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The Sydney Metro City & Southwest line is a landmark infrastructure project in the heart of Sydney, Australia, aimed at extending rapid transit through Sydney’s central business district. This project phase extends the existing Metro Northwest line from Chatswood to Sydenham, incorporating seven new underground stations and 16 kilometres of twin tunnels beneath Sydney Harbour. Jensen Hughes provided services, including Crown Certification, BCA and Accessibility compliance, DDA certification, and Fire Safety Engineering consultancy across five new Metro stations: Central, Gadigal, Martin Place, Victoria Cross and Crows Nest.

Given the scale and complexity of the project, several key challenges emerged, particularly in ensuring a robust fire safety strategy that balanced safety and innovation. The project involved the construction of new underground stations and integration with commercial and residential over-station developments as well as adjacent retail spaces and heritage structures. The primary challenge was ensuring all stations adhered to Australian fire safety regulations and rail transit guidelines while accommodating innovative design and technology.

To address these challenges, the Sydney Metro project employed a comprehensive fire engineering strategy that integrated into the design and operation of the metro system. Our approach involved extensive consultation with Sydney Metro, Metro Trains Sydney, Fire and Rescue NSW, and local councils. This collaborative effort ensured a consistent and safe approach across the new metro system.

We issued a Section 6.28 Crown Certificate for Central and Crows Nest stations. Our code consulting team assessed the original design documentation and conducted regular site inspections to ensure that BCA and Accessibility compliance were consistent from the beginning of the build to completion, maintaining high standards throughout the process.

Our Accessibility and Universal Design team also provided consultancy for the Victoria Cross and Martin Place stations. We worked with stakeholders to ensure compliance with Disability Standards Accessible Public Transport (DSAPT) was achieved and that concepts under Universal Design were met. We commenced our advice at the concept stage, providing a full drawing assessment during the design development and construction documentation stages. During the site inspection stage, we worked with the delivery team to ensure that construction compliance had been implemented in the stations’ facilities and features, thereby ensuring the stations were fully accessible to all individuals.

Working with our clients, partners and Sydney Metro, we successfully developed a strategy to meet all regulatory requirements and reinforce public confidence in the safety and reliability of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest line, setting a new standard for urban transit systems in Australia.

Project Details

Project Location

Sydney NSW

Industry

Transit + Tunnels

Project Owner

Sydney Metro

Estimated Project Cost

$20.5 Billion

Timeline

Complete 2024

Project Size

The Sydney Metro project included new metro stations running between Chatswood to Sydenham. Jensen Hughes did work on 5 out of the 7 metro stations.

Featured Experts

Stuart Boyce

Senior Vice President, Pacific Region

New South Wales

Masters of Fire Safety Engineering, Graduate Diploma, Building Surveying and Assessment, Associate Diploma, Applied Science, Health and Building Surveying, Registered Certifier, NSW Department Fair Trading, No BDC 0044, Fire Safety Assessment Accredited Practitioner, FPAS - No F004414A, Registered Building Practitioner, Certificate IV, Member, Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, Member, Health and Building Surveyors Association, Associate Member (No 442), Association of Consultants in Access Australia

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Warwick Hunter

Operations Lead, Code Passive + Energy

New South Wales

Graduate Diploma in Building Surveying and Assessment, Bachelor Applied Science (Occupational Health & Environment), CPP40811 Certificate IV in Access Consulting, A1 (Unrestricted) Accredited Certifier, NSW Fair Trading, No BCB 2417, Member, Australian Institute of Building Surveyors

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David Goding

Operations Lead, Accessibility

New South Wales

Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Graduate Diploma, Business Management, Member

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John Ward

Senior Accessibility Consultant

New South Wales

BS, Architecture, Registered Architect: NSW, Accredited Specialist Disability Accommodation Assessor, Changing Places Assessor

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