Parramatta and Sydney are due to get a new baby sister over the next two decades, with the creation of a new city 60km west of the Sydney CBD. This so-called “Aerotropolis” will be a futuristic economic centre in Greater Sydney’s far west, to take advantage of the infrastructure currently under development for the new Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, otherwise known as Western Sydney International.
The multibillion-dollar plans for the new city have now been finalised, after public consultation was concluded in March, and now some of the specifics for Australia’s “next global gateway” have been released, including details of the new rail artery connecting both the new airport and Aerotropolis to Central Sydney.
Photograph: Supplied/Metro Sydney
The stations on the new 23km line will be located at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Luddenham, the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, plus two terminals at the new international airport. This new track will be connected with the existing Metro station at Chatswood, and new stations planned for Crows Nest and North Sydney, as well as existing stations in the CBD, allowing travellers to alight at the airport and disembark in the heart of Sydney. The new line, which is set to cost $11 billion, will break ground later this year and begin operations in 2026.
What is the Western Sydney Aerotropolis?
A three-city vision for NSW, consisting of Sydney, Parramatta and a third, purpose-built city, has been in the works since 2018. It will be located at Bringelly, close to the new airport currently under development in Badgerys Creek. It’s part of major plans to cement the Greater Sydney region as the financial and technological centre of Australia. During the same period, the area around Central Station and Chippendale in Central Sydney will also be undergoing a transformation, with several major high-rise developments planned to create the city’s new tech hub. The new Western Sydney city will include commercial, agricultural, industrial and residential sectors, with a particular focus on attracting aerospace and defence companies, as well as advanced manufacturing and agribusiness. Creating the new 32-hectare city will not be a fast process, and it is expected to take between 16 and 20 years to complete. The ambitious project is set to generate more than 200,000 jobs, and when complete, it’s hoped the city will attract in excess of 12 million visitors annually.