NSW JUST KEEPS ON ROLLING
With over $23 Billion worth of rail infrastructure currently under construction in NSW, it’s no wonder Project Engineering was just announced by Seek as the fastest-growing job classification in Australia. Project Engineering recorded growth of over 55% in the past twelve months nationally, and in NSW, demand grew by an impressive 92%. The high demand for professional engineering and complex infrastructure project management services won’t slow anytime soon extending well into the next decade with several other major projects currently in the feasibility stage. We have provided a brief overview of the major rail projects currently being delivered by professional engineers throughout NSW.
Northwest Rail Link (Stage 1)
- Cost: $8.3 Billion
- Completion: End 2019
- Status: In construction
Project Overview: Sydney Metro Northwest is delivering eight new railway stations and 4000 commuter car parking spaces to Sydney’s growing North West. Trains will run every four minutes in the peak, that's 15 trains an hour. Customers won’t need a timetable, they will just turn up and go. Sydney Metro Northwest, formerly the North West Rail Link, is the first stage of Sydney Metro and will be the first fully-automated metro rail system in Australia. Sydney Metro City & Southwest is the second stage.
Sydney Metro Northwest will deliver, for the first time, a reliable public transport service to a region which has the highest car ownership levels per household in NSW. Over the coming decades, an extra 200,000 people will move into Sydney’s North West, taking its population above 600,000, or twice the size of Canberra. Major construction is underway at the 16 construction sites along the project alignment.
Sydney Metro City & Southwest (Stage 2)
- Cost: $12.5 Billion
- Completion: End 2024
- Status: Early works
Project Overview: Stage 2 of Sydney Metro will extend metro rail from Sydney’s booming North West region, beneath Sydney Harbour, through new underground central business district (CBD) stations and beyond to Bankstown.
The project includes seven new modern metro stations that will be fully accessible for people with a disability, prams and children, including level access between platforms and trains. The existing Bankstown Line between Bankstown and Sydenham will be upgraded and converted to metro standards, increasing services from eight an hour in the peak to 15 new metro trains every hour with real-time information at metro stations and on board trains.
Services on Sydney Metro City & Southwest are expected to start in 2024. The first of five tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be in the ground before the end of 2018 to deliver new 15.5km twin railway tunnels from the end of Sydney Metro Northwest at Chatswood to Sydenham.
Sydney Light Rail
- Cost: $2.1 Billion
- Completion: End 2017
- Status: In construction
Project Overview: The CBD and South East Light Rail is a new light rail network for Sydney, currently under construction. The 12km route will feature 19 stops, extending from Circular Quay along George Street to Central Station, through Surry Hills to Moore Park, then to Kensington and Kingsford via Anzac Parade and Randwick via Alison Road and High Street. Construction will be completed and services will start running in 2019.
Sydney Light Rail also incorporates the Inner West Light Rail, which is now operating as the L1 Dulwich Hill Line. The 12.7km route connects Central Station and Dulwich Hill via 23 light rail stops and transports more than 8.4 million customers each year.
Newcastle Light Rail
- Cost: $510 Million
- Completion: End 2019
- Status: Early works
Project Overview: Newcastle Light Rail is 2.7 kilometres of light rail track from the new transport interchange at Wickham to Pacific Park. There will be six stops along the way, starting at the transport interchange, Honeysuckle (near Hunter Street TAFE), Civic, Crown Street, Market Street and Pacific Park.
This high capacity transport system will help cut city centre congestion and provide a frequent, reliable and comfortable travel option through the city centre.