Sydney Metro has unveiled the seventh of eight train station designs by Hassell for Sydney Metro Northwest, leaving just one to be revealed.
Rouse Hill station is one of two elevated stations on the train line and will sit more than 12 metres above the ground as part of the 4-kilometre sky train.
Designs for other stations on the Northwest line – Cherrybrook, Castle Hill, Showground, Norwest, Bella Vista and Cudgegong Road – have already been released, with the design for Kellyville, the second elevated station, still to come.
Under a $3.7 billion public–private partnership, Northwest Rapid Transit has been contracted to deliver Sydney Metro Northwest. The project involves installing 23 kilometres of new track and rail systems, eight railway stations, 4000 commuter car parking spaces and the conversion of 13 kilometres of railway to metro status.
Hassell has designed all of the Sydney Metro Northwest stations. The station designs focus on customer needs and include easy access via lifts and escalators, weather protection and maximum natural light.
Each Sydney Metro station will feature platform screen doors to ensure objects such as prams are kept away from the edge and to allow trains to travel at faster speeds.
Principal of Hassell, Ross de la Motte, said the design of the Sydney Metro Northwest stations responds to the challenge of making the journey easy for customers.
“The station design is defined by order, simplicity and resilience. Most importantly, this translates to the customer experience being easy, accessible, pleasant and connected,” de la Motte said.
Sydney Metro Station Design from Architecture Media on Vimeo.
The canopy design that spans the entrance of each station was inspired by a blue gum leaf and will be used to signify Sydney Metro Northwest stations. All stations use a common palette of materials, which was selected with longevity in mind and includes metal roofs, local timer and white concrete foundations.
The stations have been designed to have low energy requirements, with features such as natural ventilation and daylight with coloured light pieces to brighten station interiors. Technology including digital wayfinding, video help points and real-time journey updates will provide customers with travel information.
An urban design and corridor landscape plan is also being designed for each station to assist the integration of the new station into its local area. This will include a forest of native and flowering trees to highlight the agricultural past of Sydney’s north west.
Bus interchanges, bicycle storage, taxi spaces and “kiss-and-ride” – or drop-off and pick-up areas – will be located at each station.
NSW minister for transport and infrastructure, Andrew Constance, said Rouse Hill would become a new hub for commuters.
“Sydney Metro will change the way of life forever in the Hills region, for the first time delivering a reliable public transport service to an area that will grow to twice the size of Canberra in coming decades,” Constance said.
Sydney Metro Northwest is due to open in the first half of 2019. Stage two of the project, which extends the Sydney Metro under Sydney Harbour, under the CBD and on to Bankstown, is expected to open in 2024.
Hassell’s previous station designs include the Epping to Chatswood Rail Link, which won the 2010 Sulman Medal and 2011 Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture at the 2010 National Architecture Awards.
