It was subtle movement — a simple turning of the sod — but it signalled the start of work at the future Kellyville railway station. ISABELL PETRINIC reports.
Premier and Western Sydney Minister Mike Baird, Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian and Treasurer Andrew Constance were at Kellyville this morning to turn the first sod on the suburb’s new station.
“Over the coming four years $5.2 billion will be invested in the [eight-station] North West Rail Link as we build Australia’s longest railway tunnels and the 4-kilometre skytrain between Bella Vista and Rouse Hill,’’ Mr Baird said today (June 18).
Kellyville station will provide rail access and a public transport interchange for people living in Kellyville, Beaumont Hills and Stanhope Gardens.
It will be built on the corner of Samantha Riley Drive and Old Windsor Road, east of the existing T-way and car park.
Until now there was no visible work at the site, although the future skytrain’s design had to be modified when it was discovered last year one of the pylons for the skytrain would have landed right in the middle of the almost 200-year-old White Hart Inn site.
Ms Berejiklian said today officially marked the start of the $340 million Kellyville skytrain contract, ahead of the first tunnel-boring machine which is expected to be in the ground at Bella Vista in October.
The new Kellyville and Rouse Hill stations will be built on the skytrain itself.
At Kellyville, the station will be elevated about 13 metres above the ground with all work on it to occur above ground.
“The skytrain is a great innovation which means the new railway line won’t cut communities in two,’’ Ms Berejiklian said.
‘‘Instead people and cars will be free to move around under it.’’
Geotechnical drilling work is now under way at Kellyville as well as along the rest of the skytrain route to determine ground conditions where the 112 skytrain piers will be built.
The state budget includes $863 million this year for the rail link.
Features of Kellyville Station:
■ 1360 commuter parking spaces;
■ 10 kiss-and-ride spaces;
■ 4 bus spaces;
■ 4 taxi spaces; and
■ bicycle facilities.
Coming shortly: Click here to view an animation of a train arriving at Kellyville skytrain station.
DECEMBER 13, 2013: Two shortlisted consortia made up of almost 30 companies from across Australia and around the world have lodged their proposals with Transport for NSW on how they plan to run the $8.3 billion North West Rail Link.
The two Operations, Trains and Systems contract proposals will be assessed before the NSW government awards the contract in the second half of next year.
The contract covers:
■ building the eight new railway stations;
■ delivering commuter car parks for more than 4000 cars;
■ supplying the new-generation rapid-transit single-deck trains;
■ building and operating the stabling and maintenance facility at Tallawong Road;
■ installing tracks, signalling, mechanical and electrical systems;
■ converting the Epping to Chatswood Rail Link for the new rapid-transit system; and
■ operating the North West Rail Link, including all maintenance work.
The contract will be delivered as a public private partnership, subject to value-for-money criteria being met.
Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian said: “The project is on time and on budget and the first tunnel boring machine will be in the ground by the end of next year.”
The two consortia are:
❏ Northwest Rapid Transit: MTR Corporation (Australia), John Holland, Leighton Contractors, UGL Rail Services, Plenary Group; and
❏ TransForm – Serco Australia, Bombardier Transportation Australia, SNC-Lavalin Capital, McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust), John Laing Investments, Macquarie Capital Group.
Eight new railway stations are proposed as part of the North West Rail Link at: Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Showground, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Cudgegong Road.
The rail link includes 15 kilometres of tunnels between Bella Vista and Epping - Australia's longest rail tunnels.
The first tunnel boring machine will be in the ground next year, as scheduled, with the project expected to be completed by 2019.
■ What do you think?
