Waterloo Station has become the first stop on the City and Southwest metro line to be completed.
The metro station is expected to welcome 19,000 visitors each day when it opens later this year.
The state government says passengers travelling from Waterloo will arrive at Central station in two minutes, and Barangaroo in eight minutes.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said, “This is an important milestone for Sydney Metro, with construction now complete for the first new station on this line.”
One of six new stations to be unveiled in Sydney, Waterloo Station was part of the government’s plan to revitalise the area, which included the Waterloo South estate. This saw a boost of social and affordable housing from 34 to 5o per cent – an increase of 500 homes.
Minister for Housing Rose Jackson said, “This construction milestone at Waterloo Metro Quarter is just the start of more social and affordable homes to come in this area.”
Minister for Transport Jo Haylen described said the station would be a “game-changer” for Waterloo, Redfern and Alexandria.
The station would also “significantly reduce traffic on our inner-city roads, while alleviating pressure at nearby Redfern and Green Square stations,” she continued.
“This is a striking station with a design that honours Aboriginal heritage and pays homage to Waterloo’s history. Its 170-metre-long platforms will receive a lightning-fast train every four minutes in the peak,” she continued.
The main entrance to the concourse features 100 Indigenous footprints on a wall mounded by Gadigal Nura by artist Nicole Monks.
Towering over the concourse is a local Aboriginal dancer holding a boomerang, which can be seen even from parts of the platform, 25 metres below the surface.