One section of the new 23-kilometre alignment at Western Sydney Airport has been completed, taking the metro railway over the Warragamba pipelines.
The 3.5-kilometre viaduct structure between Orchard Hills and Luddenham will be a critical part of the alignment. Implemented to take metro services over key locations including the Warragamba pipelines, Blaxland Creek, and Luddenham Road.
The Sydney Metro railway will become the transport spine for Greater Western Sydney, connecting communities and travellers with the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.
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Working closely with WaterNSW, it took crews one month to construct a two-span section of elevated viaduct over the two pipelines responsible for transferring 80 per cent of Sydney’s water from Warragamba Dam to filtration plants for treatment.
A total of 26 segments, each weighing up to 65 tonnes were installed up to 15.3 metres above the pipelines, following a significant amount of preparation to strengthen the ground around the pipelines.
Rigorous vibration and settlement monitoring was implemented throughout construction activities to ensure the pipelines remained unaffected, while a crane was used to support the segments while they were lifted and positioned.
Only 18 per cent of the viaduct remaining to be built with production of all 1,101 concrete segments at a facility just outside Newcastle now complete. The final 208 segments will be installed over the coming months.
Major tunnelling to build the 9.8-kilometres of twin tunnels that take the metro line underground between Orchard Hills and St Marys in the north and Airport Business Park and Bradfield in the south was completed in June 2024.
By the end of the year, the majority of the viaduct and sections of the alignment at ground level will be finished, making way for the commencement of tracklaying.
