Excavation of the station cavern, where the future station will be built 30 meters underground, is 30 percent complete thanks to three roadheaders working on site.
Roadheaders are specially designed electric tunnel boring machines that have a rotating head equipped with metal spikes for breaking and excavating rocks.
Each roadheader weighs up to 120 tonnes and will be used to excavate the Hunter Street station cavern and return tunnels. Return tunnels to the east of the new station will allow trains to turn around before returning to Westmead.
So far, the road rollers have excavated more than 149,000 tons of earth and the largest area of โโthe excavated cavern is 235 m2.
As roadheaders complete excavation of the station cavern and associated tunnels, two tunnel boring machines will be launched at The Bays in mid-2024, to excavate the twin 3.5 kilometer railway tunnels beneath Darling Harbor to Hunter Street.
When Sydney Metro West opens, passengers will be able to use an underground walkway to connect to metro services on the Metro North West line and the City & Southwest line at Martin Place.
There will also be further connections to Sydney's rail and light rail network just minutes away on George Street and Wynyard Station.
Sydney Metro West will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and Sydney CBD, connecting new communities with rail services and supporting housing supply, transforming Sydney for generations to come.
For more information about the project, visit sydneymetro.info/west/project-overview.
