Curves that move a city: Parramatta Light Rail’s signature design
Transport is traditionally built on straight lines – efficient, predictable, functional. Recognised with the AILA NSW Award of Excellence in Infrastructure, Parramatta Light Rail takes a different approach. Its distinctive curvilinear design, inspired by the bends of the Parramatta River, brings movement, softness and identity to Sydney’s River City.
From the start, the design vision was to create a system that belongs to Parramatta, not borrowed from elsewhere. Designed by COX with CONTEXT Landscape Architecture, with WSP and Aurecon, and delivered in partnership with Transport for NSW, the 16-stop network establishes a cohesive civic symbol for the city and its people.
“We wanted to give the city of Parramatta a light rail that reflects and builds on the city’s existing identity,” said David Holm, COX Principal Consultant and Design Lead for Parramatta Light Rail. “The curved forms evoke motion and optimism, but they’re also rigorously resolved – from stormwater collection to lighting, shading and wayfinding.”
AILA jury
[Parramatta Light Rail is] a project that redefines what infrastructure can be: not just transport, but transformation.
Curves inspired by the river
The flowing arcs of the station canopies and columns take their cues from the river, a living line through the city’s landscape and identity. These curves create rhythm and continuity, guiding passengers naturally toward platforms, opening views to the street and offering shelter with a sense of arrival.
More than just visually striking – the softness of the design contrasts with the hard edges of typical infrastructure, giving the network a sense of warmth and openness. Even in stillness, the architecture conveys motion, echoing the city’s constant flow.
“It’s poetic in form but pragmatic in detail,” said Holm. “The curves unify the network and reflect Parramatta’s character. They make the light rail instantly identifiable — and unmistakably its own.”
Repetition that builds identity
Each station is defined by the same prefabricated ‘kit of parts’, repeated across 16 stops. This consistency is efficient, but also purposeful: it reinforces local identity and makes the light rail instantly recognisable.
“With 16 stops, repetition becomes identity,” Holm explains.
Precision in every detail
Behind the poetry of the design lies rigorous precision. Prefabricated components are engineered offsite to millimetre accuracy, with structural columns doubling as conduits for lighting, data and rainwater management. This approach ensures quality while allowing construction in complex urban conditions — from heritage precincts to busy intersections.
A lasting civic symbol
Parramatta Light Rail shows how infrastructure can transcend transport. Through flowing curves, repeated language and meticulous detail, it has given the River City a design language that is both pragmatic and poetic; a civic identity in motion.
