Greater Western Sydney will be critical to Australia’s future prosperity, and with tunnelling now complete for the region’s new railway line, another vital piece of the puzzle is falling into place.
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line is set to become the spine of Greater Western Sydney’s transport network.
The new metro line is expected to support the growth of the region by connecting communities to each other and to the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. It will link Bradfield to St Marys, connecting travellers with wider Sydney services.
This mega project – which began major works in late 2022 – is providing a major boost to the New South Wales and national economies, with an expected 14,000 jobs to be supported through the construction.
Once complete, the railway line will connect communities with major job hubs like the Bradfield City Centre and give travellers from the new Western Sydney Airport access to the rest of Sydney’s public transport system.
Jointly funded by the Federal and New South Wales Governments, the Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport project is intended to provide safe, reliable and integrated public transport for local communities and industries and supports the State Government’s 30-year strategic vision for the Western Sydney Airport Precinct.
Major tunnelling completed
On 21 June 2024, tunnel boring machine (TBM) Marlene completed the final tunnel breakthrough for the project at the St Marys Station site, marking the end of 14 months and 9.8km of tunnelling work by four TBMs.
The cutterhead for TBM Eileen.
The 4.3km metro tunnels between Orchard Hills and St Marys were constructed by TBMs Marlene and Catherine, while Peggy and Eileen built the 5.5km twin tunnels that extend under the new Western International Airport, connecting Airport Business Precinct and Bradfield Station.
TBMs Catherine and Marlene make use of earth pressure balance (EPB) technology and are the first use of such devices on a Sydney Metro Project. EPB TBMs are better suited to tunnelling through soft earth materials like shale and clay.
TBMs Eileen and Peggy are double-shield machines, constructed using refurbished parts from the previous excavation on the Sydney Metro City and Southwest tunnels as part of efforts to increase sustainability. Double-shield TBMs are more suited to harder underground conditions like sandstone.
Excavation of the tunnels required the removal of 1,863,460t of stone and other materials, enough to fill 298 Olympic swimming pools. The tunnel walls are lined with 69,966 individual segments of concrete.
Western Sydney Airport Project Director, Angela Jeffery, said that the completion of major tunnelling is a significant milestone for this mega project that will completely transform how Greater Western Sydney moves – making the region better connected than ever before by creating a crucial transport link, including to the new Western Sydney International Airport.
“Four huge tunnel boring machines worked around the clock up to seven days a week to carve out the tunnels, while a team of 553 tunnellers, TBM operators and support personnel went above and beyond to ensure these tunnels were delivered,”
Ms Jeffery said.
Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport Project Director
Angela Jeffery.
Although the tunnels are now excavated, work inside them continues as 39 cross passages are constructed and tracks are prepared to be laid.
New stations for a new city
With major tunnelling now complete, work has begun on the next phase of construction, building the six new metro stations.
The new stations will be located at:
St Marys – will connect passengers with the existing suburban railway network and the rest of Sydney’s public transport system
Orchard Hills – will connect travellers with a proposed commercial and mixed-use precinct
Luddenham – will service a planned education, innovation and commercial precinct
Airport Business Park – will be located in the centre of the Western Sydney International airport precinct, connecting passengers to a major jobs hub
Airport Terminal – will enable easy access to the new airport, connecting travellers with the rest of the world
Bradfield – will service the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, a major business precinct
The new underground St Marys station is already underway. The first large concrete pour at the station took place on 22 May, to build a 13 by 22m slab that will form part of the foundation to support the multi-level station.
Orchard Hills, Luddenham and Bradfield station sites are preparing for major station construction to begin in the coming months.
Supporting infrastructure
As part of Sydney Metro’s state-of-the-at driverless system, the new airport line’s services will be operated from a facility at Orchard Hills.
From this facility’s operations control centre, expert train operators will be able to fully monitor and control the system, from the trains themselves down to the lifts, escalators and platform screen doors used across the railway.
Additionally, the facility will house yards for the stabling and maintenance of the fleet driverless trains.
The automatic control system includes hundreds of cameras and will be used to minimise the time trains are stopped at stations and the time between each train, getting passengers on the move faster and more frequently.
The system is enclosed, with no external connections, to safeguard it from outside security threats.
The railway line is planned to be serviced by two facilities that will provide ventilation to ensure there is always fresh air in the tunnels, as well as vital exits in the case of an emergency.
These service facilities are located at Claremont Meadows near the intersection of Gipps Street and the Great Western Highway, and at Bringelly at the northern end of Derwent Road.
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line is set to be a major travel connection between the new airport and the rest of the city, boosting tourism, business and employment opportunities.
It will also form the backbone of Western Sydney’s future, one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
“Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport is powering ahead, and the completion of tunnelling puts us in a great spot to open in time for when passenger services start at the new Western Sydney International Airport,” Ms Jeffery said.
Featured image: Sydney Metro
