The deck of the new Sydney Metro skytrain bridge is now in the air, with premier Gladys Berejiklian welcoming the development as a “critical milestone in delivering a 21st century railway system” to the city.
The bridge is the first cable-stayed railway bridge on a curve to be built in Australia.
270 metres long, it is made up of 88 concrete segments — each weighing between 70 and 140 tonnes — that were put in place in an engineering operation that occurred 7 metres above ground.
The bridge deck will eventually be supported by 32 cables and two 45-metre-high towers, to be installed over the coming months.
More than 4,600 have reportedly worked on the skytrain project so far. When completed the skytrain will move above ground for 4 kilometres between Kellyville and Rouse Hill on the Sydney Metro Northwest line.
The premier joined NSW’s transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance to walk along the newly raised deck of the bridge, the design of which is inspired by the Anzac Bridge over Windsor Road at Rouse Hill.
Constance said that the Sydney Metro project was moving ahead quickly and would soon alter transport in the city.
“Before you know it, a new metro train will be running here every four minutes in the peak in each direction, bringing reliable metro rail to this region – and Australia – for the first time,” the transport minister said.
Stage 1 of the Sydney Metro, the Northwest project, will open in the first half of 2019, while Stage 2 services extending the metro-style railway from the Northwest under the harbour into the CBD will open in 2024.