60,498 sleepers and 35,000 tonnes of ballast later, the track-laying phase of the Sydney Metro Northwest rail project is complete, and the NSW Government says the project is tracking half a billion dollars under budget.
Over the past 22 months, 105 kilometres of steel rail has been installed in the twin 15-kilometre tunnels built between Bella Vista and Epping, on the 4-kilometre elevated railway built between Bella Vista and Rouse Hill, and at the project’s headquarters at Rouse Hill.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and transport minister Andrew Constance this week inspected the project’s Bella Vista site, where the last section of the project’s 52.5 kilometres of railway tracks was recently installed.
“The major contracts for Sydney Metro Northwest were awarded in 2013 and 2014 and the project budget was set at $8.3 billion,” Berejiklian said. “Project costs are constantly refined during the construction process and, through good management, we’ve been able to realise significant savings – which will be used to deliver the $20 billion-plus Sydney Metro expansion.”
Constance said he looked forward to seeing new metro trains running on the new line every four minutes at peak.
“From here, fast metro rail will be extended into the Sydney CBD and beyond to Bankstown in 2024 – all up, 31 metro stations,” he said.
On average, 300 metres of track was laid on the underground section of the project each week.
Sydney Metro Northwest services are targeted to begin in the first half of 2019, following a lengthy closure of the existing railway between Epping and Chatswood, so it can be converted to metro standard.