Central Station to house the Southern Hemisphere’s longest escalators

By TOKS OGUNDARE

Sydney’s Central Station has a new claim to fame after the NSW government this week installed the longest escalators in the southern hemisphere.  

The first of nine record-breaking escalators running underground have been installed at Central Station as part of the NSW Government’s $955 million development of the nation’s busiest station. Extending 27 metres below the surface, the new escalators will connect the light rail with suburban and metro trains.

Work on the new Sydney Metro Central Station is well underway, with the excavation of the underground cavern and installation of the new metro platforms complete.

Premier Dominic Perrottet and Transport Minister David Elliott inspected a new 80-metre pedestrian link named Central Walk which is being constructed underneath platforms 16 to 23.

“The first stage of Central Walk is being prepared to open this year,” Mr Elliott said.

“When complete, this underground link will make it easier for customers to connect with train, bus light rail, and metro services.”

In a press conference today, Mr Perrottet called the upgrade “the biggest improvement to the station in decades”.

“This new development is in keeping with the aesthetics and the beauty of the most iconic station in the country,” he said.

Sydneysiders can expect to use Central Walk and the new escalators from platforms 12 to 23, as well as the lifts to platforms 12-23 when they open later this year. 

The new Metro platforms will only become operational once Sydney Metro City and Southwest services begin in 2024.