Two tunnel boring machines (TBM) have broken through at the Parramatta station box, officially connecting the suburb to the Sydney CBD after 17 months of work.
This marks 90 per cent completion of all tunnelling on the Sydney Metro West project and comes after a double breakthrough at Pyrmont at the eastern end of the line.
Sydney Metro West will transform the Parramatta city centre into a vibrant precinct, with the station anchoring a mixed-use development over the equivalent of two city blocks.
The new Metro station is close to Light Rail services and will link directly to the new Civic Link, a 450-metre-long pedestrian spine connecting the metro precinct to the future Powerhouse Parramatta.
The TBMs have chewed through 200 metres of Sydney sandstone every week since early 2024, excavating 1.25 million tonnes of rock – enough to fill the Olympic pool at Sydney Olympic Park 204 times over.
Appropriately, it was TBM Betty, named after Australian “Golden Girl” Olympic champion sprinter Betty Cuthbert, that reached the finish line into Parramatta first and is already on its way towards Westmead.
TBM Dorothy, named after human rights activist Dorothy Buckland-Fuller, broke through into the station box just before 10am on Thursday last week and will receive some maintenance before pushing on to Westmead to complete the western end of the line by the end of the year.
More than 48,000 precast concrete segments have been installed – each weighing up to four tonnes – to line the tunnels.
Six of the nine station boxes for the Sydney Metro West project have been excavated and lined: The Bays, Five Dock, Burwood North, North Strathfield Sydney Olympic Park and Westmead. Work continues at Parramatta, Pyrmont and the Hunter Street station in the city which will link pedestrians to Martin Place Station on the M1 metro line.
Sydney Metro West has a target open date of 2032.
Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, said that this station breakthrough is a huge step towards the delivery of Sydney Metro West.
“When it’s up and running Metro West will be a gamechanger for commuters making it significantly easier to travel between Sydney’s west and Sydney’s CBD,” Minns said.
“Metro West will double rail capacity, it’ll link new communities, support the growth of housing and jobs in Western Sydney.”
NSW Minister for Transport, John Graham, said that the route from Sydney to Parramatta has always been one of the most important transport connections and a 20-minute underground metro trip will bring these two centres so much closer together.
“Metro is a city-shaping transport project, and we look forward to the jobs and economic boost for Sydney’s west that this line will provide,” Graham said.
“These TBMs have delivered a rock-solid performance, working around the clock for 17 months to reach Parramatta and now it is time for them to finish the job to Westmead.”
For more information about the project, visit sydneymetro.info/west/project-overview.
