The Metro has demonstrated a full-scale mock-up of its new Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport train. Photo: Sydney Metro.
New South Wales’ Sydney Metro has unveiled a prototype of the new Metro train carriages that will service the new Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport when it opens next year.
The new carriages differ from the current Metro rolling stock in that they have some forward- and rear-facing seating in addition to the more familiar side-facing seats, and additional space for luggage, bicycles, prams and wheelchairs.
The Metro unveiled a full-scale mockup of the new carriages at a warehouse in western Sydney on Monday to provide stakeholders such as transport authorities and manufacturers, and media to evaluate and finalise aspects of the train design like the interior lighting, emergency features, and passenger information display systems.
Like the current Metro the new trains will be driverless, and feature escape hatches at the front and rear of the train.
A map of the Western Sydney International Airport Metro route. Image: Sydney Metro.
The trains will run from St Marys in the north where the line will link with the existing T1 western heavy rail line that travels from Central in the city through Strathfield, Parramatta, Blacktown, Penrith, and on to the Blue Mountains. At the southern end, the line will terminate at the new Bradfield city centre north of Leppington – previously referred to as Aerotropolis.
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The NSW Government says the new Bradfield City Centre will support around 200,000 new jobs in industries such as aerospace and defence, manufacturing, freight and logistics, tourism and research. To that end, new road links are also being developed or upgraded from Bradfield north towards Penrith, south to Camden and Campbelltown, and east towards Liverpool.
Stops on the new 23-kilometre Metro route will include Orchard Hills, Luddenham, the new WSI Airport Business Park, and the WSI Airport terminal.
While about half of the line from Orchard Hills to the business park runs above ground, the remainder is underground at the northern end into St Marys, and under the airport from the business park to Bradfield.
Future plans call for the line to be extended from St Marys through Blacktown and Schofields to join the existing Tallawong to Sydenham Metro line in the city’s northwest, and from Bradfield to Leppington, Glenfield and Macarthur in the south.
Twelve new trains will initially serve the WSI corridor and, once operational, will be capable of moving up to 7740 passengers per hour in each direction.
Work started on the new metro line in 2020, while major construction including station excavation commenced in 2022, and a large proportion of the above-ground and underground line is already nearing completion.
