New vision of the underground caverns that will house the platforms on what will be one of Sydney’s newest metro rail stations once it opens has been revealed.

Inspecting the new Martin Place metro station, NSW Premier Gladys Berijiklian and Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said caverns for the newly expanded station had been completed six months ahead of schedule.

Set to open in 202/24, the new station is part of the Sydney Metro project which will delver 31 new stations and 66 new kilometres of track operated by driverless trains by 2024.

It will integrate with the existing Martin Place station and will serve the heart of Sydney’s CBD including its high-end commercial and financial district, the Macquarie Street precinct and the Pitt Street retail zone.

All up, the process of excavating and building the caverns that will house the metro platforms took two years.

Excavation was completed before two tunnel boring machines arrived and broke through into the caverns on October 11 and October 23 last year.

The caverns under Castlereagh and Elizabeth Street are each 28 metres below street level at Martin Place and are 220 metres long and 14 metres wide.

All up, the process required excavation of 126,000 tonnes of rock, installation of more than 5,500 tonnes of steel and more than 21,500 tonnes of concrete for the finishing linings.

Nine tunnels have also been built to connect commuters to the new station entrances as well as to the end of the platforms at the existing Martin Place Station.

The next step will be build the tracks and the new station.

Berijiklian said the project would deliver benefits to Sydney commuters.

“In a few short years, Sydney’s new driverless trains will be running through the heart of the city every few minutes – a fast, new, reliable and safe railway extending from the Metro North West Line,” she said.

 

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