also committed to increasing the public transport mode share by improving access to the airport and enhancing ground transport facilities to improve the quality of experience for public transport users. Achieving an increase public transport mode share for airport passengers and staff will assist in reducing congestion and improving environmental outcomes.

Active transport

Sydney Airport is committed to improving active transport infrastructure in the airport precinct. The Five-Year Ground Transport Plan to 2024 includes additional measures to improve access to and connectivity of the active transport network. Sydney Airport is investigating potential inter-terminal and sub-regional links with Transport for NSW and local councils which will improve access to the airport precinct from surrounding transport nodes and major centres.

A number of initiatives to improve active transport access outlined in Master Plan 2039 have been implemented over the past five years including the T1 footbridge and cycleway connection linking the Alexandra Canal shared path and P7 providing direct access to the terminal.

Sydney Airport has established an Active Transport Forum, on which local and peak bicycle user groups, local government and NSW Government agencies are represented.

Section 3.6.5 of the AES details our five-year ground transport action plan.