Sydney Metro

Stage 1 is the start of a metro rail network in Sydney. It will run underground from Central Station to Rozelle via Town Hall, Martin Place, Barangaroo-Wynyard and Pyrmont. Six new metro stations will be built and one future station site will be safeguarded at White Bay.

In addition, a stabling facility and maintenance depot is proposed at Lilyfield/Rozelle within the former Rozelle Marshalling Yards site. An operations control centre for the project would also be located here.

Sydney’s population is growing strongly. To maintain and improve our reputation as a global city, our contribution to national productivity, and our way of life, Sydney needs an integrated transport network that will work well into the future.

The Metro is a critical part of the Government’s targeted investment plan to enhance and optimise Sydney’s transport network. The speed, frequency and reliability offered by this service will address many of the issues facing Sydney.

Stage 1 will provide an additional transport service within and across the CBD. In doing so, it will ease bus and rail congestion within the CBD and reduce crowding at the busy CityRail stations.

It also provides the unique opportunity to use the CityRail network more effectively, unlocking additional rail capacity by utilising Central Station’s underused Country platforms as a gateway to the city via the Metro.

Construction is expected to begin in 2010.

Construction of Stage 1 is expected to be completed by 2015.

The NSW Government is committed to fully fund the $4.8 billion Stage 1 metro, and money was allocated in the November 2008 Mini Budget.

The Government’s commitment to funding Stage 1 is not conditional upon an application to the Federal Government’s Infrastructure Australia.

Stage 1 will form the backbone of a Sydney-wide metro network. It has been sized and shaped to meet future aspirations. A decision has not yet been made on the location or timing of future metro lines for Sydney, however a Project Application and Preliminary Environmental Assessment for a Stage 2 (Central - Westmead) has been submitted to the NSW Department of Planning.

Stage 1 will link important suburban, commercial and education hubs with a faster and more frequent service.

It will reduce the number of buses in the congested northern part of the City and take the pressure off CityRail’s Wynyard and Town Hall stations which are near capacity at peak times. 

However, it is important not to look at Stage 1 in isolation.  International experience is that a central component of the metro is constructed first as the “enabler” of a future, much larger metro rail system.

While Stage 1 is the NSW Government’s first metro priority, a Project Application and Preliminary Environmental Assessment has been lodged with the Department of Planning for Stage 2 – between Westmead and the CBD. This would be the next logical step for metro rail systems in Sydney. Possible other metro links include to the north west, the south east and the north.

Sydney Metro is not proposing a bus depot or parking station at Rozelle or Pyrmont – the idea is that customers will either walk, cycle, or transfer between the metro and existing public transport, such as bus and light rail.

Sydney Metro is negotiating with the Balmain Tigers Leagues Club to purchase a strip of land along the club's Victoria Road frontage for a bus bay.

It is proposed that a metro entry point is located at the bus bay, giving commuters direct access between the metro station and bus services.

Station entrance design will be sympathetic to the local vicinity.  The long-term aim is to improve the community setting.

Sydney Metro will need to purchase approximately 30 properties to allow for construction and for station entrances.  The project team is in direct contact with these property owners.

Please refer to our “Fact Sheet for property owners” for further information (in the Publications section of this site)

The metro tunnels will be excavated primarily by tunnel boring machines. The station caverns will be excavated by roadheaders. Detailed construction plans are being reviewed as part of the environmental assessment process to ensure construction impacts are minimised.

The stabling and maintenance facility at Rozelle, which is well below street level, will be designed to minimise potential impacts on nearby residents.  In particular, operational noise and light spill will be subject to stringent controls over noise and light emissions.

The platform depth at the six stations will range from approximately 20-35 metres. The tunnel depths will be further determined as the design progresses.

Sydney Metro has been established in order to plan, deliver and commission the Metro for Sydney. In the long-term, Sydney Metro will oversee the ongoing operations, including dictating service delivery standards to any private operator.

Metro trains run more frequently, with a train every 2-3 minutes in the peak.

Due to the frequency of trains, metro rail systems do not need a timetable

Metro uses single-deck trains with more doors, enabling passengers to get on and off more quickly, reducing delays at stations.

The metro will be an independent system, and therefore, will not be disrupted by delays on other systems. It will, however, be well integrated with Sydney’s other transport services.

One of the main reasons metros can provide such a fast, frequent service is actually because they use single-deck trains.  Having single-deck trains with more doors than traditional CityRail trains allows people to move on and off much faster.  Delays are avoided and station dwell times are kept to an absolute minimum.

The use of single-deck trains does not mean less capacity.  The high frequency of metro trains allows them to carry significantly more people per hour than traditional heavy rail systems.

Global cities around the world are turning to metro as their preferred mass-transit solution. The ability to carry more passengers than light rail and buses, with greater speed, frequency and reliability than traditional heavy rail, makes metro the best choice for Sydney’s needs now and into the future.

As the population of Sydney grows, it will need a ‘heavy lifting’ form of transport which can move thousands of people quickly and efficiently. Metro has become the preferred mode of transport in many major cities including Paris, London, Dublin, Copenhagen, Washington and Toronto, and it is ideal for Sydney.
The new metro system will complement, and integrate with, other forms of transport, including the current heavy rail, and Sydney Metro is working closely with CityRail.  An extensive capital works program has been underway for some time to improve the CityRail system.
Stage 1 will present immediate opportunities to improve the city’s existing public transport.  It will reduce the number of buses in the crowded northern end of the CBD and take pressure off the busy CityRail stations at Barangaroo-Wynyard, Martin Place, Town Hall Square and Central.

Efficient transport links are critical to the success of the Metro.  The metro stations are being planned so passengers can transfer easily to and from CityRail stations at Barangaroo-Wynyard, Martin Place, Town Hall and Central.

Facilities will be provided for transfer with buses, light rail, bicycles and taxis. 

The actual CityRail and metro tracks will operate independently.  This will help guarantee that a delay or hold-up on one line does not cascade into delays on all other lines. 

The metro system can accommodate many more people than light rail, and as an ‘enabler’ for a future network, it will have much wider benefits.  It can provide faster journey times and more frequent services.  Also, being in tunnel, the metro requires minimal land on the surface and so there is less impact on the urban landscape.

You can sign-up for updates on the Keeping Informed page of this website. We will email you as this exciting project progresses.