Baird/Berejiklian/Constance med rel: Skytrain construction begins as North West Rail Link investment hits $5 billion over 4 years

NSW Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Mike Baird, Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Andrew Constance today announced work has officially started on the skytrain and new Kellyville railway station, as part of the NSW Government’s $8.3 billion North West Rail Link project.

Mr Baird, Ms Berejiklian, Mr Constance and local MPs turned the sod at the site of the new Kellyville station, one of eight new stations being built for the North West Rail Link.

“Today we are getting on with the job of transforming this great city,” Mr Baird said.

“The next stage of construction on this important infrastructure project shows just how hard we are working to make a difference to the daily lives of commuters for generations to come.

“The North West Rail Link is Australia’s biggest public transport infrastructure project, and is also the important first stage of Sydney Rapid Transit – the new railway network that includes a second Sydney Harbour rail crossing and Western extension to Bankstown.

“Over the coming four years $5.2 billion will be invested in the North West Rail Link as we build Australia’s longest railway tunnels and the 4km skytrain between Bella Vista and Rouse Hill.”

Ms Berejiklian said the work beginning today officially marks the beginning of the $340 million skytrain contract, and comes ahead of the first tunnel boring machine, which is expected to be in the ground at Bella Vista in October.

“The NSW Budget includes $863 million this year to get on with major construction of the North West Rail Link – Australia’s first fully automated, high capacity rapid transit network,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The new Kellyville and Rouse Hill stations are the two stations that will be built on the skytrain itself – at Kellyville, the station will be elevated about 13m above the ground.

“The skytrain is a great innovation which means the new railway line will not cut communities in two. Instead people and cars will be free to move around under it. Construction impacts to traffic will also be minimal as work takes place above ground.

“The new Kellyville station will deliver major benefits for the local community for generations to come, including 1,360 brand new commuter car parking spaces as well as new bus, taxi and bicycle facilities.

Geotechnical drilling work is now underway at Kellyville as well as along the rest of the skytrain route to determine ground conditions where the 112 skytrain piers will be built.

“Work is underway right across the 36km length of the North West Rail Link. We’re well on the way to delivering this critical infrastructure project, which is due to open to customers by the end of 2019,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The North West Rail Link will change the way of life here for generations to come as an extra 200,000 people move to Sydney’s North West over coming decades, taking this region’s population above 600,000 – or twice the size of Canberra.”

Mr Constance said the work is part of a massive building program across NSW worth $10.2 billion in the coming year alone.

“The 2014-15 NSW Budget has shown that with a significant turnaround in public finances and a return to surplus one year earlier than forecast, we are now on a path to rebuilding. The North West Rail Link is a great example of this work now underway.”