Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport (SM–WSA) has reached a significant milestone, with all major tunnelling and excavation work for the project now completed, including 9.8 kms of twin tunnelling and five station boxes.
Station Boxes and Tunnelling (SBT) work started in early 2022 and all major works were completed in December 2024. Works included:
- 5.5 km southern tunnels between Airport Business Park and Bradfield, via the Airport Terminal at the new Western Sydney International Airport
- 4.3 km northern tunnels between Orchard Hills and St Marys
- five station boxes at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Airport Business Park, Airport Terminal and Bradfield
- two services facility shafts at Bringelly and Claremont Meadows
- 39 cross passages every 240 m along the twin tunnels, providing safe emergency access between the tunnels
- 19.6 km of concrete floor in the tunnels to form a foundation for the metro rail tracks
- four stub tunnels at St Marys and Bradfield to allow for potential future extensions of the metro network.
The tunnelling works were a great opportunity for local employment and construction skills development. At peak production when all four TBMs were in the ground, the SM–WSA contractor employed 3380 people, including those directly working on the tunnelling as well as support roles, with 57 % coming from Greater Western Sydney.
For more information on the Sydney Metro - Western Sydney Airport project click here and au/11 for the tunnelbuilder archive. Visit https://www.sydneymetro.info and https://www.sydneymetro.info/westernsydneyairportline. 06/25.
