THE State Government has repeatedly ignored the findings of a landmark report into the city's congested transport network and has turned its back on the transport wastelands of north-west and south-west Sydney, the Opposition warned yesterday.

The criticism came as Ron Christie, the former Olympic transport chief and author of a respected long-term rail plan for Sydney, spoke publicly for the first time since his report was published in 2001, criticising the Government for abandoning western Sydney.

Mr Christie, who was also a former head of State Rail and the Roads and Traffic Authority, accused the Government of wasting money on projects like the M4 extension and the CBD metro when western Sydney was at breaking point.

At the centre of Mr Christie's plan were new rail links to the north-west and south-west growth centres, and, most importantly, a second line through the city and under the harbour, eliminating congestion on the network for decades.

Instead, the Government is building a CBD metro to Rozelle and has abandoned the north-west and south-west rail lines.

The Opposition transport spokeswoman, Gladys Berejiklian, said the Government had ignored Mr Christie's warnings.

Ms Berejiklian said: "The decision to axe the north-west and south-west rail links makes no sense, especially considering the Labor Government's plan to move 300,000 people into the south-west region over the coming 20 years, and only recently having announced plans for another north-west industrial park.

"Building rail links to Sydney's western suburbs is the only way to avoid complete traffic gridlock across this city. Nathan Rees ought to listen to Ron Christie instead of pursuing a rail policy focused on Labor's electoral prospects and not the transport needs of families in western Sydney."

But a spokesman for the acting Transport Minister, Michael Daley, said the CBD metro would ease congestion on the network, and the Government was working on a new strategic transport plan for the next 30 years.