The next section of Sydney’s metro, due to open soon, is being hailed as a revolution for commuters in the city.
The Chatswood to Sydenham section of the $21.6 billion rail line will not only dramatically reduce journey times and introduce a new crossing under Sydney Harbour, but will also shape settlement patterns, with the NSW Government basing much of its key housing policy on this corridor.
Related: ‘We flew’: Sydney Harbour metro line to open in August with speeds of 100km/h
Sydney residents will enjoy architecturally vibrant new stations that feel like an alien experience. And the speed of the new driverless metro will feel positively futuristic to passengers accustomed to a network built largely on century-old tracks and significantly larger, slower trains.
What is the Sydney Metro and how is it different from the city’s other trains?
For those who have never ridden the Sydney Metro before, the first time can feel like a leap back in time. It’s like stepping into a historic Red Rattler carriage.
Unlike the famous multi-car double-decker trains of the Waratah and Tangara fleets – the city’s workhorses, which can carry more than 2,000 people when full – Sydney’s metro trains have just one deck. There are no carriage breaks, giving you a clear view from front to back.
Although metro trains carry fewer passengers, the total capacity of each line will be greater than that of existing train lines due to the high frequency of services.
The New South Wales Government has billed the line as a ‘turn up and go’ service, with trains arriving at least every four minutes during morning and evening peak hours, with capacity increasing to every two minutes when busy.
The service is every five minutes during the day and every ten minutes in the evenings and at weekends.
Metro trains are also driverless, meaning passengers can stand right in front of the window and have a clear view of the track ahead.
The platforms of all metro stations will be equipped with screen door technology. This measure ensures faster boarding and increases safety, because the tracks are inaccessible to passengers at all times.
Travel speeds are also faster than the wider Sydney rail network. Metro trains running between Victoria Cross in northern Sydney, through the purpose-built tunnel under the harbour to Barangaroo will reach speeds of almost 100km/h.
Once completed, passengers will be able to travel from Martin Place to Waterloo in six minutes, from Sydenham to Macquarie University in 33 minutes and from Chatswood to Central in 15 minutes, the government said.
The 16km Chatswood to Sydenham section is the city’s second foray into metro technology. Since 2019, Metro Northwest has operated from Tallawong to Chatswood on a line with above-ground sections and an underground section from Chatswood to Epping that has been converted to metro.
Given the metro’s geographical isolation in the north-west of the city, much of the city has yet to experience the new technology; and the city hasn’t been treated to the opening of so many new underground train stations for years either. But now those services can connect to the City and Sydenham, making for faster journey times.
The line also means that there is an alternative rail service between the north coast and the city. This means that when the tracks are closed for maintenance or other disruptions, passengers can transfer to another line rather than relying solely on replacement buses.
After the section to Sydenham opens, the existing train network from Sydenham to Bankstown will be out of use for up to 18 months as the track is converted into an extension of the metro line to south-west Sydney.
How long did it take to build and when will it open?
Work on the Chatswood-Sydenham section began in 2017. A mega-project to bore a tunnel under Sydney Harbour was one of the many engineering feats achieved during construction.
The state government had initially hoped to open the line to the public from August 4. But this was postponed when it became clear that the metro would not receive the final regulatory approvals needed to open. (An electric shock suffered by a firefighter during a final evacuation exercise on the line is said to have contributed to the delays.)
Testing of the full service began in late June, with the line’s private operator, Metro Trains Sydney (a consortium led by Hong Kong’s MTR corporation) running exercises involving real-life scenarios with mock passengers, including medical emergencies and spilled coffee.
The government has not yet set a new opening date, but it is expected to be within a few weeks.
What are the new stations?
Crow’s nest
The first station beyond the existing Chatswood interchange is Crows Nest on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. It will significantly increase transport capacity for the suburb, which has been rezoned for significant density increases. Until now, residents have relied on St Leonards train station, which is closer to the Royal North Shore Hospital than the busy shops and offices of Crows Nest itself.
Subtle masonry embellishments make the station stand out when viewed from the Pacific Highway and from within. The 25-metre-deep station includes sections with colourful geometric mosaics and its construction included the largest lift of any object on the entire metro line, when a 144-ton mega steel truss (25 metres long and seven metres high) was lifted into place by a tower crane.
Travellers can expect a journey time of seven minutes to Martin Place, four minutes to Chatswood, eleven minutes to Central and eighteen minutes to Sydenham.
Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross, which is 50 metres deep at its northern end, will serve as a second station for the North Sydney CBD. It is built in Australia’s largest railway cavern, measuring 300 metres long, 25 metres wide and 16 metres high.
The station precinct will include 20 food and retail outlets and a pedestrian walkway to Denison and Miller Streets. A journey from Victoria Cross to Barangaroo will take just three minutes, with a 16-minute journey to Sydenham and a 39-minute journey to Kellyville on the North West line.
Barangaroo
One of the most modest underground stations on the line, Barangaroo was a complex engineering undertaking. One of its exits is just metres from Sydney Harbour, with the proximity of the ocean presenting a unique challenge.
Although the station building does not entirely float, the changing tides cause water to flow in and out, requiring constant water pumping to keep the water levels in balance.
The station consists of 7,700 sandstone panels and colourful tiles leading to Barangaroo, Walsh Bay, Millers Points and ferries, and the newly carved beach at Marrinawi Cove – perhaps the closest harbourside swimming spot to a Sydney train station.
During the excavations, archaeologists discovered a well-preserved colonial boat believed to have been built in Australia between 1810 and 1820. An inlay of the boat has been placed at the site where the boat was found. The actual boat will be displayed at the National Maritime Museum.
Martin place
Perhaps the most visually impressive stop on the line, Martin Place Underground is adjacent to the existing station and connects to the Eastern Suburban rail line. A mixed-use design sees the surrounding walls transition from stone to the red tiles of the heavy rail station, built in the 1970s.
Passengers must cross two sets of escalators to go from street level to platforms. The first lower level is part of a 40-metre high atrium area that is accessible to the public without having to connect to the train system, providing access to the various shops and businesses connected to the station.
Martin Place station also features “Muru Giligu” or the “path of light” in the local indigenous language – a pedestrian tunnel with benches, illuminated by a constantly changing array of colours and matching soundscape that cycles through classical music and a soundtrack of owls and chirping birds.
The extravagance of Martin Place station was partly funded by Macquarie Group, which received hundreds of millions of dollars from the government to build the new metro area. The banking giant paid hundreds of millions more out of its own pocket to acquire the air rights over the station.
Gadigal
The space-age feel of Gadigal station – known as Pitt St during planning when it was proposed to relieve pressure on nearby Town Hall station – is apparent from the moment passengers step onto the platforms. The platforms resemble fluorescent white tubes, lined with 11,000 individual aluminium pole-like panels on the walls, which are also designed to absorb sound.
When passengers stand at certain points on the Gadigal platforms, they can be approximately two metres above the roof of the Cross City road tunnel.
The two street entrances to Gadigal station contrast with the atmosphere below. Huge tiled murals burst with colour, while passengers on escalators pass through areas punctuated by giant concrete pillars with a distinctly industrial feel.
Central
The subway platforms at Central Station are among the most modern features of the historic station, with commuters taking the longest escalators in the Southern Hemisphere, according to Sydney Metro.
Sydneysiders had to carry 150 weekend belongings – where buses replaced trains – with a smile so that Central Station could be renovated. The new renovations included improved pedestrian tunnels, lifts, toilets and new lighting.
Metro’s project manager for much of the borough’s construction, Tim Parker, told the Guardian that part of the huge stone wall was deliberately made with soft spots. He hopes that one day passengers will be able to seamlessly transfer from a tube train to a high-speed rail platform at Central.
Waterloo
Waterloo station, which looks like a rusty box from the street, features large artworks on its interior walls, including a striking mural of Indigenous dancer Roscoe.
Passengers on escalators walk past an installation piece of 1,000 indigenous footprints, formed from the feet of 75 local indigenous people. The metal footprints were installed by workers abseiling during construction.
The excavations for Waterloo station produced a steady stream of discoveries similar to those at Barangaroo. Ancient badges, spoons and coins were found, including one from the Byzantine period. These items have been installed in museum-style displays at the station’s secure bike shed.
Crews were careful to protect the 141-year-old Waterloo Congregational Church, a Grade II listed building next to the station. They used more than 20km of ground anchors to secure walls and around 6,500 square metres of shotcrete – concrete that is pneumatically sprayed at high speed onto a surface above ground.