Construction on the A$11bn ($7.4bn) Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail in Australia is set to commence later in 2020. The move comes as the Australian and New South Wales Governments signed an agreement to provide a further A$3.5bn ($2.3bn) funding for the metro rail project.
The metro line, which runs from St Mary’s railway station to the proposed airport, will include six metro railway stations. The rail project is planned to be commissioned by 2026, in time for the opening of the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “The new Metro and the new airport will deliver billions of dollars and thousands of jobs to Western Sydney, while establishing the infrastructure needed now and into the future.
“Construction is already well underway on the airport, and later this year works will start on this new Metro service which will link the suburbs of Western Sydney to the rest of Sydney.
“Getting work started on this project and many other infrastructure projects across New South Wales and Australia is critical to my government’s JobMaker program as we rebuild the economy during COVID-19.
“Late last year we agreed to bring forward $4.2 billion worth of infrastructure investment across Australia to secure jobs and support the national economy, and we continue to look at further opportunities to accelerate projects in all states and territories.”
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport comprises two stations within the airport site, at the airport terminal and at the airport business park; a station serving the commercial heart of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis; and a station at Orchard Hills.
It also includes a station at St Marys and a station at Luddenham to service a future education, innovation and commercial precinct. The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport is backed by funding provided equally by the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments under the Western Sydney City Deal.
The A$5.3bn ($3.5bn) Western Sydney International Airport, which is fully funded by the Commonwealth Government, is being built on a 1,780ha site at Badgerys Creek, about 50km west of Sydney’s central business district.
