It’s been just under four months since the doors opened to the hotly-anticipated new main track of the Sydney Metro – 15 kilometres of new super-speedy train lines connecting Sydney, from Chatswood in the north to Sydenham in the Inner West. That recent addition to the Sydney Metro system was described by Transport Minister Jo Haylen as “the biggest upgrade to the city’s infrastructure since the opening of the Harbour Bridge”. However, it’s not stopping there. Once complete, the Sydney Metro project will comprise 46 stations across the city, and progress on the 'Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport' project has just reached a major milestone: it's on track (pardon the pun) to open by 2027.
Last week, three elevated viaducts (long bridge-like structures) were completed – a total of more than 3.2 kilometres of raised tracks that will form a key part of the new 23-kilometre metro line. According to Transport for NSW, the Western Sydney Airport metro line is due to become “the backbone of transportation in Greater Western Sydney” – with the capacity to carry 7,740 passengers per hour in each direction between St Marys and Bradfield. And the completion of these viaducts means big things, taking more than 2,500 workers more than 16 months to build, and linking the new line in key locations.
Comprising 52,000 tonnes of concrete and 84 towering piers, the elevated sections of metro stretch between Orchard Hills and Luddenham; passing through Warragamba, Blaxland Creek and Luddenham Road.
The viaduct section also includes the base for Luddenham Station, which is the only station on the metro line constructed on a raised viaduct. Suspended 13.5 metres above ground, Luddenham Station is one of six new stations on the Western Sydney Airport metro line – and will be a key connection point for passengers travelling to and from the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport and its neighbouring new CBD.
You can learn more about where Sydney Metro is going next via the map below, and we’ve put together all of our Sydney Metro insights (from details on the station artwork to facts about accessibility) over here.
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