Parramatta Light Rail, Stage 1

Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 has been recognised with the 2025 AILA NSW Award of Excellence for Infrastructure, acknowledging the integral role of landscape architecture in shaping major public infrastructure.

Delivered by Transport for NSW, CONTEXT and COX Architecture, the project redefines what infrastructure can be—elevating the role of landscape to deliver equitable, sustainable and enduring public, environmental and cultural outcomes. Commended for its climate-responsive design, the project integrates transport with over 5,000 new trees, iconic green track systems, and a place-led design guide known as the “Blue Book”, which embedded design excellence from planning through to delivery.

Location:
Parramatta, NSW
Client:
Parramatta Connect (CPB Contractors and Downer EDI Joint Venture) for Transport for NSW
Duration:
2017 – 2025
Awards:
2025 AILA Award of Excellence for Intrastructure
2023 NSW Sustainability Awards: Placemaking Award, Winner
2023 Australian Construction Achievement Award: Infrastructure Works, Finalist
2022 Australian Urban Design Awards: Leadership, Advocacy and Research City and Regional Scale – Infrastructure Works
2022 Infrastructure Sustainability Council Awards: Award for a Leading as Built Rating – Infrastructure Works.
Phase:
Tender to Construction 

CONTEXT provided urban and landscape design services for Stage 1 of Parramatta Light Rail (PLR), comprising a 12km alignment with 16 stops between Westmead and Carlingford via Camellia.

CONTEXT, in conjunction with COX Architecture was engaged by the CPB/ Downer Joint Venture as the Urban Design team for PLR Stage 1. Following successful completion of the tender phase, CONTEXT led the development of the detailed design and construction documentation for the public domain associated with the alignment and stops.

PLR Stage 1 serves as a catalyst for the revitalisation and renewal of the Greater Parramatta region, connecting several key locations including the Westmead health precinct, the Parramatta North Urban Transformation area, the new Western Sydney Stadium, the Parramatta CBD, the new Powerhouse Museum and Riverside Theatre Cultural Hub, the Camellia precinct, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, the private and social housing redevelopment at Telopea, and the three Western Sydney University campuses. 

The Project could catalyse further investment and urban renewal, attract new jobs and residents, improve residential amenity and provide a range of city-shaping, place-making and transport benefits. It will also provide a new, iconic transport mode that is direct, fast, reliable and integrated into the surrounding transport network.

Parramatta Light Rail, Stage 1 has won a number of high-profile awards including:

2025 AILA Award of Excellence for Intrastructure
2023 NSW Sustainability Awards: Placemaking Award, Winner
2023 Australian Construction Achievement Award: Infrastructure Works, Finalist
2022 Australian Urban Design Awards: Leadership, Advocacy and Research City and Regional Scale – Infrastructure Works
2022 Infrastructure Sustainability Council Awards: Award for a Leading as Built Rating – Infrastructure Works.

Photography by Simon Wood, Ameer Al Attar and Transport for NSW.