The inner city lines will all be saturated within the next ten years or so, and there will be a need for a new, alternative route through the CBD.

— Ron Christie, June 2001
Ironically, it was Carr himself who would have to deal with the consequences of his metropolitan plan, when he was elected Premier of New South Wales in 1995.
At first, the needs of the forthcoming Sydney 2000 Olympics – new rail lines to the airport and the new stadium planned by his Liberal predecessors – took priority.

Carr's first new rail proposal was the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link (PERL), announced in 1998.
Something like it – a St Leonards to Eastwood line – had figured in Bradfield's 1920 plan.
Carr and his transport minister, Carl Scully, built on the idea by extending the corridor westward, via the underused Carlingford branch line, to Western Sydney’s chief employment centre, Parramatta.
The need for this western extension was questionable: indeed, Carr and Scully’s successor, Michael Costa, were to remove it from the plan five years later, citing low expected patronage.
But the political imperative was clear: Carr owed his 1995 victory to just three electoral districts, all of them in Western Sydney.
The next priority was the North West, where Carr as planning minister had green-lit future development far from mass transit links.
The Government's solution was heavy rail from Epping to Castle Hill, and bus rapid transit from Castle Hill to the new suburbs.

Although this 1998 plan, called Action for Transport, contained a rhetorical commitment to public ownership of train services, both the Airport Link and a proposed Bondi Beach extension were to be operated and maintained by the private sector using government-run trains.
This represented the beginnings of a major strategic shift, with future rapid transit proposals to incorporate private-sector operation as a core element.

The following year, a train collision at Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains killed seven people and injured 51.
Carr and Scully recognised that the rail system needed a serious strategic review, and commissioned a former State Rail Authority boss, Ron Christie, to conduct one.

Christie's conclusions were politically unwelcome.
Not only was the scale of investment required vast, but the prerequisite for network growth was an expensive new tunnel under the harbour and CBD, far from Western Sydney.
Yet the rail czar's warnings could not be ignored:
the inner city lines will all be saturated within the next ten years or so, and there will be a need for a new, alternative route through the CBD, from Eveleigh to St Leonards, in the medium term, most likely by between 2011 and 2015 ... This project is regarded as being of the highest priority.
Without it, the metropolitan rail system will face strangulation and progressive operational collapse.

Christie's report also flagged the potential for a future rapid transit ("metro") network, marking the mode's re-emergence in official thinking after a long absence.
However, he sought to delay implementation of a standalone metro system until his report's 2021–51 "long term", at which time he saw the potential for:
a Parramatta–CBD–Airport "River Metro"
a Hoxton Park–Parramatta–Castle Hill "Parramatta Metro"
a Cronulla–CBD–Dee Why "Central Metro".

For a year, Carr and his ministers attempted to suppress the report, but it leaked in 2002.
In 2003, seven people were killed in a derailment at Waterfall, in the city's south.
Action for Transport was no longer viable: operationally or politically.

Its replacement, announced in 2005, was a Rail Clearways Program to boost the capacity of existing lines and an $8 billion Metropolitan Rail Expansion Programme (MREP) to add a new underground line to the CBD and extend the network's reach into the growth areas to the north-west and south-west.
There was, however, no mention of rapid transit.

Four months later, Carr quit politics, having become the state's longest continuously serving premier.
His replacement, Health Minister Morris Iemma, confirmed the Government would retain its commitmen
The inner city lines will all be saturated within the next ten years or so, and there will be a need for a new, alternative route through the CBD.
— Ron Christie, June 2001
Ironically, it was Carr himself who would have to deal with the consequences of his metropolitan plan, when he was elected Premier of New South Wales in 1995. At first, the needs of the forthcoming Sydney 2000 Olympics – new rail lines to the airport and the new stadium planned by his Liberal predecessors – took priority.
Carr's first new rail proposal was the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link (PERL), announced in 1998. Something like it – a St Leonards to Eastwood line – had figured in Bradfield's 1920 plan. Carr and his transport minister, Carl Scully, built on the idea by extending the corridor westward, via the underused Carlingford branch line, to Western Sydney’s chief employment centre, Parramatta. The need for this western extension was questionable: indeed, Carr and Scully’s successor, Michael Costa, were to remove it from the plan five years later, citing low expected patronage. But the political imperative was clear: Carr owed his 1995 victory to just three electoral districts, all of them in Western Sydney. The next priority was the North West, where Carr as planning minister had green-lit future development far from mass transit links. The Government's solution was heavy rail from Epping to Castle Hill, and bus rapid transit from Castle Hill to the new suburbs.
Although this 1998 plan, called Action for Transport, contained a rhetorical commitment to public ownership of train services, both the Airport Link and a proposed Bondi Beach extension were to be operated and maintained by the private sector using government-run trains. This represented the beginnings of a major strategic shift, with future rapid transit proposals to incorporate private-sector operation as a core element.
The following year, a train collision at Glenbrook in the lower Blue Mountains killed seven people and injured 51. Carr and Scully recognised that the rail system needed a serious strategic review, and commissioned a former State Rail Authority boss, Ron Christie, to conduct one.
Christie's conclusions were politically unwelcome. Not only was the scale of investment required vast, but the prerequisite for network growth was an expensive new tunnel under the harbour and CBD, far from Western Sydney. Yet the rail czar's warnings could not be ignored:
the inner city lines will all be saturated within the next ten years or so, and there will be a need for a new, alternative route through the CBD, from Eveleigh to St Leonards, in the medium term, most likely by between 2011 and 2015 ... This project is regarded as being of the highest priority. Without it, the metropolitan rail system will face strangulation and progressive operational collapse.
Christie's report also flagged the potential for a future rapid transit ("metro") network, marking the mode's re-emergence in official thinking after a long absence. However, he sought to delay implementation of a standalone metro system until his report's 2021–51 "long term", at which time he saw the potential for:
a Parramatta–CBD–Airport "River Metro"
a Hoxton Park–Parramatta–Castle Hill "Parramatta Metro"
a Cronulla–CBD–Dee Why "Central Metro".
For a year, Carr and his ministers attempted to suppress the report, but it leaked in 2002. In 2003, seven people were killed in a derailment at Waterfall, in the city's south. Action for Transport was no longer viable: operationally or politically.
Its replacement, announced in 2005, was a Rail Clearways Program to boost the capacity of existing lines and an $8 billion Metropolitan Rail Expansion Programme (MREP) to add a new underground line to the CBD and extend the network's reach into the growth areas to the north-west and south-west. There was, however, no mention of rapid transit.
Four months later, Carr quit politics, having become the state's longest continuously serving premier. His replacement, Health Minister Morris Iemma, confirmed the Government would retain its commitmen
Sydney Metro (2008 proposal)