Sydney Metro Northwest was a rapid transit project that constructed the first section of the Metro North West & Bankstown Line through the north-western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The project included the conversion of the existing Epping to Chatswood rail link to metro standards and connects the suburbs of Rouse Hill and Chatswood via Castle Hill and Epping. The project was managed by Transport for NSW. The line is part of the Sydney Metro system. The completed Metro North West line opened on 26 May 2019, and was later extended to Sydenham via the CBD, which opened on 19 August 2024.
Prior to June 2015, the project was known as the North West Rail Link (NWRL). Originally, "North West Rail Link" referred to the section between Epping and Rouse Hill. By June 2015, the name had been extended to cover the route of the original NWRL and the existing Epping to Chatswood railway line. In June 2015, it was announced that the entire project would be renamed the Sydney Metro Northwest.
Project history Planning for the original North West Rail Link which later became known as Sydney Metro Northwest was a long and complex affair. The line was announced, cancelled and re-announced several times beginning in the 1990s. There were differing plans as to how the line would integrate into the rest of Sydney's transport system. The following proposals were endorsed at one time or another by the government:
Main line rail connecting to the Main Northern line near Beecroft, with trains accessing the city via either Rhodes (using the Main Northern line) or Macquarie Park (using the Epping to Chatswood line). Main line rail connecting directly to the Epping to Chatswood line at Epping, with trains accessing the city via Macquarie Park. Rapid transit line from the north west to the city via the Inner West, dubbed the North West Metro. Rapid transit line connecting to a modified Epping to Chatswood line at Epping. Trains terminate at Chatswood, with an extension to the city proposed for the future. This was the design that was ultimately selected.
By May 2015, media releases from Transport for NSW used the name "North West Rail Link" to address the whole section between Rouse Hill and Chatswood and not just the unbuilt part. On 4 June 2015, Premier Mike Baird and Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance announced the rebranding of the Sydney Rapid Transit to the Sydney Metro. In conjunction with the rebranding, the North West Rail Link was renamed Sydney Metro Northwest.
Line operation In December 2011, the State Government suggested that they have not ruled out the possibility of contracting the operation, rolling stock and signalling on the North West Rail Link to private operators as part of a public-private partnership.
In June 2012, it was announced that the line would use single deck "Metro" style trains, rather than the double deck trains more commonly used in Sydney. In May 2013, it was announced that two consortia had been shortlisted to construct the trains and systems, as well as operate the line:Detention company could run new rail link Sydney Morning Herald 2 May 2013 Northwest Rapid Transit consisting of John Holland, Leighton Contractors, MTR Corporation, Plenary Group and UGL Rail TransForm consisting of Bombardier Transportation, John Laing Investments, Macquarie Capital, McConnell Dowell, Serco and SNC-Lavalin Capital
On 24 June 2014, the Northwest Rapid Transit consortium was selected as the preferred operator to deliver the North West Rail Link operations contract.Major milestones reached on North West Rail Link as preferred operator selected , Transport for New South Wales, Retrieved 24 June 2014
Construction
Commencement of geotechnical work Coffey Geotechnics supported by AECOM were awarded the tender for geotechnical drilling services in August 2011, and drilling began on 7 September 2011. A drilling rig was set up in a park opposite the Castle Towers shopping centre at Castle Hill, where one of the underground stations will be built. At least 150 boreholes with a diameter of up to will be drilled up to deep along the proposed alignment between Epping and Rouse Hill in order to develop an understanding of the geological profile. The drilling is anticipated to take about 9 weeks to complete.
Dirt from the tunnelling process was recycled and distributed across Sydney.
Major construction contracts awarded
There were three major contracts for the construction of the North West Rail Link. In June 2013, the Tunnels and Station Caverns (TSC) contract was awarded to a joint venture involving Thiess and John Holland, and Dragados. In December 2013, the Surface and Viaduct Civils (SVC) construction contract was awarded to a joint venture between Italian firms Impregilo and Salini. The $340 million contract includes a cable-stayed bridge over Windsor Road at Rouse Hill. A third and final major contract - Operations and Train Systems (OTS) - to build the stations and rail systems provide the single deck trains, operate the rail link and maintain the system was announced at the end of 2014, awarded to the Northwest Rapid Transit joint venture between John Holland, Leighton Contractors, MTR Corporation, Plenary Group and UGL Rail. Thiess's civil engineering business was transferred to CPB Contractors in 2016.
Conversion of the Epping to Chatswood rail link
The Epping to Chatswood railway line opened in 2009 as a heavy rail line, initially as a shuttle service between Chatswood and Epping. The line was later integrated into the Northern Line. During O'Farrell's time as premier, the government announced that the line was to be closed and converted to rapid transit standards.
The Epping to Chatswood rail link closed from 30 September 2018 for around seven months for conversion to rapid transit standards. A temporary bus service known as Station Link operated with over 100 buses to replace the trains until the stations finished upgrading and reopened in May 2019. In addition Sydney Trains introduced new timetables with extra train services on the North Shore Line to and from the Northern and Western lines with the Central to Epping via Strathfield section extended to Hornsby.
Initial station site works in August 2015
Completion On 14 January 2019, the first driverless Metro train completed the full journey between Tallawong and Chatswood.
The rail link opened for passenger service on 26 May 2019, with the Metro North West Line running along the entire length of the link.
Route
New stations built for the link are as follows:
Tallawong (known as Cudgegong Road during the planning stages) Rouse Hill Kellyville Bella Vista Norwest Hills Showground (known as Hills Centre, and originally Showground during the planning stages) Castle Hill Cherrybrook
The remaining stations were originally built for the Epping to Chatswood rail link and converted to Metro operation:
Epping — interchange to T9 Northern Line and Central Coast & Newcastle Line Macquarie University Macquarie Park North Ryde Chatswood — interchange to T1 North Shore & Western Line, T9 Northern Line and Central Coast & Newcastle line services
Tallawong and Cherrybrook stations were built as stations in a cutting, open to the sky, but below ground level while Castle Hill, Hills Showground and Norwest stations are underground, whereas Kellyville and Rouse Hill are above ground. The twin tunnels between Epping and Kellyville, at long, are the longest rail tunnels in Sydney. They are also the deepest tunnels in Sydney: below ground at the deepest point below the intersection of Pennant Hills Road and Castle Hill Road—deeper than the floor of Sydney Harbour (about ), and much deeper than the deepest point of the City Circle tunnels at St James (about ). Most of the tunnel was bored, although the section at Kellyville was constructed using cut-and-cover techniques. Major tunnelling began in 2014.North-west rail link tunnel carved out by boring Elizabeth , The Sydney Morning Herald, Published 18 November 2014, Retrieved 5 August 2015
Extension to Sydney CBD and Bankstown
The Sydney Metro City & Southwest project extended the Metro North West Line to the Sydney central business district and on to Bankstown through a tunnel from just south of Chatswood station via North Sydney and under the Sydney Harbour towards Central and Sydenham, before joining the newly converted railway line towards Bankstown. The extension project commenced construction in 2017, with the Chatswood to Sydenham section opening on 19 August 2024 and the Sydenham to Bankstown conversion opening in late 2025.
Potential western extensions Previously, there were long-term plans to extend the proposed heavy-rail North West Rail Link to meet the existing Richmond railway line near Vineyard.North West Metro Stakeholder Engagement Briefing and Consultation Forum Outcomes Report. 15 August 2008 However, the location of the alignments were never finalised and further investigation and studies would have been required.
State Government documents, dated 13 May 2011, suggested an intention to eventually extend the line to meet the Richmond line near Schofields, two stations south of Vineyard. A Transport Department report dated 9 June 2011 shed more light on such plans, suggesting an extension of the North West Rail Link beyond Rouse Hill to meet the Richmond line at Schofields, Riverstone, or beyond.
A scoping study into rail investment to service Western Sydney and the proposed Western Sydney Airport was announced by the New South Wales and Australian governments in November 2015. The study's final report was released in March 2018 and included a proposal to extend the Sydney Metro Northwest from Tallawong to Schofields, where it would connect with a proposed "North-South Link" serving the airport and continuing on to Macarthur.
Infrastructure
A new train stabling yard was constructed at Tallawong Road in Rouse Hill, with room for 16 train sets. 3,000 new parking spaces are provided across proposed carparks at Cherrybrook, Hills Showground and Kellyville stations.
The entire line is electrified via overhead catenary at to power the metro trains. The viaduct and ground level section between Tallawong and Bella Vista uses standard overhead wires to supply power. For the underground section between Bella Vista and Epping, a rigid overhead conductor system is used instead of wires. For the rest of the line (formerly part of the Epping to Chatswood rail link [ECRL]), the existing sagged catenary overhead wires were retained, with an additional copper cable added in some sections due to the increased current draw of the new rolling stock.
There are crossovers at several stations on the line to terminate trains. These are located at Tallawong, Bella Vista, Castle Hill and Chatswood. All crossovers on the ECRL (Lady Game Maintenance Facility and Macquarie Park) were kept, as well as the connection to the surface at Epping. This was kept in case access was required for trackwork vehicles to enter the line, but it has not been used yet. The link to the surface is unwired and there are obstructions placed on the rails.
The line is also equipped with the latest technology for boosting cellular/4G signals. Users of the line have reported extremely stable and fast 4G connections while travelling on this line. Several news channels have also done live crosses via 4G to reporters riding on the line.
The system is designed to operate at a maximum 4-minute headway (15 tph) with 6-car sets in peak on opening day, with design allowance for possible augmentation up to 2.4-minute (25 tph) with 8-car sets in the future.
Train automation