New major milestones reached on Sydney Metro West project

The Sydney Metro West development in New South Wales has reached new major milestones with two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) breaking through at the Sydney Olympic Park site and the approval of a new world-class precinct at the new Sydney Olympic Park Metro Station. 

“The Sydney metro West project will reshape the face of Sydney getting more people from across Western Sydney where they go faster and delivering more well-located homes across Sydney. 

“Today marks another important step forward in Australia’s biggest public transport project that we are harnessing to deliver thousands of more homes. 

“Western Sydney deserves world class public transport and I want to thank the thousands of workers who are working around the clock to deliver this city-shaping piece of infrastructure,” Premier Chris Minns said. 

TBMs Daphne and Beatrice have now completed their 18-month journey carving out the 11-kilometre tunnels from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park. 

The two massive machines have excavated a total of 2,052,119 tonnes of material – which is enough to fill up to 316 Olympic swimming pools – while installing 72,456 tunnelling segments to line the new tunnel walls. 

Works at the Sydney Olympic Park site will now focus on dismantling the TBMs and preparing the station box for major construction of the new Sydney Olympic Park Metro Station. Meanwhile, work inside the tunnels will focus on the completion of cross passages that are crucial safety features that allow the movement of passengers between the two tunnels in case of an emergency. 

“TBMs Beatrice and Daphne have crossed their tunnelling finish line, here at Sydney Olympic Park. 

“Our work here at the future metro station shows that not only is our Government committed to building more homes, but we’re delivering key infrastructure, like public transport, to match,” Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said. 

The breakthrough of the TBMs coincided with the granting of approval by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to the development of the new Sydney Olympic Park Metro Station precinct – the biggest transformation of Sydney Olympic Park since the 2000 Olympic Games. 

The transformation of the Sydney Olympic Park precinct will create a new town centre with more than 300 new residential dwellings that have direct access to fast and reliable Metro West services. 

Planning approval was granted following the exhibition of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Sydney Olympic Park and a Concept State Significant Development Application. 

Community and stakeholder feedback helped shape the design for the precinct, which will include three buildings that range from 21 to 45 storeys that will provide spaces for residential, commercial and retail uses. 

“The NSW Government is getting on with the job of actively planning and delivering more homes for the next generation. 

“This approval cements our plan to support the delivery of well-located homes close to transport, jobs and amenities. 

“The precinct will include more than 300 homes along with nearly 35,000 square metres of retail and commercial space which will support hundreds of jobs,” Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said. 

With approval of the buildings now in place, Sydney Metro will seek to change the development plans to include 190 more residential dwellings. This is in line with the State Government’s priority to increase housing supply. 

The precinct is going to be connected to additional transport links such as the Sydney Olympic Park train and light rail stops, and it is going to be further supported by the New South Wales Government's Homebush Transport Oriented Development proposal that is set to provide capacity for about 16,100 additional homes. 

The new Sydney Olympic Park Metro Station will feature platforms on both sides of the train to allow passengers to disembark and board simultaneously during events when large crowds are expected. 

Construction on the integrated metro station is anticipated to begin in 2027, following a review prepared by the project’s future development partner. 

“Sydney Olympic Park is the home of big wins, and delivering 300 homes above a brand-new Metro station is yet another golden opportunity for our city. 

“Sydney Olympic Park metro station will have sports and entertainment fans cheering when it provides unrivalled access to our biggest venues, with fast and easy 15-minute metro trips from the city and a five-minute hop to Parramatta. 

“Our new Metro station will include wide platforms on both sides of the train that will allow us to load and unload passengers quickly. With bus, train, ferry and light rail connections also close by, it’ll make it even easier for us to handle large crowds when the world’s biggest stars come to town,” Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said. 

Further development opportunities are also being considered along the line at Westmead, Burwood North and The Bays while plans for integrated station development at Parramatta and Pyrmont are under review. 

In addition, Sydney Metro has commenced the process to select a developer for over station developments at Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD. 

The overall Sydney Metro West project will deliver a new 24-kilometre underground metro railway that will help double the capacity between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. This massive transport infrastructure development will provide fast, reliable, turn-up-and-go metro services that will link new communities to rail services while also supporting employment growth and housing supply. 

Stations have been confirmed to be built at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont and Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD. Two possible station locations are also being investigated west of Sydney Olympic Park, including one at Rosehill Gardens which could support a significant boost in housing. 

Sydney Metro West is expected to open in 2032, creating around 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs during its construction phase. 

Source: NSW Government – Media Releases; Sydney Metro (1, 2); Infrastructure Magazine; Roads & Infrastructure Australia