THREE-MINUTE METRO JOURNEY UNDER SYDNEY HARBOUR- High speed train testing handout November 2023

HISTORIC THREE-MINUTE METRO JOURNEY UNDER SYDNEY HARBOUR GOES SWIMMINGLY Thursday, 23 November 2023 A transport milestone for the record books has been achieved, with a metro train completing the three-minute railway crossing under Sydney Harbour, from North Sydney’s new Victoria Cross Station into the Sydney CBD. The milestone journey was realised as part of a rigorous testing program underway on the Sydney Metro City & Southwest line, which has recently accelerated into the next testing phase involving multiple trains being tested at higher speeds. Next year, turn-up-and-go metro trains will take passengers from Victoria Cross Station to Barangaroo Station in just three minutes and reach speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour in the Sydney Harbour metro tunnel. Victoria Cross Station is one of six new city stations that will open in 2024 and will provide commuters with unrivalled connectivity when travelling between the bustling North Sydney business district and the Sydney CBD. Progress to construct Victoria Cross Station is powering ahead, with the station more than 85 per cent complete. Work to deliver the station’s platform level built inside Australia’s largest railway cavern, 31 metres below ground, is now finished. All 14 new lifts and 19 new escalators to take commuters down to the platform are installed with final commissioning being progressively completed. All 22 of the Opal gates across the two entrances are installed, ready for passengers. Final finishing touches to North Sydney’s newest transport hub will be made in coming months, including to station entrances and adjoining retail and public domain areas. All station works are expected to be completed by early 2024. The construction of Victoria Cross Station has been nothing short of a logistical triumph requiring ingenuity from Sydney Metro delivery partners Lendlease. Workers built the station by manoeuvring all materials, supplies and equipment through the site’s only access point- an area of just 2.5 square metres, or the size of a standard garage door.