It comprises 58 stops and a system length of approximately In the β24 financial year, In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Sydney developed an extensive tram network , which grew to be the second largest in the Southern Hemisphere and second largest in the Commonwealth after London. The increasing rate of private car ownership, the perception that trams contributed to traffic congestion and the general rundown conditions of the network due to the lack of funding after World War II led to the progressive replacement of tram services with buses, with the final section of the tram network closing on 25 February In the s and s, the inner city areas of Darling Harbour and Pyrmont were the subject of an urban renewal program.
In the Sydney Monorail opened, connecting Darling Harbour to the city centre. With poor integration between the monorail and other transport modes and the increasing redevelopment of the Pyrmont peninsula β including the establishment of Sydney's first legal casino β it was decided to convert a disused section of the Metropolitan Goods railway line into a light rail line.
A section of track between Pyrmont and Haymarket was upgraded and a new on-street section was built to link the line to Central station. The line was set up as a public-private partnership. The private owner soon made proposals for a western extension continuing along the disused goods line, plus a new line through the city centre from Central to Circular Quay.
By contrast, the s saw major expansion and reform of light rail in Sydney including the announcement and delivery of multiple new infrastructure projects, integration of ticketing with the city's other transport modes, the introduction of new trams and the transfer of the network to full public ownership. This coincided with broader investment in urban railways across Sydney and Australia, with the state transport minister in labelling Sydney a "train city" in reference to the various rail modes in the city.
SLRC was awarded a year concession to operate the light rail system until February when ownership would pass to the New South Wales Government. CGEA Transport and its successors have operated the inner city light rail network ever since. From 1 July , the Metro Light Rail brand was phased out as part of a broader rebranding and reorganisation of public transport services in New South Wales. Following the announcement of the CBD and South East Light Rail, the government decided to group the contract covering the construction of the new line with the operation and maintenance of both lines of the inner city network.
