Gadigal railway station explained

Gadigal
Style:Sydney Metro
Address:Corner Pitt Street & Castlereagh Street
Borough:Sydney, New South Wales
Country:Australia
Coordinates:-33.8728°N 151.2088°W
Line:Metro North West & Bankstown Line
Connections:
Structure:Underground
Platform:2
Depth:20 metres
Accessible:Yes
Tracks:2
Opened:19 August 2024
Electrified:Yes
Owned:Transport Asset Holding Entity
Operator:Metro Trains Sydney
Status:Open
Former:Pitt Street (during construction)
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Caption:Location of Gadigal station
Mapframe-Stroke-Colour:
  1. C60C30
Mapframe-Stroke-Width:3
Mapframe-Marker:rail-underground
Mapframe-Marker-Colour:
  1. 009D58
Mapframe-Zoom:13

Gadigal railway station (known during planning and construction as Pitt Street railway station) is an underground rapid transit station in the central business district of Sydney, Australia. The station was constructed as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, as part of the Metro North West & Bankstown Line of the Sydney Metro which opened on 19 August 2024.

Description

Gadigal station is located within the Sydney central business district, two blocks east of Town Hall and two blocks west of Hyde Park. The adjacent station to the north is Martin Place station and the adjacent station to the south is Central station. Gadigal station was designed to relieve pressure on Town Hall station, an important interchange on the Sydney Trains network less than west of Gadigal station. Unlike Martin Place station, there is no underground walkway between Gadigal and Town Hall stations as planners wanted to avoid creating a megastation and to avoid problems at one station affecting the other.[1]

Gadigal station has two entrances. The north entrance is on the northern side of Park Street between Pitt and Castrereagh streets. The south entrance is on the south-eastern corner of Pitt and Bathurst streets. The northbound platform is located beneath Pitt Street and the southbound platform is located beneath Castlereagh Street. As the tunnel had to be bored above the Cross City Tunnel,[2] the platforms are below Park Street and below Bathurst Street, making Gadigal station the shallowest station on the City & Southwest project.

Artwork

At each entrance is an artwork titled The Underneath, by Callum Morton. This consists of two 12.5adj=midNaNadj=mid tiled murals on the walls opposite the escalators at each entrance.[3]

History

Excavation

The contract for the excavation of the six stations and twin 15.5km (09.6miles) bored tunnels on the City & Southwest project was awarded to a joint venture between John Holland, CPB Contractors, and Ghella in June 2017, for A$2.81billion.[4] [5] Demolition of buildings to make way for Pitt Street station began in August 2017.[6] Excavators were craned to the top of buildings to complete the demolition from the top down. By April 2018, all eight buildings at the station's northern entrance had been demolished, the tallest of which was fourteen storeys. The four buildings at the station's southern entrance were demolished soon after as well. After that, concrete retaining walls were built so that the entrance shafts could be excavated. An acoustic shed was built over the sites to limit the impact of construction noise on surrounding areas.[7]

By early 2019, the platform caverns were being excavated by roadheader machines.[8] In August 2019, the first tunnel boring machine (TBM), Nancy, broke through the southern cavern wall to reach Pitt Street station,[9] [10] and the following month, the second TBM, Mum Shirl, reached the station. After undergoing maintenance, the TBMs continued tunnelling north towards Martin Place station.[11] In November 2020, concrete lining and waterproofing the station was nearly complete,[12] and by the end of 2020, excavation had been completed.[13]

Station construction

In September 2019, a consortium of CPB Contractors, Oxford Properties and Grocon were awarded a $463million contract to construct the station and design and construct two buildings above the station. Under the deal, the consortium also had to pay $369million for the air rights above the station. CPB was responsible for the station's construction.[14] [15] [16]

By the end of 2021, Pitt Street station's platforms, which were made out of 681 precast concrete sections, were built, and the concrete slabs for the tracks had been poured.[17] By November 2022, the platform screen doors were in place and the southern entrance building's structure was complete. Five out of the southern entrance's six escalators were also in place, with the final escalator planned to be installed by the end of 2022. Over the following months, the eight escalators at the northern entrance were planned to be installed.[18]

The station opened on 19 August 2024.[19] [20]

Name

Gadigal station was originally known as Pitt Street station. In August 2021, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council proposed naming the station after the Gadigal people, the local Indigenous Australians. Transport for NSW and the minister for transport, Andrew Constance, supported the idea and sent it to the Geographical Names Board (GNB) for approval. During consultation, the GNB received 120 submissions, most of which were in support of the name Gadigal. However, in February 2022, two months after David Elliott was sworn in as the new transport minister, he intervened to propose the station be named after Indigenous army officer Reginald Saunders.[21] [22] [23] In October 2023 though, after the election of a Labor government, the name Gadigal was finalised.[24] [25] [26]

Over-station developments

There will be an over-station development at the northern and southern entrance, constructed by Oxford Properties and CPB Contractors. The northern entrance will have a 39-storey office building with a retail plaza. The southern entrance will have a 39-storey building with 234 build to rent apartments.[27] [28]

Services

Gadigal station is served by the Metro North West & Bankstown Line.[29] This line is operated under contract by Metro Trains Sydney.[30] The Metro North West Line run from Tallawong station to the north-west to Sydenham station to the south-west. In 2025, an extension to Bankstown station further south-west will open.

The Metro North West Line is planned to operate at a four-minute headway during peak and a ten-minute headway outside of peak.[31]

References

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: O'Sullivan . Matt . Giant holes beneath Sydney reshaped into train station with new name . Sydney Morning Herald. 12 March 2024 . 18 October 2023.
  2. Web site: O'Sullivan . Matt . How Sydney's metro rail builders navigated underground obstacles beneath the city . Sydney Morning Herald . 23 June 2024 . 13 January 2023.
  3. Web site: Gadigal Station takes shape as name is announced . Sydney Metro . 23 March 2024 . December 2023.
  4. Web site: The big dig: New Harbour Metro crossing underway . Sydney Metro . 23 June 2024 . 22 June 2017.
  5. Web site: O'Sullivan . Matt . Barges to shift thousands of tonnes of rock from Sydney's new rail tunnels . The Sydney Morning Herald . 23 June 2024 . 22 June 2017.
  6. Web site: Major work starts for Sydney Metro CBD stations . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 10 August 2017.
  7. Web site: Demolition complete at Pitt Street north . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 20 April 2018.
  8. Web site: Pitt Street Station taking shape . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 12 February 2019.
  9. Web site: Historic first breakthrough under Sydney City Centre . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 16 August 2019.
  10. Web site: O'Sullivan . Matt . Tunnels carved beneath Sydney's busy streets offer glimpse of future . The Sydney Morning Herald . 23 June 2024 . 16 August 2019.
  11. Web site: Another CBD breakthrough for Sydney Metro's mega borers . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 5 September 2019.
  12. Web site: Pitt Street Station update . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 5 November 2020.
  13. Web site: Gadigal Station . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024.
  14. Web site: Pitt Street metro station to become the city's newest landmark . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 17 September 2019.
  15. Web site: Cummins . Carolyn . Mega-developments add to the crane index . The Sydney Morning Herald . 12 March 2024 . 18 September 2019.
  16. Web site: Builder appointed for Sydney Metro Pitt Street Station . Felix Vendor Marketplace . 12 March 2024 . 17 September 2019.
  17. Web site: Pitt Street Station: update . Sydney Metro . 23 March 2024 . 10 December 2021.
  18. Web site: Pitt Street Station taking shape below Sydney CBD . Sydney Metro . 23 March 2024 . 24 November 2022.
  19. Web site: Tregenza . Holly . Sydney Metro line between Chatswood and Sydenham to open Monday, August 19 . ABC News . 16 August 2024 . 15 August 2024.
  20. Web site: O'Sullivan . Matt . All aboard: Sydney's mega-metro rail line cleared for opening on Monday . The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 August 2024 . 15 August 2024.
  21. Web site: McGowan . Michael . David Elliott intervened to stop department's proposal to name Sydney Metro station after traditional custodians . The Guardian . 23 March 2024 . 2 March 2022.
  22. Web site: Knowles . Rachael . Gadigal name pushed aside by minister in train station debate . NITV News . 23 March 2024 . 3 March 2022.
  23. Web site: Have your say on a place name in City of Sydney LGA . Geographical Names Board . 23 March 2024 . 8 April 2022.
  24. Web site: Segaert . Anthony . Indigenous name slated for new Sydney metro station . The Sydney Morning Herald . 23 March 2024 . 8 August 2023.
  25. Web site: New CBD metro station named Gadigal Railway Station . Sydney Metro . 23 March 2024 . 19 October 2023.
  26. Web site: Todoroski . Caitlyn . This new Sydney CBD metro station has been named in recognition of the land's traditional custodians . TimeOut . 23 March 2024 . 20 October 2023.
  27. Web site: Integrated station developement . Sydney Metro . 2 August 2024.
  28. Web site: Gadigal Station Integrated Station Development, Sydney, NSW . NDY . 2 August 2024.
  29. Web site: O'Sullivan . Matt . New name revealed for Sydney's metro line beneath harbour and CBD . The Sydney Morning Herald . 13 June 2024 . 1 May 2024 . subscription.
  30. Web site: Metro Trains Sydney (MTS) . MTR Australia . 2 November 2023 . 25 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231025165558/https://mtraustralia.com.au/metro-trains-sydney . live .
  31. Web site: Sydney Metro City & Southwest Final Business Case Summary . Sydney Metro . 12 March 2024 . 24 . October 2016.