Public transport is a major part of everyday life across Sydney’s Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches. People rely on it to get to work, school, university, shops, appointments, friends and the wider city. Yet despite these areas being geographically close, travelling between them can be surprisingly difficult.

The Northern Beaches is heavily reliant on buses, including the B1, but buses alone are not enough for the communities that already depend on them. Buses operating on congested roads can be delayed by the same traffic as everyone else, and increasing bus services does NOT create the dedicated infrastructure that a major transport corridor needs.

The Northern Beaches already has established centres such as Manly and Dee Why, including substantial existing apartment communities, but NO direct connection to Sydney’s rail or metro network. These are communities that already exist and already generate significant public transport demand. We believe transport infrastructure should catch up with the communities that are already here, not be built on the assumption that they need to become any denser.

The Lower North Shore already has major connections around North Sydney, McMahons Point, Crows Nest, Mosman and the Spit. We want to build on that existing network with dedicated light rail infrastructure connecting through the Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches towards Brookvale and Dee Why.

There is also a remarkable history behind this idea. Sydney once had an EXTENSIVE tramway network across the Lower North Shore, up until the 1950s. Trams connected North Sydney with Mosman and the Spit, while Northern Beaches services reached Brookvale, Collaroy and Narrabeen. Those tramways are gone, but the communities they served have continued to grow and change.

We are not calling for the old tramway to simply be rebuilt. We are calling for a modern light rail connection following in the footsteps of the original network, designed for Sydney today, providing dedicated, high-capacity, street-level transport infrastructure, frequent services and connections to the wider rail, metro, ferry and bus network.

This campaign is NOT about encouraging further development. It is about providing better transport for the people and communities that are already here. The Northern Beaches should not have to remain dependent on buses for its main connection to the rest of Sydney, simply because it does not currently have any non-bus transport modes.

The Northern Beaches had trams. The Lower North Shore had trams. We want to bring them BACK.

We are calling on the NSW Government to investigate and plan a modern light rail connection between Sydney’s Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches.

Whether you live along the corridor or simply believe Sydney needs better public transport, sign the petition and help us BRING TRAMS BACK.