New South Wales (NSW), Australia, has unveiled a plan for the 23km rail line through northwest Sydney, which is expected to cost between A$7.5bn ($7.6bn) and A$8.5bn ($8.6bn).
Four kilometres of the proposed 23km North West Rail Link Project will be laid above ground level and the remaining stretch will be constructed underground.
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The project will also include 15km of tunnelling, including a 4km skytrain between Bella Vista and Rouse Hill, construction of eight stations and an extra 1,000 commuter car parks.
The Australian state government is planning to submit the proposal before the planning department for approval as well as seek inputs from the private sector on how the line will be built.
NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian was quoted by ninemsn.com.ou saying the line will not only benefit those living in the northwest, but the whole of Sydney, by taking traffic off the road.
"Once this rail is up and built people in the northwest will have the option to jump on the train," Berejiklian said.
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By GlobalDataThe rail line will have stations at Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Hills Centre, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Cudgegong Road, for which planning approvals are being sought.
Construction work for the proposed tunnel is expected to start in 2014, with the project expected to be completed by 2020.
NSW Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said the North West Rail Link Project the new line will create more than 16,200 jobs during construction and add $25bn into the NSW economy.
NSW expects within five years of opening of the line that it will allow about 29 million trips a year on the North West Rail Link.
