The final major contract has been awarded for construction of the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, unlocking the future of air travel in the region.
Construction of Western Sydney Airport’s landside precinct will begin in 2022 after the contract was awarded to the Aerowest Joint Venture, made up of BMD Constructions and Seymour Whyte Constructions.
Western Sydney Airport CEO, Simon Hickey, said the contract is the last piece of the puzzle for the project’s major procurement, completed ahead of schedule.
“This is where your journey at Western Sydney International begins and ends,” Mr Hickey said.
“Whether you’re arriving by car, bus or rail, this will be the welcome mat for our customers at what will be Australia’s best airport terminal.
“We know that getting to and from airports is one of the biggest pain points for travellers – passengers and airlines will love using Western Sydney International because the experience we deliver will be fast, seamless and reliable from start to finish.”
Construction of the landside precinct will involve integrating the new M12 Motorway, which will connect the airport to Sydney’s motorway network, and the airport’s two stations on the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line, with one stop at the passenger terminal and the other at the business precinct.
It will also involve the construction of car parks, roads, bridges, utilities connections, operational buildings and landscaping.
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said this marked another milestone for the airport – one of the nation’s biggest infrastructure projects.
“The announcement is a significant milestone in the delivery of this once-in-a-generation project for Western Sydney with all major contracts now awarded, paving the way for even more activity to get underway on site,” Mr Fletcher said.
“The landside contract will deliver essential ground transport operational facilities to underpin smooth and efficient journeys to and from the airport, including car parks, electric vehicle charging stations and holding areas for point-to-point transport services.”
The contract is expected to create more than 700 direct jobs and many more indirect jobs through flow-on benefits to suppliers and the local economy.
Federal Minister for Finance, Simon Birmingham, said this contract will also ensure complementary infrastructure projects integrate smoothly with the new airport, such as the M12 motorway and the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail link.
“These projects will provide critical connections, getting overseas visitors from the new airport to their destination, and Australians to the rest of the world, to unlock the full benefits of this up-and-coming international gateway,” Mr Birmingham said.
“The airport and surrounding road and rail links will be a catalyst for future jobs, economic growth and prosperity in the region, and form an integral element of the surrounding Aerotropolis and the broader Western Parkland city.”
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail link will run beside the Main Access Road through the Business Park area, before heading underground and arriving at the Airport Terminal Station, to drop off and pick up people right at the world-leading Western Sydney International Terminal.
Major works are set to commence on the rail line after a $1.8 billion contract was awarded to CPB Contractors and Ghella to build the new twin metro rail tunnels.
The first of four mega tunnel boring machines will be in the ground by early 2023 to deliver 9.8km of twin metro rail tunnels in two sections, under the first major contract to be awarded as part of the project.
The driverless 23km metro line will link St Marys to the centre of the new Aerotropolis via the Western Sydney Airport, with six stations to be built along the alignment.
The Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract includes:
- 9.8km of twin rail tunnels in two sections. The 4.3km northern tunnels run from St Marys to Orchard Hills and the 5.5km southern section of tunnels runs between the Airport Business Park and the Aerotropolis Station
- Excavation and civil works for new stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, and Aerotropolis
- Four hard rock Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM)
- Building one of the two temporary precast concrete factories for the project on the Western Sydney International site
- More than 67,000 concrete segments to line the twin tunnels
- Two TBM launch sites at Orchard Hills and Western Sydney International and two TBM retrieval sites at St Marys and Aerotropolis Station
Once the tunnelling contract is complete in late 2024, work will continue to lay tracks and fit out stations.
Western Sydney Airport has also contracted DXC Technology, an IT services company, to design and deliver the airport’s technology framework that will allow more than 60 technology systems to talk to each other to deliver a fast, seamless journey for customers.
“This is the technology framework that will ensure Sydney’s new global gateway delivers our airline, passenger and air cargo customers an incredible experience unrivalled in Australia,” Mr Hickey said.
“Unlike other airports that need to retrofit aging infrastructure, Western Sydney Airport has a unique greenfield opportunity to build an airport from the ground up with consideration for technologies that are emerging or yet to be imagined.
“This technology partner will work with us to consider what a digitally-enabled airport opening in 2026 will look like and how we can incorporate tomorrow’s technology to transform the customer experience and avoid the frustrations that can be encountered at other airports.”
Western Sydney International is on track to open to international, domestic and air cargo services in late 2026.
