Track-laying under Sydney Harbour reaches new milestone

Sydney Metro under Harbour track laying. Image courtesy of Sydney Metro.

Track laying has finished in one of the Sydney Metro railway tunnels under Sydney Harbour, marking a major milestone in the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.

The 800 metre-section of track in the northbound tunnel is complete after 1,200 railway sleepers and 2,100 tonnes of concrete were installed about 40 metres below the harbour’s surface.

Track laying in the southbound tunnel has reached 30 per cent and will be complete by the end of July.

The tracks in these tunnels connect the future Barangaroo and Victoria Cross (North Sydney) metro stations.

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance inspected the completed tracks yesterday on the Blues Point side of the northbound tunnel, which is about 40 metres below the harbour’s surface.

“Around 50,000 people will have worked on this incredible city-shaping project by the time services start in 2024, with about 800 involved in the tunnel fit out and 5000 currently working on the project,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Once the tunnel is operational, it will take the trains three minutes to travel between the new Victoria Cross and Barangaroo stations.

Sydney Metro line-wide contractors Systems Connect, a joint venture between CPB Contractors and UGL Limited, took over the harbour tunnels in December last year to lay the tracks and fit out the tunnels.

Metro trains will start running through the harbour tunnels in 2024, extending the North West Metro, into the city and beyond to Bankstown.

New stations are being delivered at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Waterloo, along with new underground platforms at Central Station.