耗资83亿澳元的悉尼西北线铁路工程前期准备工作进展顺利，快于原定计划，预计隧道考工将于10月底开始。

据澳新社报道，上周一，新南威尔士州州长BarryO’Farrell 在Bella Vista的施工现场说，悉尼西北线铁路项目的招工活动正在进行，将招聘900名工人来修建这条铁路。

Barry O’Farrell说：这对于悉尼西北部的人是一个好消息，他们等这条铁路已经很久了。

开挖隧道用的大型钻机，其长度比As80型空中客机还长一倍，将在10月底开始作业，比原定计划提前了几个月，将用两年的时间挖通到Cherrybrook。

在这条铁路将建八座车站，包括 Castle Hill, ShowGround, Norwest, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Cudgegong Road. 将设4000个停车位。

届时高峰期每五分钟就有一例火车通过，并将是单层火车。

O’Farrell 对于单层车做了说明，表示类似于这种单层车正越来越多的应用于伦敦和巴黎等大城市，因为这种单层车可以搭载更多的人，运行速度更快，而且乘客上下车也更方便。

悉尼西北线铁路将于2019年完工。

North West Rail Link

The North West Rail Link is a priority rail project forthe NSW Government.

A specialised Project Team has been established withinTransport for NSW to coordinate and expedite work on the project.

Eight new railway stations are proposed:  Cherrybrook,Castle Hill, Showground, Norwest, Bella Vista, Kellyville, Rouse Hill and Cudgegong Road.

The North West Rail Link will be part of Sydney’s Rail Future – a customer-focused public transport plan to modernise Sydney’s trains.

Customers will be able to catch a train every fiveminutes in the peak – 12 trains an hour.

Fast, single deck, high frequency trains betweenCudgegong Rd and Chatswood.

It will be the first rail link in Sydney to have new single deck trains which are able to carry about 50 per cent more people than double deck trains over an hour.

The 15.5km of tunnels between Bella Vista and Epping are the longest rail tunnels ever constructed in Australia.