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Map of 'Enfield
Marshalling Yards' from Wilson Street Directory 1926 |
Enfield
Marshalling Yards were established in 1916 on land that was once
'Enfield Park'. With the establishment of the Marshalling
Yards, a large local employer, residential development in
suburbs close to this site commenced eg Enfield, Belfield,
Strathfield South, Chullora and Greenacre. A glance at
occupational status of local residents living close to the
Marshalling Yards, indicates many local residents were employees
of the Marshalling Yards. This development pattern
resulted in residential homes being located close to this site
as workers saw advantages in living close to their place of
employment.
Future redevelopment of this site has been of
concern for many years for the local community.
In the early 1990s, National Rail proposed an intermodal
terminal at Enfield. Eventually this proposal was shifted
to Chullora.
In 2001 Sydney Ports Corporation proposed an intermodal
terminal [rail/truck transfer and storage facility] at Enfield.
As a result of opposition by the local community and affected
Councils, including Strathfield Council, the 'Independent Review
of the Proposed Enfield Intermodal Terminal' was convened by the
Hon. Milton Morris OAM.
The report concluded that the proposal for an intermodal
terminal at Enfield in its current form is unacceptable
and should not proceed. The then Minister for
Transport, Carl Scully, stated in February 2003 [prior
to the State Election in March 2003] that "The
report also makes a number of recommendations for the
future, the Government has accepted these and will act
upon them".
The key recommendations of the report were:
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The current proposal for an intermodal terminal
on the Enfield site not proceed
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That a major reassessment of an intermodal
terminal demand and potential sites should be
urgently conducted involving all relevant bodies.
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That the Commonwealth Government should
immediately release funding to improve freight rail
access within the Sydney Metropolitan area and
specifically to enable the construction of the
Chullora-Macarthur freight line
Other reports on the results of the review include
Sydney Morning Herald 20/3/2003.
The current proposal was raised in January 2005, when the
Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources (DIPNR)
and Sydney Ports Authority held a briefing meeting for local
Councils and agencies in regard to a new proposal for a rail
freight intermodal facility at the former Enfield Marshalling
Yards.
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