Major construction works for Sydney Metro have started on two new Sydney CBD stations, marking a major milestone in the delivery of Australia’s biggest public transport project.
Demolitions have now begun to make way for the new Pitt St and Martin Place metro stations, two of the 31 stations on Sydney’s new 66km rail system.
This is the first major construction activity to take place in the Sydney CBD for the start of this once-in-a-century infrastructure project.
Once demolition and excavation work is complete, work will start on the construction of the twin railway tunnels and new stations, with the first of five tunnel boring machines in the ground before the end of 2018.
Sydney Metro includes three new CBD metro railway stations – at Barangaroo, Martin Place and Pitt St – as well as new metro platforms under Central Station.
The new metro station construction sites will look similar to other major development sites in the CBD – with buildings coming down, then excavation work deep underground before the new stations start to take shape.
To help minimise the impact of demolition, Sydney Metro will use state-of-the-art equipment – pulverisers and concrete shears attached to excavators will work to grind away buildings, significantly cutting the noise levels generated by traditional hydraulic hammering.
Excavators have been craned more than 80m to the top of city buildings, from where they will safely demolish from the top down. Sites will be excavated up to 30m below ground to where the new twin metro rail tunnels will be built.
Major demolition work is expected to finish in early 2019 with 17 buildings to be removed to make way for Pitt Street and Martin Place stations, the tallest 21 storeys high.
Sydney Metro services start in the first half of 2019 on the Sydney Metro Northwest project, with metro rail to be extended in 2024 under Sydney Harbour, through the CBD and beyond to Bankstown.
Sydney Metro will have ultimate capacity of a new metro train every two minutes in each direction under the Sydney CBD.
