A new section to the Sydney Metro train line, Australia’s largest infrastructure project which will consist of four metro lines, 46 stations and 70 miles of new metro rail, is set to open on Monday after it successfully gained its final safety approvals.
Sydney Metro Northwest opened in May 2019, with services at 13 metro stations and on 22.4 miles of twin tracks (mostly underground) operating every four minutes between Tallawong and Chatswood.
It was always the plan for this to be extended into the Sydney Central Business District (CBD) and beyond.
It is a fully automated rapid transit system, with service taking 37 minutes from end to end since July 2019.
The initial opening for the extension from Chatswood to Sydenham had been scheduled for August 4, but this was postponed when the safety approvals were not received amid reports that a firefighter conducting safety drills received an electric shock.
However, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) said on Thursday that it had been approved.
“A commencement date for passenger services is a matter for the NSW Government via its relevant agencies,” a statement said.
“It’s been a long journey to launch Sydney Metro City services,” Jo Haylen, the New South Wales transport minister, said. “But it will be worth the wait. I want to thank everyone for their patience as Australia’s biggest public transport project becomes a reality.”
“I’ll see you on the train,” she wrote.
The new 10-mile section of track includes six new underground stations and new platforms at Central, which feature the longest escalators in the southern hemisphere. Construction began in 2017 and involved drilling a new tunnel under the ocean floor of Sydney Harbour.
The B1M reported the new project would be one of the most transformative since the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932.
Work is also progressing to further extend this line from Sydenham to Bankstown as part of the Southwest project, which will replace the current T3 line with a scheduled 2025 completion.
Sydney Metro West, a 15-mile underground railway between Parramatta and Sydney CBD, with nine stations and serviced by twin tracks, is due to open in 2032.
Figures suggest that Sydney will have around 62 miles of underground train tunnels by 2030.