NRS-18446 | Records of the Board of Review for Eastern Suburbs Railway

This series consists of submissions, correspondence and recommendations to the Eastern Suburbs Railway Board of Review. It also contains reports collating the material submitted to the Board and a report by the Board of Review to the Ministry of Transport and Highways outlining the results and recommendations of the Board.The series is not arranged in any discernable filing system and includes a variety of formats such as bundles of papers, correspondence and documents held in manila folders and bound reports.The Eastern Suburbs Railway Board of Review was appointed by the Wran Government in July 1976 to investigate the development of the Eastern Suburbs Railway (ESR) and determine whether work on the line should be continued as planned to Bondi Junction, whether work should be continued but in a modified manner or whether the planned extension should be abandoned altogether. The Government gave the Board a period of 13 weeks to complete its review with its first meeting being on 12 July 1976.Input from all interested parties was encouraged by the Board resulting in submissions and correspondence from the general public, local councils, government departments and private companies.The submissions and correspondence put forward options and recommendations regarding what form the ESR should take, that is, whether a conventional railway would be the best option, a light rail system, a tram or bus system. They also discussed whether the ESR should be integrated into the existing suburban transport system. Estimations of building costs, possible revenue return and ongoing operating costs were also of concern to the Board in their review.The resulting report saw the Board recommend that work on the ESR be continued in the form of a conventional railway to Bondi Junction. However they also recommended that the scope of the work be modified in order to cut costs.