Sydney Metro West tunnelling machines power into Parramatta       

This marks a pivotal step forward for the city-shaping project and brings Sydney’s second CBD closer than ever to fast, frequent and reliable turn-up-and-go metro services, connecting Greater Parramatta to the Sydney CBD. 

TBM Dorothy is at Parramatta after breaking through a solid rock wall to reach the site last week, while TBM Betty is already 175 metres into its final stretch of tunnel to Westmead after departing Parramatta on 17 July. 

The TBMs worked around the clock, five days a week for 17 months to build the seven-kilometre tunnels between Sydney Olympic Park and Parramatta.  

They have excavated approximately 1.25 million tonnes of earth - enough to fill 204 Olympic-swimming pools - and installed more than 48,000 precast concrete segments, each weighing up to 4 tonnes, to line the tunnels. 

Both TBMs will complete the main line tunnels at the western end of the line by the end of the year.  

Six of the nine station boxes for the Sydney Metro West project have been excavated and lined; including at The Bays, Five Dock, Burwood North, North Strathfield Sydney Olympic Park and Westmead. Work continues at Parramatta, Pyrmont and the Hunter Street station in the Sydney CBD. 

Parramatta metro station will anchor a mixed-use development of four buildings spanning 24,150 square metres over the equivalent of two city blocks, providing about 100 new homes, office and retail spaces, dining and entertainment.  

The new transit hub will be a short stroll to nearby Eat Street, adjacent to Light Rail services and link directly to the new Civic Link, a 450-metre-long pedestrian spine connecting the metro precinct to the future Powerhouse Parramatta.