Plans for massive towers above Sydney CBD metro station revealed

Concept plans for two towers of up to 58 storeys as part of a major transport hub planned for the northern end of Sydney’s CBD have received the green light.

Pub and restaurant billionaire Justin Hemmes is part of a consortium competing against a group led by global investment giant Brookfield, which redeveloped Wynyard station, for the right to complete a metro train station beneath Hunter Street and build the two towers above.

The two planned skyscrapers, in red, will be 58 and 51 storeys high.Credit: City of Sydney

The state’s planning department has approved concept plans for a 58-storey tower above the station’s eastern entrance between O’Connell and Bligh streets and a 51-storey building above the western entry on the corner of George and Hunter streets.

Construction of the underground station beneath Hunter Street for the $25 billion Metro West line between the CBD and Parramatta began last year.

Two giant boring machines are due to start tunnelling 3.5-kilometre twin tunnels from White Bay to Hunter Street below Darling Harbour within the next few months.

The over-station development at Hunter Street is set to include bars, restaurants, shops and offices in the towers and will form one of the most significant developments in the CBD this decade.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said approval to develop the detailed designs for the new precinct was a significant milestone for the Metro West project.

“The successful tenderer will deliver a brand new station beneath Hunter Street and two new buildings above,” she said.

Sydney Metro said final plans for the Hunter Street precinct were subject to ongoing talks with tenderers which would continue for the rest of this year. It expects to award a contract to one of the two consortia bidding for the development in late 2025.

Three giant machines called road headers are scraping away at the sandstone beneath Hunter Street, carving out a singular cavern about 180 metres long for the station’s two platforms.

After Metro West opens in 2032, Hunter Street will be the busiest station on the underground line for city-bound commuters in the morning peak, when up to 10,000 people an hour are forecast to travel.

The station will act as a gateway to the northern end of the CBD, connected by underground pedestrian links to the new Metro City and Southwest station at Martin Place and nearby Wynyard station for Sydney Trains services.

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