The first stage of Sydney Metro Northwest, Australia’s biggest public transport project, has opened, and trains are now running along the 36km route through eight new stations and five upgraded stops from Epping to Tallawong.
The new stations include three underground, three open-cut and two elevated.
UK consulting engineer Mott MacDonald, one of the designers of the scheme, said the development would improve travel time and reliability due to the introduction of automated trains.
Mott worked with KBR of the US and Australia’s SMEC for John Holland-Leighton. It designed train stabling facilities and overhead power systems.
John Mortimer, Mott MacDonald Australia’s managing director, said: "Sydney Metro Northwest starts a new era in public transport in Australia, providing for the first time in the country a fully accessible, fully automatic metro that will support the emergence of Sydney’s northwest as a major residential and commercial centre.
James Phillis, SMEC’s chief executive for Australia and New Zealand, said: "The Sydney Metro Northwest is not only the first metro train system in Australia, it will also be Australia’s first driverless, fully automated passenger service."
Image courtesy of https://www.sydneymetro.info/
