At a press conference at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday morning, Mr Foley said he would wait for the results of that analysis, but at this stage preferred the route to Strathfield via Olympic Park. "I've said from day one I want to improve transport connections through western Sydney," Mr Foley said. "I want to fix the Olympic legacy and improve transport connectivity here to the Olympic Park precinct," he said. "That's why a new light rail connection to Olympic Park through Strathfield and Parramatta makes sense," the Opposition Leader said, but added that he would await the results of the Transport for NSW analysis. The Coalition has said it would spend at least $1 billion on a light rail line around Parramatta, but $600 million of that funding is contingent on the privatisation of electricity assets. Mr Foley said his funding commitment was unconditional.

Labor's ideal route, however, would be longer than that suggested by Ms Berejiklian. Mr Foley said he wanted to connect light rail to Westmead, which is west of Parramatta, as well as Olympic Park and Strathfield to its east. Some councils in the area have other priorities. Parramatta City Council is backing a route from Westmead to Epping as the first stage of a light rail network. The mayor of the Hills Shire, Andrew Jefferies, says a line from Parramatta to Strathfield would duplicate the existing heavy rail line, and should not be built before a line from Parramatta to Macquarie Park. Labor's support for a light rail line around Parramatta means that, apart from a question of the timing of another harbour rail crossing, there are minimal - if any - public differences between the two major parties on public transport. Asked what the differences were between Labor and the Coalition's public transport policies, Mr Foley said: "The differences are we won't privatise. The differences are we won't privatise the electricity network. Mr Baird says he will accelerate the second harbour crossing by four years by selling off the state's electricity network. That's the big difference. I won't agree to that deal."

The opposition leader says a light rail line around Olympic Park would fulfil two objectives: to connect people around Strathfield and Parramatta to the jobs precincts of Westmead and Olympic Park, and to fix the connectivity of Olympic Park.