For the first time in Sydney’s history, trains have burrowed deep under the harbour, as they streak toward delivering a city-wide metro service.
The new metro trains travelled across the 15.5 kilometre twin metro railway tunnels up to 40 metres below the surface as the Sydney Metro City and Southwest Line project enters its next stage.
Transport officials and engineers oversaw the trial run in the early hours of Friday morning with testing wrapping up about 7am.
The $20.5 billion (US$14.4 billion) project extends the Metro North West Line from Chatswood Station to Sydenham Station and is the largest rail line to be constructed under central Sydney since the City Circle underground railway was completed in the 1950s.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the harbour crossing was an important milestone and delivered a critical connection into the CBD from Sydney’s north.
“Having a train travel under our harbour is an exciting and historic first step but more importantly, it means that more people can catch a train through the city and it will improve the broader rail network once the City Metro is ready to take passengers next year,” Haylen said.
Next year, metro trains are expected to move more people across the harbour in peak hour than the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel combined.
Haylen said it would take significant pressure off Sydney’s roads and existing rail network.
Sydney Metro CEO Peter Regan said train testing and commissioning would continue throughout 2023, ahead of passenger services starting through the Sydney CBD in 2024.
“The first stage of testing is completed at low speed, with trains manually driven at a maximum speed of 25km/ph,” Regan said.
“Gradually, we see the trains move into high-speed testing, where the trains reach a maximum speed of 110km/ph.”
Each train would undergo acceleration and brake testing on the newly built track and complete a series of system checks.
