Sandstone dug up from underneath Sydney from the Sydney Metro tunnels will be reused in the construction of Western Sydney Airport under an innovative agreement between the Federal and NSW Governments.
Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said trucks would transport more than 500,000 tonnes of sandstone from Metro tunnelling sites at Chatswood and Marrickville to the site of Sydney’s new airport.
“The colossal weight of sandstone being reused at Western Sydney Airportis the equivalent to almost 2,000 Boeing 787 Dreamliners,” Mr Tudge said.
“From trains to planes, this innovative solution will save taxpayers money and will reduce environmental impact through recycling the sandstone for use in the airport’s construction, rather than going to landfill.”
The sandstone will be used as a foundation to support the construction of the runway, taxiways and roads on the site of the airport.
NSW Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said more than 148,000 tonnes of high-quality sandstone have been transferred to the airport site since May.
“Five tunnel boring machines are working their way from Chatswood to Marrickville and Sydney Metro aims to reuse 100 per cent of the crushed rock removed during excavation.”
“The really great news is excavation on the twin 15.5 kilometre railway tunnels is already 50 per cent complete.”
Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport will be designed to service international and domestic, as well as full-service and low-cost, carriers from the day it opens.
The Morrison Government has committed up to $5.3 billion to make this vital airport a reality. The airport is on track to open in late 2026.
Over 11,000 direct and indirect jobs will be supported during its construction. By 2031, the airport will support about 28,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project.
The new standalone railway will deliver 31 metro stations and more than 66 kilometres of new metro rail, revolutionising the way Australia’s biggest city travels.
