Trains are running deep under Sydney Harbour for the first time ever.

New metro trains are now traveling along two 15.5-kilometre twin metro railways tunnels which are part of the Sydney Metro City& Southwest project as part of the testing and commissioning for the project.

Set to open next year, the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project will deliver the first railway crossing below Sydney Harbour and will create an important connection between Sydney’s CBD and its northern suburbs.

It will link Chatswood in Sydney’s north to Sydenham in its inner southwest via wo 15.5 km tunnels under the Sydney Harbour and the CBD.

Once complete, trains running under the new lines will move more people across Sydney Harbour during peak hour than the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel combined.

At its deepest point under the tunnels reach depths of up to 40 meters below sea level.

Testing has now begun and testing and commissioning will continue throughout 2023 ahead of passenger services commencing through the CBD in 2024.

The first stage of testing was completed at low speed, with trains manually driven at a maximum speed of 25 kilometres per hour.

Gradually, the trains will move into high-speed testing, where they will reach a maximum speed of 110 kilometres per hour.

Each train will also undergo acceleration and braking testing on the newly built track and complete a series of system checks to ensure it can perform reliably under operating conditions.

The latest development comes as the newly elected Labor Government in New South Wales has placed the entire Sydney Metro project under review amid concerns about delays and cost blowouts.

Sydney Metro is Australia’s largest public transport project that is currently in delivery and will deliver a network of four metro lines, 46 stations and 113 kilometres of new metro rail by 2030.

The review aims to identify ways to generate maximum value out of the project and to improve delivery over the remaining part of the project.

Transport Minister Jo Hayley welcomed the commencement of the testing stage.

“This is an important milestone. We have always said we’d back good projects no matter whose idea it was – this is one of them and it’s what the Sydney Metro project looks like at its best,” Haylen said.

“Having a train travel under our harbour is an exciting and historic first step but more importantly, it means that more people can catch a train through the city and it will improve the broader rail network once the City Metro is ready to take passengers next year.”

“I want to make sure that the Sydney Metro project delivers genuine improvements to transport services like this for passengers and for taxpayers.”

The tunnels are being constructed by a joint venture involving john Holland and CPB Ghella.

 

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