Sydney Metro West


Sydney Metro West is a rapid transit underground rail project currently under construction in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
It involves constructing a rail line from Hunter St in the northern Sydney City Centre to Westmead in the western suburbs of Greater Sydney. The new underground railway line will generally run parallel to the existing Main Suburban and Main Western railway lines, but via different suburbs and different stations, with the main aims being the doubling of rail capacity between the City Centre and Greater Western Sydney and the relief of overcrowding on the Western Line. The line will form part of the Sydney Metro system. Early construction began in 2020, with tunnelling starting in 2023. The line is anticipated to open from 2032.

History

After media reports indicated the project had found favour with Transport for NSW and the New South Wales Government, the new rail-line was announced by the Baird government as an official project on 14 November 2016.
Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, the Bays Precinct and the Sydney CBD were initially announced as proposed station locations, with up to 12 stations being considered. The preferred alignment was scheduled to be announced in late 2018, with the line expected to open in the second half of the 2020s. The government proposed a value capture scheme to help pay for the project. The contributions from value capture were expected to amount to between 10 and 15 percent of the capital cost. Construction was originally planned to begin by 2022.
During the state election campaign in March 2019, the Liberal/National Coalition government announced a funding of $6.4 billion to the project and commitment to start construction earlier in 2020, if re-elected. The Labor opposition also announced its commitment to fund the project if it won the election, at the expense of cancelling other announced transport and road projects such as the Beaches Link. With the Coalition state government re-elected its 2019-2020 state budget reaffirmed the government's commitment and funding of $6.4 billion over four years to the project, with construction to be fast-tracked to start in 2020.
On 21 October 2019, the locations of seven stations were announced. Initial work was expected to start in 2020, with tunnelling to begin in 2022. As at December 2023, the line is scheduled to open to in 2032.
Planning approval process of the project was done in stages due to the size of the project. In March 2021, planning approvals were granted to the project concept between Westmead and the CBD, and station excavation and tunnelling between Westmead and The Bays. Future planning stages will seek approval for major civil construction works including station excavation and tunnelling between The Bays and the CBD, tunnel fit-out, station building, and operation of the line between Westmead and the CBD.

Planning

In March 2018, the government expanded the project scope, including:
  • an additional station at Westmead
  • a new station that would connect to existing stations, either at Concord West or North Strathfield
  • an interchange at the western end of the line, connecting with the existing railway stations at either Westmead or Parramatta
Other options for new metro stations included Camellia/Rydalmere, North Burwood/Five Dock, Kings Bay and Pyrmont.
Media reports indicated that Martin Place would be the main CBD interchange. During the state election campaign in March 2019, the government announced new stations at Five Dock, North Burwood and North Strathfield.
In October 2019, the locations of seven stations were announced:
  • Bays Precinct
  • Five Dock
  • Burwood North
  • North Strathfield
  • Sydney Olympic Park
  • Parramatta
  • Westmead
At the time of announcement, the government was considering further stations at Pyrmont and Rydalmere. A stabling and maintenance facility and a service facility was also proposed to be built at Clyde, adjacent to the Auburn Maintenance Centre, and Silverwater respectively. The Clyde facility would be on the site of Sydney Speedway, which would be demolished, and would be accessed from the main tunnels via the former Carlingford railway line corridor. According to media reports, in 2019 the government decided to abandon plans for a second CBD station at Central Station, and plans for the line to run further to the south-east, with a station at Zetland.
On 30 April 2020, the project's Environmental Impact Statement was released to the public for exhibition. The Rydalmere station option was confirmed scrapped due to the cost of extra of tunneling and the increase in commuter travel times. Parramatta City Council has also urged the government to build a station at Camellia to trigger urban renewal of the precinct.
The Pyrmont station option was confirmed by the government on 11 December 2020. The station is likely to be close to The Star casino, and will likely involve an office and retail development above the station. The station location is subject to further planning and design work. In May 2021, stations at Pyrmont and Hunter Street were announced.
In conjunction with the December 2023 release of the Sydney Metro Review, a station at Rosehill was formally proposed, along with one possible other station west of Sydney Olympic Park. The Rosehill station was slated to be constructed at the current site of the Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, in conjunction with a development plan that includes approximately 25,000 residential units. The plan was formally rejected by the Australian Turf Club members in May 2025.

Project description

The line will run for between Parramatta and the northern Sydney CBD, with at least nine stations in total. The line connects a number of suburbs in Sydney's inner west that lacked heavy rail transportation, including Pyrmont and Five Dock.
As of May 2021, there are nine confirmed underground stations along the alignment:
  • Hunter Street
  • Pyrmont
  • The Bays
  • Five Dock
  • Burwood North
  • North Strathfield
  • Sydney Olympic Park
  • Parramatta
  • Westmead
Hunter Street will be the only CBD station on the line, interchanging with other Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains services via pedestrian connections to Wynyard and Martin Place railway stations. The line will run via twin tunnels for its entire length. Like other Sydney Metro lines, Metro West will be fully automated using similar rolling stock to the Metro North West & Bankstown Line, with a stabling and maintenance facility to be built at Clyde. Major commercial and residential developments are planned around several stations, including a new town centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
Early construction began in 2020 and tunnelling commenced in 2023. Construction for Metro stations, their precincts and additional rail infrastructure is planned to commence from 2025. The line is planned to open in 2032, however the total cost of the project has not been released by the government, with 2021 reports in the Sydney Morning Herald suggesting a total price tag of $27 billion and a delayed opening date of 2033.
The project's western end serves a similar area to the Parramatta Light Rail, whose stage 1 alignment runs between Westmead and Carlingford. Stage 2 of the light rail project was initially deferred, then redesigned and truncated from Strathfield to Sydney Olympic Park via the suburbs to the north of the Parramatta River.

Possible extensions

The government have announced they will safeguard the ability to extend the eastern section of the line to the south-east via Zetland and Green Square, and also allow for extending the western section beyond Westmead to areas such as the new Western Sydney Aerotropolis.

Construction

Procurement

Construction of the project is split into multiple parts, with separate contracts to build the tunnels, underground stations, rolling stock, signalling and electrical and mechanical systems.

Tunnelling

In August 2020, the government announced a shortlist of three consortia to deliver the project's first two major tunnelling packages. The consortia would first bid for the Central Tunnelling Package to build of twin tunnels between The Bays and Sydney Olympic Park. The remaining two consortia who were not successful would then bid for the Western Tunnelling Package to build of twin tunnels between Sydney Olympic Park and Westmead. The contract for the Central Tunnelling Package was awarded to the Acciona Australia and Ferrovial joint venture in July 2021 at a cost of $1.96 billion. The contract for the Western Tunnelling Package was awarded to Gamuda and Laing O’Rourke joint venture in March 2022 at a cost of $2.16 billion.
The third tunnelling contract for tunnelling between The Bays and Hunter Street was put out to tender in mid-2021. The package included of twin tunnels, two tunnel boring machines launched from a site in The Bays, a train turn-back cavern east of Hunter Street station, excavation and civil works on two stations, and tunnel lining segments. In November 2022, the Eastern Tunnelling Package was awarded to the John Holland, CPB Contractors and Ghella Pty Ltd joint venture at a cost of $1.63 billion.

Stations

In December 2023, the government announced that two bidders were shortlisted to build the Station Package West contract, which includes the design and construction of five stations.
In January 2025, the Station Package West contract was awarded to Gamuda at a cost of $2.85 billion, with the contract for Hunter Street station and development above awarded to the Metropolis Consortium at a cost of $1.5 billion. The construction of remaining stations will be delivered individually as part of integrated station developments.

Trains, Systems, Maintenance and Operations

The Trains and Systems contract includes 16 metro trains, signalling and platform screen doors. In December 2023, the government announced that four bidders had been shortlisted:
The Operations and Maintenance contract includes the operation and maintenance of the line over 15 years. In December 2023, the government announced that four bidders were shortlisted:
In January 2026, it was announced that Metro Trains West Consortium had been awarded the combined Trains, Systems, Maintenance and Operations contract at a cost of $3.96 billion. The 22-year long contract includes the driverless automated trains, signalling systems as well as operations and maintenance for 15 years following the opening of the line.