MTR Corporation brought its international experience to the Sydney Metro City project to ensure the opening got off without an issue.
A cloudy and cold day in the middle of August may not have seemed like a particularly memorable day for Sydney residents. But the 19th of August will go down as a historic date for the city – the day the doors officially opened for the City section of Sydney Metro.
Metro Trains Sydney (MTS), a subsidiary of MTR Corporation, successfully launched the much-anticipated Sydney Metro extension that connects the city’s Northwest to the Central Business District (CBD) through new twin railway tunnels beneath Sydney Harbour.
MTR was entrusted with the task of delivering the trains and systems, plus system integration, of what is Australia’s first fully automated metro passenger service.
MTR delivered 23 new metro trains and all core rail systems, Operations Control Centre (OCC) expansion, systems integration, and testing and commissioning.
From scratch to seamless integration
From the initial stages of design to the final stages of construction, the Sydney Metro City and Southwest (SMCSW) Project Delivery Team of MTR worked closely with partners to ensure that respective deliverables under each contract blended together in accordance with the project outline, while meeting all quality and safety standards.
The team co-ordinated with all contractors for the six new stations, the new metro platforms at Central and Sydenham stations, as well as an additional maintenance facility at Sydenham and expansion of the existing maintenance facility at Tallawong.
The integration and migration of the new City section into the existing operational Northwest section was a key challenge for the team, requiring rigorous configuration management processes involving software updates, possession management of a brownfield metro, over and back and migration testing, and final safety case certification.
Expanding the system into an operational brownfield GOA4 driverless metro involved a much greater degree of testing and safety assurance process compared to a greenfield situation or a railway with drivers, MTR Corporation chief executive officer Dr Jacob Kam said.
Prior to the opening, the team undertook multiple system performance and capacity testing to ensure it met stringent requirements.
MTS also conducted extensive trial runs of the new trains from Chatswood into the city to identify any teething issues prior to opening.
Throughout the project, MTR kept Sydney Metro Authority (SMA) up to date with its whole-of-project approach and contingency planning. This culminated in the new safe and swift journey experience for passengers across different landscapes in Sydney.
Kam welcomed the smooth and successful launch of the new metro extension into the heart of Sydney’s CBD, stating it delivers significant time savings for passengers on their daily journeys and will play an important part in the growth and development of the city.
“Working closely with the New South Wales Government and our partners, MTR is proud to have contributed its Hong Kong and global expertise to this railway line including project works, such as the integration of the new extension with the existing North West Metro Line, through to testing, commissioning and the commencement of passenger service,” he said.
Important for the city
The Sydney Metro City section will revolutionise the way in which Sydneysiders will come and go to the city.
New South Wales Premier, Chris Minns congratulated everybody who worked to bring the major project to fruition.
“It’ll be a huge change for Sydney and a big step forward,” he said.
“Obviously, this will see hundreds of thousands of people get to work in a different way. It needed to fully integrate with the rest of the public transport system.
“It will genuinely transform the way people get to and from work, and it’ll be fantastic, so Sydney, enjoy the experience.”
New metro services launched to a weekday timetable, which means a service every four minutes during the peak and every 10 minutes during the off peak. For Opal fare consistency, peak times are the same as all other modes of public transport, 6.30am-10am and 3pm-7pm. There is a four-minute frequency for trains travelling from Tallawong Station between 6.08am-9.24am and 2.54pm-6.46pm. Sydenham Station will see a four-minute frequency from 6.54am-9.46am and 3.16pm-7.32pm.
Interpeak trains will run every seven minutes, increasing to a train every five minutes after the first month.
A total of 445 new metro services will run through the heart of the city each weekday. The 45 new metro trains can each carry more than 1150 people and will alleviate pressure on existing transport and road networks.
This transformative new section of railway is the next stage of the M1 Northwest & Bankstown Line, which now extends 51.5-kilometres through Sydney with stops at 21 stations between Tallawong and Sydenham.
Sydney Metro Chief Executive Peter Regan said the opening is a great moment for public transport in the city.
“I want to thank our teams, who have been at work since 2017; I know each and every one of them is so proud to welcome you all today,” he said.
“We know people will have a lot of questions, so we’ve bolstered our teams on the ground to help commuters familiarise themselves with the new network and get where they need to go.
“A reminder that metro trains can travel at speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, so please hang on when taking off.”
Go Southwest and beyond
While the opening of the City section marks a new milestone for Sydney’s public transportation, MTR now focuses on the passenger services for the extended M1 Line and the transformation of the future southwest section, between Sydenham and Bankstown.
Major planning and works are underway to convert the T3 Bankstown Line to metro standards. All ten existing stations will be upgraded and fitted with lifts and platform screen doors, providing enhanced passenger accessibility and security.
On completion, when the southwest section is integrated with the city and northwest, the M1 Metro Northwest & Bankstown Line will be a network of 31 metro stations along a 66 kilometre dedicated metro railway system.
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