[category]
[title]
As plans stand right now, the Sydney Metro network is due to comprise 46 stations once it’s complete – with super fast lines connecting Tallawong to Bankstown, Chatswood to Sydenham, Westmead to the Sydney CBD, and St Marys to the new Western Sydney International Airport at Badgerys Creek. Yep, that's a lot – and one of the new lines (Sydney Metro West) just reached a major milestone. A tunnel boring machine has officially punched through the final metre of sandstone into the future Hunter Street station, marking the end of all tunnelling on the 24-kilometre Sydney Metro West line.
It’s a milestone moment not just for Metro West, but for the entire Sydney Metro program. With this breakthrough, tunnelling has wrapped up across four mega-projects: Sydney Metro North West, Sydney Metro City and Southwest, Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport and Metro West. Since works began back in 2014 between Epping and Bella Vista, a huge 14.7 million tonnes of rock have been excavated, with 19 tunnel boring machines carving out 128 kilometres of tunnel beneath the Harbour City.
According to the NSW Government, on Metro West alone, crews worked around the clock for two years and ten months to create twin tunnels linking the Sydney and Parramatta CBDs in just 20 minutes. When it opens (target date slated for 2032), the new line will slash travel times across the west: zipping Sydneysiders from Westmead to Hunter Street in 22 minutes, from Sydney Olympic Park to Hunter Street in 15, and from Westmead to Olympic Park in a super speedy seven mins.
According to NSW Government data, almost 23,000 workers have been employed across the nine-station stretch between Hunter Street and Westmead, with more than 141,400 precast concrete segments produced to line the newly excavated tunnels.
Next up? Track laying will begin by the end of the year, as the focus shifts from digging to fit-out. At Hunter Street, the new line will connect with the existing city network at Martin Place, forming a bustling underground interchange that could totally change how we move through the CBD.
The new line is due to open in 2023, with the extension of the existing metro line (from Sydenham to Bankstown) slated to open later this year (though delays are casting some doubt over that timeline, stay tuned).
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, travel inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.
RECOMMENDED:
Officials say the high-speed rail link between Newcastle and Sydney will officially go ahead
The plans for Sydney’s huge new city (next to the new airport) have been revealed
Sydney's huge new Powerhouse Parramatta is 95 per cent complete – here's what to expect