Webuild, as part of Parklife Metro Consortium, is pleased to share the first tracks have been laid at Luddenham for the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project - a landmark milestone for the team.

Parklife Metro Consortium is completing the track installation as part of its Stations, Systems, Trains, Operations and Maintenance (SSTOM) package for the project.

This new metro railway line will become the transport spine for Greater Western Sydney, connecting communities and travellers with the new Western Sydney International Airport.

The first section of track is being constructed at-grade level and involves the placement and meticulous alignment of the tracks by a team of up to 50 workers. It will span approximately 1-kilometre from the metro viaduct near the Warragamba pipelines, stretching to the metro bridge that crosses over the future M12 motorway at Luddenham South.   

Each 20-metre piece of steel rail has been delivered to the newly constructed rail laydown yard in Luddenham South. Here, the steel is fitted together into 120-metre-long “rail strings” using an advanced welding process to ensure durability and precision.

Once the rail strings are ready, they are transported from the rail yard using front end loaders and positioned in place along the alignment. A rail threader machine then lifts and threads the rail strings on top of the sleepers which are then fastened to the rail strings.

The track is then lifted into its final position using an advanced adjustment system, completing the track system. After pouring concrete, the 120-metre rail strings are welded together to create a continuously welded rail.

To date, 1,255 metres of track have been completed, and 3,856 sleepers have been installed.

Track laying will continue until early 2026. Over the next 14 months, 106.8-kilometres of Australian steel, weighing more than 6,408 tonnes, will be laid along the 23-kilometre alignment between St Marys and Bradfield.

Simultaneous track laying will occur at the northern end of the alignment, from Orchard Hills towards St Marys, as well as at the southern end, from Airport Business Part to Bradfield, and for the at-grade and Viaduct sections, and through the Metro Stations and Stabling and Maintenance Facilities. 

The Sydney Metro - Western Sydney Airport project is a key component of the region’s integrated transport vision, connecting Western Sydney Airport to the broader Sydney Metro network and providing faster, more efficient travel options for residents and visitors.

Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport will have capacity to transport up to 7,740 passengers each hour in each direction, while taking up to 110,000 vehicles off local roads every day, significantly reducing local traffic.

The project is a jointly funded infrastructure project between the Australian Federal and NSW governments.     

For more information about the project: sydneymetro.info/westernsydneyairportline. 

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About the project  

Webuild as part of the Parklife Metro Consortium is delivering the Sydney Metro - Western Sydney Airport Metro Line, Stations, Systems, Trains, Operations and Maintenance (SSTOM) Package project. 

The project includes the construction of six stations between the St Marys interchange station and Bradfield Station, a workshop depot for storing and the maintenance of trains at Orchard Hills, and also the superstructure, the signalling systems and mechanical and electric systems of the entire line, and the supply of new driverless trains.