The tender to deliver the new Sydney Metro and a new concourse at Central Station has opened, with expressions of interest called for the Central Station Main Works contract as part of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project.
The construction of a brand new underground concourse at Central Station, called Central Walk, in Sydney will better connect passengers to trains, buses, light rail and the new Sydney Metro.
New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and New South Wales Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance, said Central Walk will be built as a wide, accessible and modern pedestrian link from the eastern side of Central Station.
It will link the new light rail stop to the new Sydney Metro platforms with direct access to existing suburban platforms.
“We are going to revitalise Central Station to make it an international showpiece of Sydney’s transport network.
“It’s often the first stop for visitors from overseas, interstate and from regional areas and we want to ensure the Central Station experience is world class and convenient for the quarter of a million people who pass through every day,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Sydney Metro has provided us with a unique opportunity to deliver further improvements to Central, and Central Walk is just the beginning.”
The main features of Central Walk will include:
- A 19m wide tunnel from Chalmers Street, linking to new metro platforms under Central
- New, easy access points to Sydney Trains platforms 16 to 23
- Escalators directly to suburban platforms for the first time
- Boosting capacity at Central to cater for the expected 66 per cent increase in daily customer demand.
More than 250,000 people use Central Station every day with that number expected to rise to 450,000 in the next two decades.
Mr Constance said Central Walk will cater for that growth.
“Central is the backbone of public transport and customers tell us they want better and more convenient links. This project will create new entrances and easier interchanges for everyone,” Mr Constance said.
“We began consultation on revitalising Central last year and this is the first step in its grand redesign.”
Central Walk will be delivered at the same time as the new Sydney Metro platforms to reduce disruptions to customers and provide better value for money.
“This builds on the NSW Government’s record of delivering major transport infrastructure. Since the last election train services have started operating on the South West Rail line, we opened Wynyard Walk and completed the Opal Card rollout,” Ms Berejiklian said.
A dedicated construction contract will be awarded for the Sydney Metro Central works – separate to the rest of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest Project to ensure a strong focus on the complex work required at Sydney’s busiest railway station.
Construction on Central Walk is expected to start in 2018.
