The first section of the Sydney Metro Northwest’s skytrain in Australia has been completed.
The 4km elevated skytrain is part of the A$8.3bn ($5.8bn) Sydney Metro Northwest (North West Rail Link) project, Australia’s first fully automated rapid transit rail network.
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New South Wales (NSW) premier Mike Baird said: "This project has led to a jobs boom in Sydney’s north-west with about 400 workers on site building the skytrain and about 900 others working to deliver Australia’s longest railway tunnels."
The skytrain, elevated 13m above ground, will run from Bella Vista to Rouse Hill and will have two stations at Kellyville and Rouse Hill.
NSW minister for transport and infrastructure Andrew Constance said: "The skytrain will include a new landmark bridge over Windsor Road, with a similar design to the Anzac Bridge.
"Sydney Metro will be a game changer for public transport and the team is setting a cracking pace.
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By GlobalData"Two massive horizontal cranes are now in place at Kellyville and Cudgegong Road, which together will build up to 70m of skytrain each week."
The skytrain will allow the local communities use the road underneath ensuring connectivity in the region even after the rail link opens.
The structure will have 112 concrete piers. Noise attenuation will be implemented along its length and anti-graffiti coatings will be applied to surfaces.
The Impregilo-Salini joint venture is building the skytrain under a A$340m contract awarded by the NSW government in 2013. Work on the structure began in June.
A total of three contracts have been awarded under the Sydney Metro Northwest project, with one of them being for the construction of the skytrain.
The Thiess John Holland Dragados joint venture was awarded a $1.15bn tunnelling contract in June 2013.
A A$3.7bn private public partnership contract was awarded in September 2014 to the Northwest Rapid Transit consortium for delivering the North West Rail Link by the first half of 2019 and operating it for 15 years.
Alstom will supply rapid transit trains under the contract.
Image: The 4km Skytrain is elevated at 13m above ground. Photo: courtesy of Sydney Metro Northwest.
