North West Rail Link
The North West Rail Link is currently Australia’s largest public infrastructure project in construction. At completion, it will bring the country’s greatest rapid transit rail system to the North West suburbs of Sydney.
In a region where car ownership per household is the highest in Australia, this $8.3 billion project funded by the NSW Government will offer residents an alternative mode of transport to alleviate the fast growing population and car dependency in the area.
The NWRL is Sydney’s largest public infrastructure development since the construction of the Harbour Bridge and consists of:
- Eight new railway stations from Cudgegong Road to Cherrybrook, extending to the existing rail infrastructure at Epping
- 4,000 new park and ride spots
- Australia’s longest rail tunnels to date; 15km twin tunnels that will run between Bella Vista and Epping.
- 4.6km ‘Skytrain’ viaduct between Balmoral Road and Windsor Road
- Cable-stayed bridge of 270m
- Three road bridges
Turf Design Studio was commissioned by Salini Impregilo Joint Venture (ISJV) to prepare the Urban Design and Landscape Plan Report as part of the NWRL Surface and Viaduct Civil (SVC) Project Works. Our urban design objective is to create a seamless and elegant piece of civil infrastructure that relates to its surrounding environment and reinforces its local identity.
Our report outlines a strategy to explore the representation of our environment through art along the viaduct, bridge abutments and corridor walls, to assist in transforming these extensive and hard surfaces into legible and reflective landscape components. In addition, the art will double as intuitive way finding features for commuters and motorists driving alongside the rail corridor. Our contribution to the softworks design and planning of the NWRL will provide the rail corridor with climatic amelioration, amenity and biodiversity over the long term.
