A call for registrations of interest has kicked off the tender process for the construction of Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport.
Prospective tenderers are invited to put forward their interest in delivering 10 kilometres of twin metro railway tunnels. The tunnels will stretch from St Marys to Orchard Hills and between the Airport and Aerotropolis.
The tunnels will form part of the new rail line which will connect Western Sydney Airport with the city’s rail network at St Marys, via Orchard Hills and Luddenham.
NSW Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said construction is close to starting.
“Construction starts later this year on a project that will become the transport spine for the Western Parkland City,” Constance said.
“The new railway will link residential areas with jobs hubs and connect travellers from the new airport with the rest of Sydney’s public transport network.”
The project has also confirmed the station locations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Luddenham and the two airport stations. A stabling and maintenance facility is planned for an area adjacent to the alignment south of Orchard Hills. Two services facilities will be built within the alignment, one at Claremont Meadows and another at Bringelly.
With locations confirmed for the stations, the nature of the line is beginning to shape. At St Marys, the new station underneath the existing Sydney Trains station will enable interchanges between the Sydney Metro line and the existing rail network.
The stations at Orchard Hills and Luddenham would support future residential and commercial development.
Two stations will be at the airport itself, with one at the Airport Business Park and one at the Airport terminal.
A final station will be built at the Aerotropolis, which would be the commercial heart of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Sunday the station would be the core of a new city.
“Where we are standing today will become a major new transport interchange, right in the heart of the future central business district for the Western Parkland City.”
The automated metro line will be controlled from a facility at Orchard Hills where train stabling and maintenance will occur.
Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said with construction beginning before the end of 2020, the project will soon be delivering benefits.
“This city-shaping investment is being fast-tracked to help our economy recover from COVID-19 and deliver a major stimulus right in the heart of Western Sydney,” said Tudge.
“Western Sydney residents will reap the benefits of this investment well before the first train leaves the station.”
The future line will not only include tunnels but elevated viaducts and at-grade rail.
The station locations come as the NSW Planning Minster, Rob Stokes rezones 6,500 hectares of land around the future airport to allow for the development of the Aerotropolis.
The rezoning includes the Aerotropolis Core, which will be rezoned for mixed use, as well as the Northern Gateway, which covers mixed use around the Luddenham train station site and enterprise zoning surrounding that.
Planning documents indicate future rail links between the Aerotrpolis Core and Leppington and further south towards Macarthur.
“Today’s approval lays the foundations for the transformation of 6,500 hectares of land into a thriving metropolis with new homes, jobs and public spaces supported by a new, world-class Metro line,” said Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres.
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