TBMs nearly finished on Sydney Metro

Three of four TBMs have finished their trips as tunnelling nears completion for the Sydney Metro rail to Western Sydney Airport project.

The final 230 metre leg to St Marys is expected to be completed in a few weeks, with other works entering the next stage. This includes the construction of six new stations along the 23-kilometre track at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Luddenham, Airport Business Park, Airport Terminal and Bradfield.

This milestone comes after 13 months of tunnelling from the four giant TBMs and a team of 553 tunnellers, TBM operators and support personnel. So far, the TBMs have excavated more than 1.4 million tonnes of material and supported the installation of 68,360 concrete segments which now line the new tunnel walls.

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When complete, the project will become the transport spine of Western Sydney, connecting the Western Sydney Airport and Aerotropolis at Bradfield to the wider Sydney rail network at St Marys.

Station construction is underway at St Marys, while the Orchard Hills, Luddenham and Bradfield station sites are being prepared for construction to begin in the coming months. Work inside the tunnels will continue, and will involve completing the construction of 39 cross passages and preparing for track laying.

The Sydney Metro to Western Sydney Airport project is jointly funded by the Federal and New South Wales governments and is set to open in late 2026 with the start of airport operations.