The largest rail project currently underway in Australia is set to go under review, as the newly elected Labor Government in New South Wales seeks to determine the best way forward for the project.

(image source: Transport for NSW)

In its latest announcement, the newly elected Labor Government in New South Wales says it will place the three remaining projects being delivered as part of the Sydney Metro project under review.

Set to revolutionise rail transport across the Sydney metropolitan area, the Sydney Metro project will deliver a network of four metro lines, 46 stations and 113 kilometers of new rail by 2030.

Once fully operational, the project will connect Sydney’s north-west, west, south-west and greater west to fast, reliable, turn-up-and-go services with fully accessible stations.

The project is divided into four separate projects.

The Sydney Metro Northwest Line is operational and connects the suburbs of Chatswood in the north to Rouse Hill in the outer northwest.

The three other projects currently under construction include:

  • The Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, which will extend from the inner end of the Northwest section of the line and run from Chatswood in the northwest with Sydenham in the south-west across the Sydney Harbour and the CBD.
  • The Sydney Metro West project that will connect Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD via a new 24-kilometre underground railway.
  • The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line that will connect the new Western Sydney Airport and the new Western Sydney Aerotropolis with the existing rail network via a new 23 kilometre rail link and six new stations.

(printscreen of Sydney Metro map from Sydney Metro website)

 

Announcing the review, the new Labor Government says that it has become clear that there are significant challenges facing the project and that the project has been plagued by cost overruns and time delays.

According to the Government – which was elected last month – initial early briefings indicate that the cost of Sydney Metro West has increased by $12 billion and is now likely to cost $24.32 billion.

That project is also running late and is now expected to open in 2030 at the earliest.

This compares with initial Coalition government estimates of an opening date in the mid-2020s.

Meanwhile, the price tag of Sydney Metro City and Southwest is expected to reach at least $20.5 billion.

This is up by more than $9 billion compared with initial cost estimates and is more than $2 billion above the most recently quoted price tag touted by the former Coalition government.

The review will be led by Mike Mrdak, who has extensive experience in the Australian Public Service and has worked in infrastructure, transport, regional development, communications and the digital economy.

Mrdak was a federal departmental secretary for more than a decade, including as head of the Infrastructure Department.

He will be joined by Amanda Yeates as the Deputy Chair. Yeates was previously the Deputy Director General, Department of Transport and Main Roads in Queensland, where she was responsible for that state’s infrastructure program.

The review will examine delivery models, project governance and passenger impacts along with the best way to move forward with Sydney’s major transport infrastructure pipeline.

It will also evaluate the delivery of Sydney Metro to date including the current state of progress against delivery targets.

From there, it will make recommendations for delivering maximum project value.

This will include looking at any improvements which could be made in terms of land use, urban renewal and integration with the wider transport network.

Whilst the review is likely to provide the new Labor government with ammunition to use against its political opponents, NSW Premier Chris Minns denies that the review is about casting blame on the previous government.

“We said would be honest and upfront with the people of NSW about the true state of projects we inherited,” Minns said.

“We know we have significant challenges. This review is about assembling the right rescue team to come up with solutions to get literally get the metro projects back on track.

“We’re not interested in casting blame – we’re interested in finding solutions.”