The New South Wales Government has begun a global search for suppliers capable of delivering the longest railway tunnels ever built in Australia, as part of the Western Sydney Metro project.
The Western Sydney Metro will connect two tunnel centres and require 50 kilometres of new metro railway tunnel.
Suppliers wishing to express their interest in the procurement of the tunnelling contract for Western Sydney Metro will be able to register their interest on the eTendering website.
Seven stations for the Western Sydney Metro have also been confirmed and construction is set to begin in 2020.
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The Western Sydney Metro aims to reduce travel times between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD down to around 20 minutes.
Seven proposed locations for the Metro stations have been confirmed, including Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct.
Construction will begin at the Bay’s precinct to prepare the site for major tunnelling works.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Western Sydney Metro will change how people get around the city for generations to come.
The first works in the Bays Precinct will include site surveys, investigations and early works such as road relocation.
The State Government will also fast-track work to investigate the feasibility of building of building a Metro station in Pyrmont, while also assessing a potential station at Rydalmere. Further work is also underway to determine the location of the new Metro station in the Sydney CBD.
Affected property owners and tenants are being informed by the project team, with the preference to reach a commercial agreement, with compulsory acquisition a last resort.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the Western Sydney Metro will more than double the existing rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.
“In addition to becoming the easiest and fastest way to travel between these two cities, the project is also anticipated to create approximately 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs,” Constance said.
At Parramatta, the new Metro station will serve the commercial core of the Parramatta CBD to the north of the existing train station.
Sydney Olympic Park, which is visited by more than 10 million people each year, will also get a second railway station within walking distance of ANZ Stadium.