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Sydney’s first metro is transforming the city by delivering faster, more sustainable, and accessible transportation, reducing travel times and connecting diverse communities. The project overcame geotechnical and engineering challenges, including tunnelling under Sydney Harbour and creating seamless interchanges.

Digital innovation and sustainable practices, such as low-carbon concrete and recycled materials, were integral to the design, reducing emissions and waste. The metro enhances connectivity, boosts community well-being, and offers accessible, turn-up-and-go services that improve daily lives and unlock new opportunities for Sydney's growing population. 


A historic development for an iconic city

Sydney’s transport network was struggling to cope with a growing population with commuter hubs and arterial routes approaching capacity. Fast and reliable public transport options were needed. For Sydney Metro, the challenges of designing significantly faster infrastructure were immense.  

From geotechnical planning of the tunnels, to designing accessible stations that inspire, we’re proud to help them deliver this ambitious project. With a turn-up-and-go service below the city, it’s enabling the people of Sydney to thrive, through modern, sustainable transportation, for the benefit of all. 

Location

  • Sydney, Australia

Client

  • Transport for NSW

Project Status

  • Opened in 2024, Sydney Metro continues to be expanded.
Being able to access the wider community has really helped broaden my horizons and changed my perspective on how I interact with the city. A lot of my family moved to the North part of Sydney. It was tough, but now that I can easily jump on a metro service to go meet them, it’s changed the game. It’s really helped me connect with people that I love.

Sydney’s first metro takes shape

Anyone who lives in a large, global city knows it’s not just a place. It’s a living, interconnected system, and a community that thrives when those connections are strong. 

“It is our very first metro line. Connecting to schools, hospitals, universities to get that genuine positive impact on people’s lives,” says Sam McWilliam, WSP Managing Director of Transport. 

In recent years, Sydney’s existing road and rail infrastructure wasn’t providing the connectedness that a vibrant city needs. With the population set to reach 6.2 million by 2036, the need for a city-wide metro system had become urgent.  As well as congestion and overcrowding, it was difficult to reach different areas of Sydney without a car.  

Now with the Metro, you can go from the north of Sydney to a brewery or a café in the south, for example, so much more easily. We are connecting different cultures, lifestyles, and different socio-economic groups. More people can access the diverse experiences that Sydney has to offer. 

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A partner to scale the challenge

Sydney had never had a metro before, which would mean creating a new underground system in already built-up areas. WSP were part of the teams chosen by Transport for New South Wales (NSW) to take on the once in a lifetime project and help bring this historic development into being.

“These are complex projects. They are considered mega projects. How do we bring about such infrastructure into the city? You start with location mapping and understanding how the city moves, the demographics. And from there, you delve into more granularity. It becomes more technical. And eventually you deliver a product that people are happy with,”  says Ivan Pena, Director, WSP Australia. 

Our first task was to produce the detailed engineering and architectural reference design to secure funding and approval. We then worked alongside Aurecon on the final design for the rail line delivered by Systems Connect – a joint venture between CPB Contractors and UGL. We also led the design for Waterloo Station and the surrounding integrated precinct, partnering with John Holland, and Mirvac to deliver the final product.

A geotechnical engineering challenge like no other

The geotechnical design was particularly complex. With the number of buildings and tunnels in the city, the routes had to bypass existing infrastructure and any new proposed developments. Tunnelling across Sydney Harbour was also an immense, but necessary engineering feat. The underwater route provides a public transport connection for two sides of the city that were previously linked by the iconic, but often congested Sydney Harbour Bridge, or by driving through the cross-city tunnel. 

Connections and interchanges were also carefully considered. Our team carried out a deep analysis and survey of existing connections, not only to avoid disruption but also to ensure integration with current journeys. So, the new metro would connect with the existing rail network, with effortless interchanges for passengers.

So, you'll see Chatswood is a cross-platform interchange, where interchange between the Metro and the existing public transport network is as seamless as possible.

Bespoke digital programs respond to a changing world

Digital design and innovation played an essential role here. We combined data management and virtual reality to create a bespoke programme to meet the complexities of the project. This technology would model passenger flow and simulate future scenarios to help prepare for uncertainties like increased rainfall over a period of time due to climate change and potential new building developments.

Customising conventional software also allowed us to automate everything from wiring to the design of the rail sleepers, saving thousands of hours of work. Meanwhile, integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) with other software platforms meant that design engineers could represent and document entire buildings and systems in one place, helping teams co-ordinate.  

Engineering with purpose

Sustainability was a priority from the start, with the rail design submission scoring 10/10 for innovation from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council, and a ‘Leading’ design rating. Boral’s ‘Low Carbon High Performance’ synthetic-fibre-reinforced ENVISIA®concrete mix was used. This reduced embodied carbon by half compared to standard concrete, over 10,000tCO2e overall.

The team sourced over 1,000 metric tonnes of recycled, crushed sand to use for drainage at the Sydney Metro Trains Facility in Tallawong. This not only cut the emissions-intensive process of mining and hauling natural sand, but the recycled glass was free – a byproduct from a NSW-based waste service. The development included a water treatment plant, turning over 2 million litres of runoff from the tunnels into a useful resource.

“Sustainability filtered down to everything – from materials to lighting; it was all controlled and programmed, making this project extremely efficient and extremely sustainable,” says Ivan Pena, Director, WSP Australia.

These project efficiencies, among others have reduced landfill waste from construction and demolition by 95%, and office waste by 50%. The project achieved a 15% reduction in materials lifecycle impact compared to a base case footprint, and reduced water demand by 74.7%.

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Accessible transport for all

Great places that are easy to access don't happen by chance. We worked with government, private organisations and local communities to design vibrant community-centric places. This means consulting with a wide range of groups to make sure the system serves a diverse population and their differing needs.

The city section of the M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line opened in August 2024, taking commuters from Sydney’s north west to the critical Central Business District (CBD). It’s the latest success in a development that’s connecting the city in new ways, creating possibilities and improving lives.

The turn-up-and-go service manages passenger load efficiently by increasing train numbers 60 per cent during peak periods, catering for an extra 100,000 commuters per hour. Transitioning the movement of people to travel underground has meant that the customer experience from a design perspective is everything. People can experience more streamlined and accessible pathways through their commute, and new meeting places and landmarks are unlocked for the community in and around the stations.

“We've got anecdotal evidence of people taking 20 to 30 minutes off their commute. That's a huge difference. That means that they can spend time with their family. They can do stuff after work. They can do extracurricular activities that weren't available,” says Sam McWilliam, WSP Managing Director of Transport.

At Waterloo Station, artworks adorn the walls, reflecting the culture and history of the neighbourhood. The light and airy feel of the station is reflected across much of the network. With specially designed lighting and vast, underground spaces creating a calming ambience and temperate climate.  Waterloo Station has achieved a 6 Star Green Star Design and is targeting a 5 Star Green Star As-Built rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. An acknowledgement which applies across all mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services.  

 

Meet the Visioneers

With WSP for 21-years, Sam has been integral in delivering technical expertise and excellence on high profile transport infrastructure projects including High Speed Rail, the Regional Rail Maintenance Facility, Sydney Metro and South Island Line in Hong Kong.

There's something very tangible at the back end of one of these projects where you get to see the impact that your work has had and then to see all of the stories that are coming out of people's lives that it's changed, commute times that it's changed. That's kind of why we do what we do and to get that very tangible outcome at the end is very exciting.

Ivan Pena, Director of WSP in Australia led a large and diverse team, encompassing engineers, designers, technicians and builders.

The magnitude of this project has certainly transformed the city. It’s also changed the lives of those who worked on it, a proud contribution and legacy for thousands of individuals. I feel extremely proud to have been a part of it. Our designs have a lifespan of 120 years and every time I drive past the station, I remind my kids, ‘Your dad had something to do with that station in there’. I think it's the longevity of it, and the impact that it is having – it’s about providing access and bringing about connectivity to everyone in our sprawling city.

Other challenges that we have overcome

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