New South Wales is making history for the first time trains are running deep below Sydney Harbour as the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project enters its next exciting stage.
The new metro trains are now travelling in the 15.5-km twin metro railway tunnels, which extends the Metro North West Line from Chatswood station to Sydenham station, as part of a rigorous testing and commissioning programme.
This is the first railway crossing below Sydney Harbour and once metro trains are operational next year, will move more people across the Harbour in peak hour than the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel combined.
The first stage of testing is completed at low speed, with trains manually driven at a maximum speed of 25 km/h. The trains then gradually move into high-speed testing, where the trains reach a maximum speed of 110 km/h.
Each train will also undergo acceleration and braking testing on the newly built track and complete a series of system checks to ensure it can perform reliably under operating conditions.
On-track train testing and commissioning will continue throughout 2023, ahead of passenger services starting through the Sydney CBD in 2024.
Once passenger services start through next year, customers will be able to travel from Central Station to Chatswood Station in 15 minutes, from Martin Place Station to Sydenham Station in 11 minutes and from Victoria Cross Station in North Sydney to Barangaroo Station in just three minutes on a fast a reliable metro service.
Sydney Metro City & Southwest project has been split into two sections covering the construction of the 15.5 km twin tunnels between Chatswood and Sydenham with six new stations and new underground platforms at Central Station.
The Sydenham – Bankstown section includes the upgrade of the existing T3 Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Bankstown to metro standards allowing metro trains to run from Chatswood to Bankstown. In January 2023, Sydney Metro awarded Hyundai Movex a contract to design, supply and install 150 mechanical gap fillers at stations being converted to metro standards on the Bankstown Line. The new mechanical gap filler technology works automatically, extending quickly from the platform to the train before the platform screen doors open, allowing safe and easy access for all customers. Under the contract Hyundai Movex is also responsible for the delivery of 360 platform screen doors to be installed at 8 stations on the Bankstown line. Works on this commuter line are expected to be completed in 2024.
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