History made by first rail tunnels under Sydney Harbour

Recently completed works on the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project delivered by the John Holland, CPB Contractors and Ghella Joint Venture have delivered the first rail tunnels ever to run beneath Sydney Harbour.

Around 11,000 people were engaged in delivering the works, which have created a 15.5-kilometre twin rail tunnel, dive structures and six complex underground stations between Chatswood and Sydenham. Completion of the works required effective management of significant challenges entailed in delivering complex works in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

These included the management of utilities and other existing infrastructure assets under the harbour, mining under heritage buildings and conducting works in close proximity to live transport infrastructure.

The project also had a firm focus on enhanced sustainability outcomes, consequently achieving the nation’s highest ISC Infrastructure Sustainability rating to date.

This commitment to technical and environmental excellence was recently recognised when the project was awarded the 2022 Australian Construction Achievement Award, presented by the Australian Constructors Association (ACA) and Engineers Australia.

You can learn more about how this unique project was delivered in this short video