First train to pass under the harbor tomorrow morning, 91 years after the loco chugged across the bridge
Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan said each train in the 45-strong fleet would be subjected to acceleration and braking tests on the newly built line, as well as a series of system checks to ensure it would function reliably under operating conditions.
“The first phase of testing will be completed at low speed, with the trains being driven manually at a maximum speed of 25 km/h,” he said. “Gradually we are seeing the trains move into high-speed tests where the trains reach a maximum speed of 110 km/h.”
The first train to travel along the new line under Sydney Harbor will begin its journey around 2am on Friday at a major marshalling yard in north-west Sydney.Credit: Nick Moir
Low speed tests along the 15.5km twin rail tunnels between Chatswood and Sydenham will confirm the correct operation of critical safety functions and that communications and signaling systems are working as expected.
During this phase, the trains are controlled manually by a driver and tests include checking the brakes, the safety clearances between the top and sides of the trains and the tunnels, and making sure they can negotiate curves and bends with ease.
Loading
The trains will also be filled with approximately 120 1000 liter water tanks to simulate a full passenger load.
The City and Southwest line is the second stage of Sydney’s $64 billion metro network and follows the opening of the Metro Northwest link between Tallawong and Chatswood in 2019.
Once the so-called dynamic train tests as part of the City and South West’s construction are complete, the line will be handed over to Metro Trains Sydney – a private consortium led by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation that will operate it – for final testing and commissioning .
When the main section of the new line opens next year, a journey from Tallawong to Sydenham will take 59 minutes and a journey from Macquarie Park to Martin Place will take 20 minutes.
Commuters traveling from Sydenham to Macquarie University no longer need to change trains at Chatswood.
The Morning Edition Newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Login here.
