Norwest update – station taking shape as we bid farewell to the Sydney monorail
01.09.2017
The old Sydney Monorail has ended its role in helping deliver the city’s public transport future as part of Sydney Metro – Australia’s biggest public transport project.
In 2014, 60 steel beams of the Sydney Monorail were recycled and used to build a temporary road bridge at Norwest.
This meant Brookhollow Ave was only closed for a few months while the station was dug out underneath – not for up to three years as originally proposed.
The temporary road bridge is no longer needed because the final station structure is being built, so the old Monorail beams have now been pulled out.
“This was Sydney’s transport past helping build the city’s public transport future,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance said.
“We’re one step closer to Sydney Metro services starting in 2019 – the NSW Government is getting on with the job of bringing 21st century metro rail to Sydney’s booming North West, where the population will be twice the size of Canberra’s in coming decades.”
Norwest is one of eight new metro stations being built for Stage 1 of Sydney Metro, the $8.3 billion Sydney Metro Northwest project.
Norwest is one of the fastest growing employment centres in Sydney. About 15,000 people travel to Norwest for work every day at major Australian and international companies –this is expected to increase to 30,000 by 2031.
Norwest is the most advanced underground station under construction and one of the busiest Metro station worksites.
The station “box” is 22m deep, 200m long and 20m wide.
It is being built from the ground up in layers, starting 22m underground:
- The box has been waterproofed;
- Reinforced concrete walls have been installed;
- The platform is now being installed and is 90 per cent complete.
After the platform goes in, then the concourse is built above it, then service facilities, before the station rises to street level. These layers are starting to appear and take shape.
Work is also underway to build a tunnel from the other side of busy Norwest Boulevarde into the station, for an improved customer link. Excavation has started on the shopping centre side and the tunnel should be finished late this year.
As well, railway tracks have been installed in the tunnels between Norwest and Bella Vista.
So far, 22km of tracks have been laid on the Sydney Metro Northwest project.