Two 1,066-tonne tunnel boring machines (TBMs) – Eileen and Peggy – have started tunnelling works for the Western Sydney Airport metro line.
The TBMs began their journeys at the future Airport Business Park station, carving out the first 5.5-km sections of the twin metro tunnels towards the Aerotropolis station to be located east of Badgerys Creek Road.
The tunnel boring machines will excavate around 120 metres of tunnels per week, the first step in delivering the six new metro stations along the line from St Marys to the centre of the new Aerotropolis.
This project will support more than 14,000 jobs during construction, including 250 new apprentices, with at least 20 per cent of the contract workforce coming from local communities.
The Australian and NSW Governments have awarded all three major contracts for the project. The tunnelling contract was awarded in December 2021 to CPB Contractors and Ghella joint venture to build the new twin metro rail tunnels. In March 2022, the contract to deliver approximately 10.6 km of elevated viaduct, earthworks for track formation, a rail bridge over the new M12 motorway, a rail bridge within the airport and associated works, was awarded to CPB Contractors and United Infrastructure joint venture.
In December 2022 the largest Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract in New South Wales was awarded to Parklife Metro consortium that will deliver 6 new stations between St Marys and the new Aerotropolis, 12 new metro trains, core rail systems and the stabling and maintenance facility to be built at Orchard Hills. Parklife Metro will also operate and maintain the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line for 15 years after it becomes operational.
The 23-km Western Sydney Airport metro line will link residential areas with job hubs including the new Aerotropolis and connect travellers from the new airport to the rest of Sydney’s public transport system.
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line will be operational when Western Sydney International Airport opens for passenger services, with an expected travel time of 15 minutes from St Marys metro station to Airport Terminal Station and a further 5 minutes to the Aerotropolis Station.
The new metro connection will become the transport backbone for Greater Western Sydney, connecting communities and travellers with the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport and the growing region.
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