Skytrain

The elevated skytrain viaduct runs four kilometres to Rouse Hill from Bella Vista, where Sydney Metro Northwest emerges from Australia’s longest railway tunnels. 

The skytrain takes Sydney Metro Northwest above ground for four kilometres between Kellyville and Rouse Hill.

The skytrain is at a height of between 10 metres and 13 metres above ground level and is supported with 130 concrete piers, spaced approximately 39 metres apart. The two new railway stations on the skytrain, Kellyville and Rouse Hill, are elevated and the platforms are above ground.

A landmark 270-metre long cable-stayed railway bridge over Windsor Road at Rouse Hill also forms part of the skytrain. This is similar in design to Sydney’s Anzac Bridge.

The skytrain has been developed, in response to community consultation, to help reduce construction impacts of Sydney Metro Northwest on motorists and the community. The design also means that any future upgrade of the Windsor and Schofields road intersection will not be impacted by the operation. It also minimises impacts on local flood plains.

The skytrain will be used only by passenger trains, and not for cycleways or pedestrian walkways. The skytrain is a critical part of the Sydney Metro Northwest, improving access to jobs and services for existing communities and new growth areas in the north west of Sydney.

As an important design element in the environment, a number of design principles were followed. These include:

• The proportions of the skytrain were considered. This includes width and depth ratios, edge design and column supports, to ensure it is well-proportioned and its appearance blends in with the environment
• The skytrain incorporates sustainability initiatives such as water collection, as well as having a low carbon footprint. It minimises the use of resources and materials.
• The skytrain has a deck approximately 11 metres wide, with room for two rail lines plus services
• Rail infrastructure elements such as acoustic sound walls, downpipes and lighting have been incorporated into the design holistically and in a way that can be successfully maintained. For instance, noise attenuation features along its length as an integral part of the design.

Windsor Road bridge 

The new cable-stay bridge over Windsor Road is an iconic landmark for the North West. The bridge deck is supported by 32 cables and two towers up to 45 metres high. The bridge is consistent with the overall form of the skytrain and takes a continuous curved form over the length of the crossing. The bridge has the unique characteristic of being a rail bridge, supported by cables on a curve.

As well building the four kilometre skytrain between Bella Vista and Rouse Hill, work also involves other surface works like bridges, embankments and railway cuttings.

Two giant horizontal cranes, or gantries, are building the skytrain.Each gantry is 150 metres long, weighs 600 tonnes and sits about 30 metres off the ground.

The gantry crane sits above the skytrain piers and pulls
up each concrete precast segment which makes up the skytrain deck, aligning them into their final position. Once they are aligned and attached, steel cables are inserted through and tensioned, giving strength to the structure.

The gantries are lifting more than 1200 concrete segments into the air, joining them together to form the deck of the four kilometre skytrain.