This was published 6 years ago
$955m project starts on transforming Central from 'rabbit warren'
Sydney rail commuters have been warned to expect some disruptions from construction of a $955 million east-west concourse and underground platforms at Central Station for a new metro line.
Work on Central Walk and the new platforms has begun after the Berejiklian government awarded the contract to British construction company Laing O'Rourke, which is due to be completed in 2022.
The government has not previously revealed the cost of the planned work at Central Station, which is included in the total price tag of as much as $11.5 billion for the second stage of the new metro line from Chatswood to Sydenham via the CBD, and onto Bankstown in the west.
Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins said the project would "really open up the whole station" and connect commuters to the new metro and suburban train lines but conceded there would be "some disruption" for passengers during the four-year project.
"It is going to be a challenging project but I think it's going to be a project that at the end of the day will benefit 300,000 [to] 400,000 people a day," he said.
"There will be some disruption – it's about getting information to people [and] making sure in advance they know [of changes] but the prize is worth waiting for."
Under the plans, two platforms for the metro line will be built underneath platforms 13, 14 and 15, which are used for country train services. Platform 15 has already been closed, and the two others will follow over the coming months.
Escalators will connect platforms at Central for the new metro train line.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the $955 million cost of the work at Central, along with the rest of the metro line, was being paid for by the government's "asset recycling program" and the $7 billion from the sale of electricity assets after the last state election.
"This is going to untangle Central – Central is a rabbit warren. This is part of the first major step in this journey to see this entire precinct come to life," he said.
The contract for the work at Sydney's busiest station comprises the excavation and construction of the underground platforms beneath platforms 13 and 14, lifts and escalators, and the 19-metre wide Central Walk concourse from Chalmers Street to the metro and suburban platforms.
Central Walk will open two years before the driverless, single-deck trains begin running on the second stage of the new metro line.
A new bridge has been built over the train lines to connect Regent Street to a rail yard at Central. Credit: Louise Kennerley
Mr Constance said there was "always going to be this challenge with construction disruption" but the government and contractors would seek to minimise the impact.
A bridge over rail lines to connect Regent Street to the rail yard has been completed, which will be used to access the construction site and for ongoing maintenance. Trucks will also use it to carry earth excavated from the site of the underground platforms.
The government is also expected to announce shortly the date for the seven-month closure from late this year of the Epping to Chatswood line, which will be converted to carry metro trains.
Mr Constance would not be drawn on whether the first stage of the metro line from Rouse Hill in Sydney's north west to Chatswood would be opened before the state election in March. The government has said only that it would be opened in the first half of 2019.
The government also has longer-term plans to redevelop the Central Station precinct.
More than 270,000 people use the station each day, and within two decades the number is forecast to rise to 450,000.