Sydney’s new $955 million ‘Grand’ Central Station revealed
CONSTRUCTION work on the new Sydney Metro underground platforms at Central Station and the landmark Central Walk will begin immediately with commuters promised disruptions will be kept to a minimum.
NSW
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CONSTRUCTION work on the new Sydney Metro underground platforms at Central Station and the landmark Central Walk will begin immediately with commuters promised disruptions will be kept to a minimum.
The construction has caused the closure of platform 13-15 but Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the underground construction works and the major revamping of the station will cause minimal problems for commuters.
“There’s always going to be this challenge with construction disruption, we don’t dispute that,” he said.
“Platforms 13 and 14 aren’t going to be used but we’re able to cater to that with the remaining 24 platforms across Central.”
Platforms 13 and 14 are not being used as part of the current timetable.
Sydney Metro major construction works at Central will start mid-2018 and information bulletins will go up around the platforms before works commence.
Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins said the construction had been planned to “minimise” impact on customers over the next four years.
“We really looked at minimising the impact on our customers. There are going to be some changes, we know on weekends we do that now, but with the beauty of building the box under 13, 14, 15 (platforms) that will minimise the impact and you’ll see warnings go up, there may be changes to platforms but our intention is to minimise the impact, get people through their daily live through the station,” Mr Collins said.
He said the majority of costumers will have a “smooth journey through the city”.
“There will be some disruption, it’s about getting information to people, making sure in advance they know. But the prize is worth waiting for – this is going to be an amazing place. This will put us in a global space rather than the place we have been in for 149 years.”
The massive upgrade to Central Station is being touted as the biggest improvement to the station in decades.
“Everyone is aware of the rabbit warren that is Central. This is now going to be able to dig that out and reopen it in a way that will be open, spacious, modern and world-class,” Mr Constance said.
It will make it easier for customers to connect between light rail, suburban and inter-city trains, the new Sydney metro and buses.
It will include new entrances, simpler interchanges as well as construction of Central Walk – a new 19-metre wide underground concourse from Chalmers Street which connects commuters to suburban rail platforms, Sydney Metro and the new light rail and buses.
There will also be escalators installed for access to platforms 12 to 23.
Central Walk is expected to open in 2022.
“This is a great opportunity, we know how congested Central station is. A 19 meter wide passageway, lifts that get more than a handful of people up to the station – this really opens up the whole station,” Mr Collins said.
Once this work is done, construction will continue along the 30km length of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project laying tracks and fitting out stations before opening in 2024.
The announcements came this morning as a contract for the works was awarded to Laing O’Rourke.
The construction giant has won a $955 million contract to transform the station.
The work includes the excavation and construction of the new underground Sydney metro platforms at Central beneath platforms 13 and 14.
More than 270,000 people use Central station daily with numbers set to rise to 450,000 in the next 20 years.
“As costumers get on with their daily lives at Central Station, the Sydney Metro platforms will be constructed right under their feet,” Mr Constance said.
Mr Constance said the $955 million project had been paid for by asset recycling.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said “every effort” will be invested in minimising disruptions but the government had to inflict the problems on commuters so they could transform the station.
“Of course, unfortunately, the by-product of building something new means there is temporary disruption and regret that but that’s no excuse for not doing it, it would be negligent for us to sit on our hands sand not improve Central railway station because it would cause some interim disruption,” she said.