Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport, previously known as Sydney Metro Greater West, is a rapid transit rail project currently under-construction in Greater Western Sydney. The project involves the construction of a 23-kilometre (14 mi) line as part of the Sydney Metro system.[3] The line will operate between St Marys, where the line will connect to the Main Western railway line, and Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis at Bradfield via the Western Sydney Airport. It is intended to provide public transport for the upcoming Western Sydney Airport.[4] Construction of the line started in December 2022 and is expected to be completed in late 2026 in time for the opening of the airport.[5][6]
The line will form Stage 1 of the proposed North South Rail Line, which would see the line extended north to Schofields to connect to the Richmond railway line, and south to the Main Southern railway line at Macarthur.[7][8]
Six stations have been proposed for the line.[3][9]
The Sydney Metro Trains Facility and the Operations Control Centre will be located at Orchard Hills, and services facilities will be located at Claremont Meadows and Bringelly.[3][9]
The line is proposed to run via twin tunnels between St Marys and Orchard Hills stations and between the Airport Terminal and Bradfield stations. Tunnel boring machines were planned to be launched from Orchard Hills and the Airport Business Park.[9] The section from Oran Park to Macarthur in the proposed southern extension would also run via tunnels.[8]
In 2014, the Federal Government under then Prime Minister Tony Abbott initially had no plans to build a rail line. However, it indicated provision for a railway line would be included in the development that may include preparing tunnels under the runway as part of the runway construction and preparing the underground space for a station. It was considered likely the rail connection to the airport would consist of an extension to the South West Rail Link from Leppington.[10] In 2015, then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull indicated that the airport would need both road and rail links to the Sydney CBD.[11] In November 2015, a scoping study into rail investment to service Western Sydney and the Western Sydney Airport was announced. The study was jointly managed by the NSW and the Commonwealth governments.[12] A discussion paper, released in September 2016, proposed various options that could provide a rail link to the airport, listed below:[13]
The final report, released in March 2018, proposed that two lines would ultimately service the airport: a "North-South Link" from Schofields to Macarthur and an "East-West Link" from Parramatta to the "Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis", an area south of the airport. The East-West Link would likely form an extension of the already-announced Sydney Metro West. An extension of the South West Rail Link to the Badgerys Creek Aerotropolis was also proposed. Interchanging with the North-South Link or East-West Link would be required to access the airport itself.[14]
Later in March 2018, the federal and state governments signed the Western Sydney City Deal and announced the development of stage 1 of the North South Rail Link as part of the deal.