Sydney Metro

[Cazza]

Just ask Melbourne how it's done

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Technician's control room error causes metro trains to shut down

A shutdown of Sydney's new metro rail line on Monday morning was caused by a technician inexplicably breaking the glass on a fire suppression system, triggering gas to be pumped into a control room and forcing its evacuation.

The "serious incident" at 9.20am caused delays for thousands of commuters for the next 90 minutes, forcing stations along the $7.3 billion Metro Northwest line to be evacuated and replacement buses put on to eventually transfer passengers to their destinations.

At the time, 17 driverless trains were running along the 36-kilometre line in both directions between Rouse Hill and Chatswood. Two of the trains were stuck in tunnels for about 15 minutes before they were moved on to stations where passengers could get off and catch buses.

Transport officials initially blamed the shutdown on a "communications system issue".

But Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the incident was due to "human error", caused by a technician in the metro line's control room at Rouse Hill in the city's north west breaking the glass on a fire suppressant system.

"In breaking the glass, gas was released through the control centre, which led to an evacuation. Because of the very nature of the gas released, it meant there was no oxygen to ensure that people were safe inside the centre," he said.

Firefighters arrived quickly on the scene. No fire or smoke was detected

Transport systems around the world including Sydney's have mechanisms in place for critical areas which, in the event of a fire, result in oxygen being sucked out of rooms to suppress flames and protect equipment. Staff are evacuated before their safety is placed at risk.

Mr Constance said he expected the private operator of the metro line to "look closely at this" incident, and details about why the technician activated the suppression system.

"We will always take key lessons out of incidents like this," he said.

The control centre for the trains is housed in buildings adjacent to a large stabling yard for the line's fully automated trains at Rouse Hill. Up to 30 people typically work in the control centre.

Transport for NSW secretary Rodd Staples said the system worked "exactly as it was planned and designed", citing the evacuation of the operations control centre, and the stopping of trains to ensure "that everyone was safe".

"[It is] important we learn some lessons out of this and the metro operator is certainly looking at that. But the back-up system did come into play and we were able to stand up the system," he said.

Within an hour of the alarm, a decision was made to shift to the back-up system to allow a gradual recovery of services on the metro rail line.

The delays coincided with the first day of major changes to the bus network in Sydney's north west, which has linked more bus routes to stations along the metro line but come at the cost of a number of services to the central city including the 610 from Rouse Hill to the CBD.

Mr Constance said the government would continue to monitor the response of commuters to the changes, but cited a drop of up to 25 per cent in patronage on some buses to the CBD as evidence people were switching their travel patterns to use the new metro trains.

"You can't change services without upsetting someone. At the same time, it's about the greater good to benefit the majority of people," he said.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Tunnels carved beneath Sydney's busy streets offer glimpse of future

The labyrinth of tunnels beneath the heart of Sydney's skyline offers the first glimpse of the metro train station carved out of sandstone over the past nine months.

Within four years, thousands of commuters will pile on and off metro trains every hour at the new Pitt Street station, fewer than 100 metres from Town Hall station in the central city.

On Friday, the first boring machine to snake its way from Waterloo, in the city's south, reached what will become one of two 160-metre platforms for the Pitt Street station, which is part of the second stage of Sydney's $20 billion metro rail line.

Named Nancy, it is one of five giant boring machines churning away to form twin 15.5-kilometre rail tunnels stretching from Chatswood in the north, under Sydney Harbour to Pitt Street station and three others in the CBD, and onto Sydenham in the south.

It is a world away from construction of the last train line to be built under central Sydney. Opened 40 years ago, the Eastern Suburbs railway line was dug using explosives.

At Pitt Street, contractors have excavated about 92,000 tonnes of sandstone to form the station's underground cavern stretching beneath Park Street, in the north, to near Bathurst Street.

Transport for NSW secretary Rodd Staples said construction of the metro line under the CBD was an "incredibly complex engineering task".

"To think that we have got hundreds of thousands of people walking around above us today, really not understanding what is happening below them," he said in one of the tunnels on Friday.

"In just four years' time, those people will be able to come down some escalators and they will be standing right where we are and jumping on a metro train every four minutes."

Those filing in and out of the new station will do so by escalators, which will emerge at two locations on Pitt Street. Unlike a new metro station at Martin Place, however, the Pitt Street station will not have an underground pedestrian link to the nearby City Circle line.

The Pitt Street station will act as a relief valve for Town Hall station, which is creaking under pressure from record growth in patronage. Over the last five years, trips on the rail network have surged from 300 million to 420 million annually.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said there was "no doubt" that the new station and others in the CBD would ease pressure on the City Circle line, which was facing "an enormous challenge".

"All trains lines in this city currently lead to the City Circle, and if something goes wrong in one part of the network, it has a cascading effect," he said.

"Town Hall ... wasn't designed for the patronage we are seeing today. This now gives enormous relief, once opened, to Town Hall."

The next stop for the boring machine will be the metro station at Martin Place. Tunnelling of the entire line is expected to be completed by the first half of next year.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Commuters pour onto Sydney's new driverless trains, figures show

More than 66,000 commuters have piled onto Sydney's new driverless metro trains on average each weekday in their first two months of operation despite a spate of disruptions, figures show.

The weekday patronage in June and July makes the 36-kilometre Metro Northwest rail line from Chatswood to Rouse Hill in Sydney's north west almost as well used as the Eastern Suburbs line, the city's fourth busiest.

Patronage at Chatswood and Epping stations, which serve as interchanges for commuters, surged by 18 per cent in July, from the same month a year earlier, the statistics from Sydney Trains show.

Stations between the two interchanges, such as Macquarie Park and North Ryde, also had growth of 17 to 19 per cent in the number of commuters passing through in July, compared with the same month a year earlier when double-deck trains were operating.

An existing 13-kilometre stretch from Epping to Chatswood was incorporated into the Metro Northwest line over a nine-month period before the latter opened to passengers on May 26.

Mathew Hounsell, a transport data analyst at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, said the new line's patronage showed that people responded well to frequent all-stop services.

"Almost 20 per cent growth year-on-year is really, really good. We are seeing changes in behaviour patterns but they are not bedded down yet," he said. "It usually takes nine to 12 months for people to really get used to a new transport option because people don't change their habits immediately."

Mr Hounsell said patronage of the single-deck metro trains was strong on Sundays, averaging almost 60 per cent of weekdays. In comparison, Sydney Trains average about 42 per cent of weekday patronage on Sundays.

However, a series of disruptions to services has marred the first months of operation.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance has emphasised that the causes of the disruptions, such as a technician inexplicably breaking the glass on a fire suppression system, were unrelated.

"There is no systemic issue that is arising here," he said last week.

But he said he wanted improvements to the speed of the response to incidents, including the time it took for replacement buses to be put on when the line was temporarily shut.

Macquarie University student Ellie Ryrie, from Cremorne, likes the new trains but said there had been a number of teething problems. Train doors sometimes closed too quickly to allow passengers get on and off, she said.

Fellow teaching student Rachel Dobbie, from the Central Coast, said the frequency of the trains means she gets to leave Macquarie University station more quickly for home.

Macquarie University linguistics student Tom Schien also likes the new line, although it still takes him about 40 minutes to travel from his place near Central Station in the CBD to the university.

"It is about the same at the moment because I have to get off [Sydney Trains services to catch the metro trains] at Chatswood or Epping," he said. "Once it opens from Central it will be good."

The second stage of the metro line from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour to the central city, and onto Sydenham and Bankstown, is due to open in 2024 at a cost of about $12 billion.

Toll road operator Transurban recently said the opening of the new line resulted in a 2 per cent fall in traffic on the M2 motorway and Lane Cove Tunnel as some commuters opted for the trains.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> 'Your trains are broken again': Sydney Metro delays expected after train mechanical issue

Sydney Metro passengers were on Tuesday morning left sitting for half an hour after a mechanical issue disrupted services for the third Tuesday in a row.

A spokesman for the Transport Management Centre confirmed a mechanical issue was detected on a train at Hills Show Ground station about 6.50am, causing "a 15 minute gap" in services between Castle Hill and Chatswood that he said would also cause flow-on delays.

Passengers reported being stuck on stationary trains for half an hour as a result of the issue.

One passenger, who did not wish to be named, said he got onto a train at Epping at 7.10am and it didn't move for 31 minutes.

He said the past three weeks of mechanical issues on a Tuesday seemed to suggest a pattern.

"Obviously something gets done on a Monday night that causes issues on a Tuesday morning," he said. "You'd think they would have found and fixed the problem by now".

Other social media users also expressed frustration at the regular disruption.

The mechanical issue follows last week's two-hour cancellation of services in both directions between Tallawong and Chatswood due to a "communications issue between the operations centre and the trains in the depot".

The previous Tuesday, Sydney Metro services were disrupted due to trains requiring mechanical repairs. A mechanical issue with doors also affected trains on August 1.

Transport for NSW has been approached for comment.

[ozbob]

The tunnel boring machines digging a new Metro rail line from Chatswood, under the harbour and through the CBD are making incredible progress.
Today we watched on as the tunnel boring machine broke through at the future Victoria Cross Station in North Sydney. pic.twitter.com/WkHYZpMuJL

— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) August 26, 2019

[ozbob]

Tunnel borer Wendy has broken through at the future Victoria Cross Station beneath North Sydney.

Wendy is one of five mega borers digging new 15.5km twin tunnels, extending the #SydneyMetro line from Chatswood, under the harbour, through the CBD & onto Bankstown. @GladysB pic.twitter.com/GmNBPbRUnc

— Andrew Constance MP (@AndrewConstance) August 26, 2019

[ozbob]

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/media-releases/popularity-express-sydney-embraces-metro

The popularity express: Sydney embraces Metro

1 Sep 2019

More than nine out of ten customers have given the North West Metro an emphatic thumbs up, according to new customer satisfaction results.

Minister for Transport Andrew Constance said the figures also show improved satisfaction across the wider rail network.

"We're delighted at how customers have embraced the Metro, with more than 5.6 million trips since it opened on 26 May and an overall customer satisfaction rating of 95 per cent.

"This is Australia's first fully accessible railway so it is no surprise that customers are rating this service highly for its accessibility. They were also very happy with travel times, safety and security."

Customer satisfaction on the rail network increased by three percentage points to 89 per cent compared to 12 months ago.

"Train customers told us they were most satisfied with how safe they felt on the train and the ease of the ticketing system. We know there is more work to do across the network and this survey provides valuable information and feedback.

"Improvements are already being delivered. In the last 12 months we've commissioned 24 new Waratah trains, allowing us to retire the older, unreliable S-Sets. As a result the entire Sydney Trains fleet is now air conditioned."

In other results, Sydney's ferries maintained their mantle as one of the most popular forms of public transport with a 98 per cent satisfaction rating, while buses improved by 2 percentage points to 91 per cent.

The Customer Satisfaction Index surveyed over 15,000 customers across public transport, point-to-point transport, and amongst road users. The majority of the latest survey was completed in May 2019 with customers on the newly opened North West Metro surveyed over a two week period in June.

The full May 2019 Customer Satisfaction Index can be found by clicking here.

[Gazza]

"This is Australia's first fully accessible railway so it is no surprise that customers are rating this service highly for its accessibility. They were also very happy with travel times, safety and security."

What about the Joondalup to Mandurah line?

[verbatim9]

Future Driverless Metro Map for the Sydney basin.

[SurfRail]

I think it is very, very unlikely the existing line will be extended past St Marys.  It might not even go past Schofields.  Further west, you aren't constrained by the same design issues, and you might even be able to get away with building faster trains and to only 4 car length.

Likewise I'm hopeful they don't branch anything.

[ozbob]

Daily Telegraph --> Sydney Metro northwest: $1.3b expansion to double network capacity


Construction has started again on the Sydney Metro northwest.

Construction to more than double the capacity of the Sydney Metro network is underway at Tallawong Station — which will allow an extra 37 metro trains to operate on the line.

Sydney Metro is expanding the Tallawong shunting yard at Rouse Hill, which currently houses a total of 22 trains, as part of a multimillion-dollar four-year project.

The $1.37 billion contract was awarded in November last year, with construction commencing in August.

A Sydney Metro spokeswoman said the project will cater for the 37 additional trains required when the Sydney Metro city and southwest networks open in 2024.

"An additional stabling facility will also be built at Marrickville, providing overnight stabling facilities for Sydney Metro trains and allowing for light maintenance activities to minimise the requirement to send trains to the Sydney Metro Trains Facility at Rouse Hill," the spokeswoman said.

In 2013 it was announced the Sydney Metro Trains Facility at Rouse Hill would be built in two stages.

The major expansion project comes as a blueprint of what the Metro network could look like in 2056 was revealed, providing a look at several new lines earmarked to connect Sydney suburbs.

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Sydney's metro tunnels nearing completion

Twenty-two kilometres of the Sydney Metro tunnels are now complete, leaving about 30 cent left of the mammoth public transport project.

Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Nancy tunnelled its way to the new Martin Place Station last week, where it was welcomed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Transport Minister Andrew Constance and workers.

Since launching in October 2018, TBM Nancy has cleared 6.8 kilometres via the new metro stations at Waterloo, Central and Pitt Street.

"While people are getting on with life in the city above, deep underneath the CBD giant machines like TBM Nancy are getting on with the job, building tunnels for our future metro rail," said Berejiklian.

"This tunnelling is pivotal to a well-connected public transport system here at Martin Place, where customers will be able to transfer between the new metro and the Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra line," said Constance.

TBM Nancy will spend a few weeks undergoing maintenance before being re-launched to complete the last 1.3 kilometres between Martin Place and Barangaroo.

Before TBM Nancy's arrival, workers spent 21 months building the caverns for the new Martin Place Station, removing about 198,000 tonnes of rock in the process.

"Deep under city streets and buildings, this historic new metro line will not only increase the capacity of our rail network but make it easier to get around," said Constance.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney Metro approval clears way for exact locations of train stations


Source: NSW Govt

Homeowners and businesses will learn the precise locations of seven train stations for Sydney's $20 billion-plus metro rail line from Parramatta to the central city as early as next week after state cabinet signed off on the final business case for the project.

While landowners near the sites face property acquisitions and disruption from construction of the Sydney Metro West over the coming years, many stand to financially benefit with an increase in property values.

The majority of properties acquired to build the stations and line are expected to be commercial, rather than residential. Much of the rail line will be underground.

The exact locations to be revealed include stations to be built at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct at Rozelle.

Cabinet gave the green light to the final business case for Metro West on Thursday last week, multiple sources said.

The government has yet to make a final decision on whether to build stations at Pyrmont in the inner city, or Rydalmere, near Parramatta. It is also finalising the site of the CBD station, although it is expected to be under Hunter Street, linking Wynyard and Martin Place.

A large stabling yard and operations centre for the driverless trains will be built on former heavy industrial land at Camellia, near Parramatta. The suburb will double as the site for a stabling yard for Parramatta's multi billion-dollar light rail line.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance's office said it would not comment on speculation about the exact locations.

But Rick Graf, a director at property developer Billbergia, said owners located within 400 metres of the stations would benefit from a "significant lift" in property values.

The Sydney Business Chamber's western Sydney director, David Borger, welcomed the prospect of the locations of the stations being revealed for what he described as the "most important public transport project in Australia".

He urged the government to be ambitious in finding other funding sources, such as from levies on landowners who stood to benefit, to help pay for the project.

"That is a fairer way to finance infrastructure, rather than the taxpayer financing everything. The problem with government paying for everything is that you just don't get enough projects done because you can't afford it," Mr Borger said.

So far, the Berejiklian government has committed $6.4 billion to Metro West over a four-year period.

It wants construction to start next year and a sub-20-minute journey time for people travelling on the new line from Parramatta to the CBD when it opens in the second half of next decade. The number of stations will be central to the final trip time.

The business case for building a metro line between the new $5 million airport at Badgerys Creek and St Marys is also due to be finalised by the end of this year. The line is slated to open in time for the first aircraft to take off from Western Sydney Airport in 2026.

Sydney Metro chief executive Jon Lamonte told a conference last month that the timeframe for building the line was "tight but achievable".

"We have got a job on our hands to get through all the processes to get the thing approved and then get planning processes sorted out and then actually construct it," he said. "So it's a really tight timeline for us to meet."

[#Metro]

So, I take it they will convert existing rail stations where possible?

[ozbob]

So, I take it they will convert existing rail stations where possible?

New line, separate from existing lines.

New stations for Metro.

[SurfRail]

The only conversion currently on the books is the Bankstown line (firmly from Sydenham to Bankstown, much woollier as to what they are planning if anything beyond there).  Everything else is off in the never never, like various proposals to convert bits of the Illawarra line.

The informed commentary I am seeing suggests the NSW Govt is in deep sh%t over the procurement of the southwest bits, with big budget problems and no coherent strategy for how the work all fits together.

[verbatim9]

The only conversion currently on the books is the Bankstown line (firmly from Sydenham to Bankstown, much woollier as to what they are planning if anything beyond there).  Everything else is off in the never never, like various proposals to convert bits of the Illawarra line.

The informed commentary I am seeing suggests the NSW Govt is in deep sh%t over the procurement of the southwest bits, with big budget problems and no coherent strategy for how the work all fits together.

Hurstville to Bondi Junction is still a good idea for conversion.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> 120 properties to be forcibly acquired for $20b Metro West rail line

Almost 120 properties will be forcibly acquired for construction of a $20 billion-plus metro rail line from Parramatta to the central city, which is now slated to be opened by 2030, about two years later than expected.

As foreshadowed by the Herald, transport officials on Monday began informing owners of properties flagged for acquisition after the Berejiklian government announced the precise locations of seven stations along the Sydney Metro West rail line.

The stations will be built at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct at Rozelle.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the new line - most of which will run through tunnels - would more than double the rail capacity between Parramatta and Sydney's CBD.

"This crucial project will reduce the journey between Parramatta and the city to around 20 minutes with trains running every two minutes," she said.

The travel time for a journey from the CBD to Olympic Park will be 14 minutes.

Of the 116 properties to be acquired for the project, 23 are residential and 93 commercial businesses. The Bays Precinct will be the first site on which work will start because that is where tunnelling will commence. Tunnel boring machines are expected to start digging the line in 2022.

The government has yet to make a final decision on building metro stations at Pyrmont in the inner city, or Rydalmere, east of Parramatta, which have been dubbed "optional stations".

It is also finalising the site of the station in Sydney's CBD, which is expected to be under Hunter Street, linking Wynyard and Martin Place.

A turn-back site for trains will be needed in the central city. While that could be built at the CBD station, the government has not ruled out Zetland in the inner south as the site of a turn-back or a station.

Asked why the opening of the line was about two years later than expected, Transport Minister Andrew Constance said it could be completed earlier than 2030 but "we are setting a realistic expectation and, as always, this government will set about bettering it".

So far, the Berejiklian government has committed $6.4 billion to Metro West over a four-year period. It declined to put a cost on the entire project, citing the need to retain "competitive tension" in the bidding process for contracts to build the project.

A large stabling yard and operations centre for the single-deck, driverless metro trains will be built at the Clyde and Rosehill industrial estate bounded by James Ruse Drive, the M4 motorway and Unwin and Shirley streets.

Metro West is effectively the third stage of the city's metro rail network. The first stage known as Metro Northwest from Rouse Hill to Chatswood opened in May, and the second stage under Sydney Harbour and on to the CBD and Sydenham and Bankstown is due to be completed in 2024.

Sydney Metro West station locations
Westmead: The eastern side of Hawkesbury Road, south of the existing Westmead station. The new station will have one entrance on Hawkesbury Road.

Parramatta: On the block bound by George, Macquarie, Church and Smith streets with an entrance on Horwood Place.

Sydney Olympic Park: To the south of the existing train station. It will sit to the east of Olympic Boulevard with the main station entrances between Herb Elliot Avenue and Figtree Drive, and off Dawn Fraser Avenue.

North Strathfield: Adjacent to the existing train station. New metro platforms will sit alongside the existing station and entry to the station would be from a new entrance on Queen Street.

Burwood North: At the corner of Burwood and Parramatta roads, with entrances on both the north and south sides of Parramatta Road.

Five Dock: Located off Great North Road, between East Street and then at the corner of Second Avenue and Waterview Street. The station entrance will be at Fred Kelly Place off Great North Road.

Bays Precinct: Located between Glebe Island and White Bay Power Station with an entrance to the south of White Bay.

Sydney's metro rail

[Gazza]

Looks pretty good, Silverwater station I'm neither here nor there on, but the gap between the bays precinct and 5 docks seems too far, they should have done a station at Drummoyne, but I guess it depends how deep the harbour is at Iron Cove.

[ozbob]

Sydney Metro West Project Overview 2019

> https://www.sydneymetro.info/sites/default/files/document-library/Sydney_Metro_West_Project_Overview_Booklet_October_2019.pdf

[SurfRail]

Looks pretty good, Silverwater station I'm neither here nor there on, but the gap between the bays precinct and 5 docks seems too far, they should have done a station at Drummoyne, but I guess it depends how deep the harbour is at Iron Cove.

Silverwater doesn't look to be a station, just somewhere to stick vent fans and such.

Westmead looks like it needs better integration with the existing station to improve transfers.  Parramatta being at a remove from existing Parramatta is a good plan though because it will help distribute passengers better (Parramatta interchange is packed), especially if people decide to change at Westmead coming from the west to save themselves time.

They definitely need a station somewhere between Parramatta and SOP.  Not sure where the Camelia redevelopment plans are up to or if that's going ahead whether they just plan on relying on light rail.

Pyrmont - absolutely.

At the city end, I'm thinking the connection should be somewhere mid-town but not Town Hall (which is already overloaded).  Possibly St James (to make it more useful) and then extended to Taylor Square, the SCG and further into the eastern suburbs, shadowing the light rail.

[ozbob]

New.com.au --> Lack of stations on $20b Sydney Metro West rail line questioned


The route of the new Sydney Metro West includes long stretches in populated areas with no stations. Picture: NSW Government.Source:Supplied

The New South Wales Government yesterday announced the route and stations of one of the most expensive public transport projects in Australian history.

The $20 billion Sydney Metro West is due to start construction next year. It will see two 25km tunnels bored from the CBD to Westmead via Sydney Olympic Park and Parramatta.

A "game changer" of a project, it's being talked about as a project that will "supercharge" Sydney and reduce journey times between Parramatta and the CBD to a mere 20 minutes.

But Sydneysiders have been scratching their heads over the glossy new plans — particularly over what's missing from them: stations. Where are they all?

Seven stations are planned. These will be at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct.

But for vast stretches of the route there will be no stations at all.

For seven kilometres, between White Bay and Five Dock in Sydney's inner west there is not a single stop.

Yet the line might pass beneath Leichhardt. It's a suburb lacking a heavy rail line and with a population density of 3203 residents per sq/km, far in excess of the Sydney urban average of 1237 people.

For almost double that length, 13km, the line may not have a single stop between Sydney Olympic Park and Parramatta.

Residents of Rozelle, Lilyfield, Newington, Camelia and Rosehill may all feel the rumble of the Metro but have no way to board it.

Yet on the current railway line between Parramatta and the CBD, which the Metro is designed to relive capacity on, distances between stations are between 1-3km. A mere 800 metres separates Newtown and Macdonaldtown stations. It's almost as quick to drive between them.

TERRIBLE DECISION

Architect, urban designer and City of Sydney councillor Philp Thalis criticised the choice of station sites on Twitter this morning.

"Terrible decision not to build all those stations. (It's) just repeating the glaring mistakes of the previous metro and heavy rail lines," he said.

"Trip time should be completely secondary to coverage and patronage".

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne agreed and told news.com.au: "Council is very disappointed that its residents are missing out on the public transport benefits that could flow from the Sydney Metro West."

Another social media user noted the "long nimby stretch between The Bays and Five Dock".

Nimby is an acronym for "not in my backyard," residents who want the benefits of new infrastructure but don't want to personally compromise for them.

University of Sydney Business School senior lecturer in transport management Geoffrey Clifton told news.com.au it looked like "a good set of stations".

However, he found it "interesting" that a station at Pyrmont, just to the west of the CBD was only a maybe, not a definite stop.

"I would defiantly want to see Pyrmont go ahead because that's going to be very important for the area to develop, to give the city the space to grow and expend the Sydney CBD."

The Sydney Chamber of Commerce has said a stop at Pyrmont "is a necessity".

TOWERS VS TERRACES

The Government has also flagged possible stops at either Rydalmere or Silverwater, closer to Parramatta, but neither is locked in.

Mr Clifton said a stop at Leichhardt had merit. But the very fact that the suburb was already highly populated, far from being in its favour, actually counted against it.

"There are technical reasons why it might not be feasible to build a station — such as it can't be on a slope — but there are also commercial considerations as well," he said.

It's estimated each station, even of a fairly modest design, adds hundreds of millions of dollars to a rail project.

"You have to recuperate that money somehow and that means apartments, it means office space just like we're seeing in Barangaroo.

"These days it's just not viable to put in a train station if you don't want to develop land around it."

The people of Leichhardt might like to cut their commute time but is towering blocks of units built on top of, or overshadowing, heritage terraces the price worth paying?

"It's the cost benefit analysis. Everything the Government spends money on has to demonstrate value for money because that money could be spent on hospitals or police instead," said Mr Clifton.

Many of the other stations on the line are in areas ripe for development. The Bays is a large brownfield site close to the CBD, Burwood North is on Parramatta Rd where large slabs of tatty shops and car yards could be demolished and few people would bat an eyelid.

STATIONS VS SPEED

But there was another factor for large gaps between stations — the need for speed.

To deliver a Parramatta to city journey time of 20 minutes, the trains have to travel fast. Every time it stops, it adds precious minutes to the trip decreasing its usefulness over the current T1 Western line.

The understanding of this isn't helped by naming of the system as a "metro" which traditionally have many stops.

"A standard Paris-type Metro would have a station in every single suburb; Sydney is developing a new (metro) where we have train stations every few suburbs," Mr Clifton said.

"We wouldn't want to have a station every 800m like in Paris metro as that would make it completely unfeasible as a train line for commuters from Parramatta to the city.

"It's absolutely a balancing act between more stops to serve more destinations and fewer stops to get people to the city quickly."

Mr Clifton said planners could deliver the shell of potential underground stations but leave it bare until a decision was made to kit it out at a later date.

It wasn't cheap, he said, but it was far cheaper than trying to build a new station from scratch many years later.

In a statement, a Sydney Metro spokeswoman told news.com.au "the balance between travel times and number of stations to ensure the project provides the best outcome for the community" was a key consideration for the project.

"Construction and delivery challenges had to be taken into account when determining station locations," she said.

"Both Rydalmere and Pyrmont are currently being considered as the strategic options in addition to the stations which were confirmed yesterday."

The siting of the Five Dock station is already embroiled in controversy after it emerged Drummoyne Liberal MP John Sidoti owned properties close to the proposed site. Their value could skyrocket as the inner west suburb grows in popularity on the back of a new train line.

Mr Sidoti has also owned properties close to stations on the already open Metro North West line. He has consistently denies any wrong doing.

The line has been broadly welcomed, however, as a way to lessen crowding on currently choked rail lines.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue Chairman Christopher Brown said it was a "game change" and as significant as the under construction Western Sydney Airport.

"Not only will Metro West supercharge the link between Sydney's two CBDs it will generate thousands of jobs and catalyse the urban renewal of a number of growth centres along the corridor — a new 'steel spine' for Sydney's central city."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1197607616773443585

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/GladysB/status/1203798070594457600

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/10NewsFirstSyd/status/1203928228005580800

[ozbob]

Canterbury-Bankstown Express --> Sydney Metro Southwest opening will not shut Bankstown line trains

Sydney Metro bosses have bowed to public pressure, announcing commuters using the Bankstown line will retain a link to the city once the new line opens.

Transport for NSW has revealed all stations west of Bankstown will remain open after the Sydney Metro Southwest is up and running in 2024 after community outrage at the possibility some stations would shut.

However, there is still uncertainly surrounding whether it will be a direct line to the city, or whether commuters will be forced to change lines at various stations.

A spokesman said: "Transport for NSW can assure T3 Bankstown Line customers there are no plans to permanently close any stations.

"All T3 Bankstown Line customers not served by Metro, including those at Berala and Regents Park, will continue to receive suburban train services once Sydney Metro City and Southwest is introduced in 2024.

"Rail plans for how services will operate on this part of the network once Sydney Metro opens are still being finalised.

"The Metro is still four years away and we will update the community."

However, Roydon Ng, the co-ordinator of the community group, said despite Mr Collins ruling out the closure of some stations in the short-term, commuters west of Bankstown are still no closer to being guaranteed a direct train to the city circle.

Mr Ng said they are committed to fight for the restoration of the city to Liverpool/Bankstown via Regents Park service.

Preliminary work on the Sydney Metro Southwest will start at several stations on the T3 Bankstown line during the Christmas holidays for two weeks.

Hundreds of buses will replace trains during the closure which affects the T3 line from Campsie to Redfern.

An Upper House inquiry into the Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion — chaired by Abigail Boyd — heard more details on Tuesday from Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains bosses.

Before the hearings began, supporters of the Save T3 Bankstown Line, backed by members of parliament, braved the smoke haze in the city to protest against the Sydney Metro Southwest plans.

FULL ACCESS TO CITY SERVICES

Sydney Metro CEO Jon Lamonte told the inquiry the revised project, approved almost a year ago, addresses the community issues.

"I am delighted to say that we are planning for customers beyond Bankstown so they still

have access to train services to the city," Mr Lamonte said.

"Customers coming from beyond Bankstown, who wish to use the Metro, will be able to simply interchange at Bankstown station, providing access to new CBD stations at Pitt St and Barangaroo while connections to Central will be retained."

Sydney Trains CEO Howard Collins stressed the Metro was not separate from the other networks.

"I think it is important to note that the Metro conversion is part of a plan for the whole rail

network, indeed, the whole transport system," Mr Collins told the inquiry.

"Put simply, Metro is complimentary; it is not in conflict with my existing rail network. Sydney needs both. It is not an either-or proposition."

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Change of tack for metro station development on Sydney's north shore

The NSW government has split plans to construct a new metro train station on Sydney's north shore from the development of towers above it, in the wake of widespread opposition from locals.

The government ditched a tender for an "integrated station development" at Crows Nest last year and has since opted for a "construct-only package" for the new train station, leaving the scale of the buildings set to emerge above it still to be finalised.

The rationale for "integrated developments" is that offices, shops and apartments help to subsidise the cost of the train station below, which can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The change of tack at Crows Nest comes as a recent report by the NSW Audit Office shows that the state's lead transport agency suffered a $258 million loss on integrated station development agreements for metro lines in Sydney in the year to June.

Transport for NSW declined to reveal how many bids it received last year for the integrated station development at Crows Nest before it scrapped the tender.

It said that separating the construction package at Crows Nest allowed the station to "progress while the NSW government considers community feedback about the development above the station".

But Labor's transport spokesman, Chris Minns, said the suggestion that the procurement package had been separated after "noting community concern seems particularly far-fetched".

"Other suburbs across Sydney have not been so lucky with major developments lumped on their communities after the government unilaterally rezoned the planning over their train lines," he said.

"The government should release the number of parties who were interested [in the integrated station development] rather than hiding by that old chestnut 'commercial-in-confidence'."

While the transport agency declined to reveal the level of interest last year in an integrated development, it recently announced that it had shortlisted three companies – AW Edwards, CPB Contractors and Laing O'Rourke – for construction of the Crows Nest station.

The early concept plans for the development above the station had included two towers of up to 27 storeys, a 17-storey hotel and conference centre, and an eight-storey commercial building.

The vast majority of about 670 submissions from locals and councils were opposed to the plans.

North Sydney Council urged the government to "take on board" concerns about the size, height and overshadowing that had been previously raised about the development above the station.

The station will form part of a metro rail line budgeted at $12.5 billion which will run from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour to central Sydney and on to Bankstown.

Martin Locke, an adjunct professor at Sydney University's Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, said the number of companies interested in bidding to develop both the station at Crows Nest and the buildings above was likely to be "constrained" because a unique skill-set was required to do both.

However, he said separating construction of the station from the development above it would help widen the field of companies interested in bidding on either contract.

Mr Locke said integrated station developments were a way to help partly pay for the cost of a railway but were likely to be confined to central Sydney, North Sydney and Parramatta.

"They can only be pursued where the airspace property development rights are really valuable. This requires density and scarcity. Otherwise, developers are going to be disinterested," he said.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsSydney/status/1218813736267337728

[verbatim9]

Sydney Metro Sydenham Station Upgrade

[verbatim9]

Sydney Metro Sydenham Station Upgrade


https://youtu.be/5kgkbbjEqWM

Just Wow! What a huge improvement to what was there previously.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> $4.3 billion cost blowout in Sydney's metro rail project


Sydney's metro rail lines

The Berejiklian government's flagship metro rail project under Sydney Harbour and the central city will cost up to $16.8 billion to complete, more than $4 billion above what has been budgeted, a secret government document shows.

The rail line from Chatswood to the central city, and onto Sydenham in the south and Bankstown in the west, is critical to government plans to expand the rail network to handle surging commuter demand. The government originally budgeted the rail line to cost $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion.

But an internal review by Sydney Metro, the state's operating agency delivering the railway, has forecast it will cost $16.8 billion to finish by 2024 due to blowouts across many parts of the City and Southwest project.

The highly confidential budget review, completed about 18 months ago, shows the biggest projected cost overruns are for new trains and systems; excavating tunnels and sites for underground stations, such as at Martin Place and Barangaroo; and extensive work at Central and Sydenham stations.

While blaming "market pressures" for much of the cost blowout, it found "significant" under estimates in the much-vaunted project's final business case, which was completed about five years ago, for new trains and systems, as well as the scope of works at Chatswood.

The cost of buying new trains and systems, and then integrating them into the rail network, is projected to nearly double to $2.3 billion.

The budget review reveals that nearly $220 million for temporary transport, which includes putting on replacement buses while the existing Bankstown rail line is closed, was "not anticipated" in the project's final business case five years ago.

The revelations raise questions about how the government will find the money to cover a blowout in the City and Southwest metro line, while committing the state to other rail projects whose cost will run into the tens of billions of dollars this decade.

They include the opening of a rail link to Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek by 2026 – dubbed Metro Greater West – and an underground train line from central Sydney to Parramatta known as Metro West by the end of the decade.

The budget review shows the government is forecast to collect an extra $500 million – above what was originally anticipated for City and Southwest – from companies building offices, shops and apartments on top of new underground stations such as Victoria Cross in North Sydney.

But it reveals the large cost blowouts in other parts of the project will far outweigh the higher returns from those over-station developments.

In the face of costs blowing out, Sydney Metro officials have requested extra funding from NSW Treasury to help cover the forecast shortfall, according to transport sources.

The government has yet to release an estimate for its planned Metro West line, from central Sydney to Parramatta, although it has said it will cost "upwards of $20 billion".

But a blowout in the second stage of the metro rail network risks thwarting any expansion plans, such as extending Metro West to Zetland in the city's inner south.

The state's acting Transport Minister Paul Toole declined to comment, while both Treasury and Transport for NSW did not respond to specific questions about the forecast blowout.

Sydney Metro said in a statement that the NSW government was "fully committed" to delivering the City and Southwest, Metro West and Greater West rail projects.

"The final cost of each project won't be known until services commence," it said.

A spokesman said Metro Northwest from Rouse Hill to Chatswood, which opened in May last year, was on time and $1 billion under budget.

But a cost blowout in the second stage of the metro network will be an embarrassment for the government in the wake of Sydney's troubled light rail line.

The final cost of the light rail line from Circular Quay to the eastern suburbs ballooned to $2.9 billion – $1.3 billion above the amount first budgeted.

The final business case for the City and Southwest project forecast it to deliver $1.53 worth of benefits for each $1 invested. A major increase in the final bill to build the project risks reducing substantially the benefits of the new line relative to its cost.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Saturated market forces up cost of mega projects for governments

The NSW government will be forced to pay contractors more for major transport projects due to a saturated market and construction companies becoming more selective about what they bid for.

A confidential budget review of Sydney's 30-kilometre metro rail line under the central city cited "market pressure" as one of the main reasons for a forecast $4.3 billion blowout in the cost to complete the project by 2024. The project is now forecast to cost up to $16.8 billion, up from $12.5 billion in the final business case five years ago.

Jason Teh, chief investment officer at funds manager Vertium Asset Management, said large construction companies were "pulling back" from work after getting burnt by unknown factors such as contaminated soil or problems tunnelling.

"The price will have to go up for these construction projects. If you get burnt on something you probably will pull back," he said.

Mr Teh said construction companies would want an "extra layer of fat" – or higher contingencies priced into contracts – to absorb unplanned problems, which would inevitably flow through to the amount governments would have to pay for them to carry out work.

"Initially there was a mad rush for some of these contracts and companies chasing work. But right, in the middle of a construction boom ... they are going to price properly," he said.

Infrastructure Australia warned late last year that the volume and scale of infrastructure construction in NSW and Victoria is in some cases exceeding industry capacity, leading to reduced competition and the ability of governments to get value for money.

Jefferies Australia equities analyst Sholto Maconochie said there needed to be a better balance of the risk shared between contractors and governments if projects were to be completed on time.

"It is a tough business and it is high risk. If someone is bidding for work, they are going to have more contingencies, which means it is going to cost," he said.

Australian infrastructure giant Lendlease last year sold its troubled engineering business, which had been under pressure from delayed or over-budget projects.

It pulled out of bidding to build a $3.9 billion underground interchange for the WestConnex toll road at Rozelle in Sydney's inner west 15 months ago, saying at the time it had to be "disciplined with which projects it bids for".

In a sign of the size of the construction boom in NSW, the state is spending almost $56 billion – or about $1.2 billion a month – over four years on road and rail projects, including the City and Southwest rail line and another dubbed Metro West between central Sydney and Parramatta.

The capital spending on transport projects dwarfs the state's $10 billion for health infrastructure and $7 billion for education over the same period.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/smh/status/1230594312121044992

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> EoIs released for Sydney Metro West

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has announced that the Sydney Metro West is progressing to the next stage.

"Sydney Metro is now in a position to progress procurement with the release of the expressions of interest," said a Transport for NSW (TfNSW) spokesperson.

The announcement covers tunnelling work for the Metro West line, which would connect the Sydney CBD and Parramatta in 20 minutes, via the Bays Precinct, and Sydney Olympic Park, and then terminate at Westmead. The contract covers two twin tunnels of almost 50 kilometres, first announced to industry in October.

"Industry was asked to register their interest in October 2019 and 21 national and international participants worked with Sydney Metro to refine the tunnelling procurement strategy and scope of works," said the spokesperson.

The two tunnelling contracts will comprise twin tunnels from Westmead to Sydney Olympic Park, and from Sydney Olympic Park to the Bays.

Companies listed as responding to the initial register of interest on the NSW government eTendering site include Boygues Construction, CPB Contractors, FCC Construcción, McConnell Dowell, and Obayashi Corporation.

"The process also allows new parties to request access to the EOI documentation," said the spokesperson.

Tunnel boring machines are expected to begin in 2022 and construction will lead to a number of jobs across Sydney, said Constance.

"Now more than ever, infrastructure projects like Sydney Metro West support jobs, communities and the economy – Sydney Metro West will create more than 10,000 direct new jobs and 70,000 indirect jobs, with thousands of these jobs being generated by these new tunnelling contracts," said Constance.

The Western Sydney Business Chamber welcomed the announcement for its potential to stimulate the city's economy.

"I have no doubt that Sydney Metro West will be our 'Hoover Dam' project – a massive construction project over many years that put thousands of people to work and will stimulate economic activity across the route," said David Borger, executive director of the Western Sydney Business Chamber.

Borger encouraged the NSW government to proceed with other rail projects, such as Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2.

"Western Sydney's infrastructure deficit is going to be a key way that we build our economic recovery and get our people back to work. The best thing the NSW Government can do is push forward with its transport plans and get building as soon as possible."

The construction of Sydney Metro West is to support the forecast the 40 per cent more train trips required in the next 15 years. In addition to stations at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, the Bays Precinct, and a yet to be finalised location in the Sydney CBD, there are confirmed stations at North Strathfield, Burwood North and Five Dock, with optional stations at Rydalmere, Silverwater, and Pyrmont. A stabling and maintenance facility will be built at Clyde.

"We need to be going full steam ahead on this project so that we are ready to get digging as soon as possible. I encourage the NSW Government to resolve the issues of the outstanding station locations at Rydalmere and Pyrmont as soon as possible," said Borger.

[ozbob]

https://transportnsw.info/news/2020/more-weekday-services-for-sydney-metro#homepage

More weekday services for Sydney Metro



Monday 25 May 2020

From Monday 1 June, there will be services added to the Metro North West Line during the busiest parts of the day, giving customers greater flexibility to travel at different times.

Six additional services will be added during each weekday morning peak period, allowing for services running every 4 minutes between 6.40am and 9.36am from Castle Hill to Chatswood.

For each weekday afternoon peak 11 additional services will be added, allowing services to run every 4 minutes between 3.43pm and 7.27pm from Chatswood.

These changes will be achieved by reallocating services from late nights and early morning services where existing customer levels are very low. This also allows more time for important overnight maintenance works to maintain reliability of the network.

On Friday and Saturday evenings there will be no changes to current services.

Plan your trip to see if your travel is affected.

[verbatim9]

Pretty exciting that Sydney Metro is going ahead to the new Airport. It will be a branch line from St Mary's Station. ----> Construction to begin on $11 billion Western Sydney airport metro line

[verbatim9]

[verbatim9]

This is a great video about metro and network design. Good points for Qld to take forward.
He does criticise the unnecessary cost  being platform length and train length, but at least Sydney Metro has future proofed itself. Also the longer trains and platforms prevents overcrowding providing better comfort and safety outcomes.

[Cazza]

The 6-car trains will definitely be needed once the Chatswood to Bankstown section is opened.