Sydney Metro West tunnelling reaches Parramatta as project hits major milestone

Sydney Metro West has reached a landmark construction milestone with tunnel boring machines completing the western section of the route and arriving at the new Parramatta station box, meaning more than 20 kilometres of the 24-kilometre underground railway are now bored and the project is tracking for its 2030 target opening.

The 2030 Metro West line will connect Parramatta to the Sydney CBD in 20 minutes, against the current train journey of approximately 45 minutes, transforming the travel relationship between the two largest employment centres in Australia's largest city. Seven new underground stations will serve the corridor, including stops at Sydney Olympic Park, Five Dock, Burwood North, and The Bays precinct adjacent to Rozelle.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the tunnel completion milestone was a significant achievement given the complex geology encountered on the western section, including unexpected sandstone formations that required the boring machines to operate at reduced speeds through sections of the Parramatta CBD. "The tunnelling team has solved problems that have never been encountered on any project in Australia, and they've solved them without compromising the schedule," she said.

Property market analysts have noted significant development activity along the entire Metro West corridor, with development applications for transit-oriented mixed-use projects at or near all seven station locations already in various stages of planning approval. The Five Dock station site alone has attracted applications for more than 2,400 dwellings in the surrounding 400-metre catchment.

Station fit-out and systems installation work will begin progressively as the tunnel bores are completed and waterproofed. The line is expected to carry its first test trains in late 2029.

This article was compiled by AI from the sources linked above and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.