The Sydney Metro West project has reached another significant milestone, with the two eastern tunnel boring machines successfully passing the deepest point beneath Darling Harbour and moving steadily toward their destination at Hunter Street.

This moment, described as a true “light at the end of the tunnel”, marks one of the last major challenges in the tunnelling phase, bringing Sydney another step closer to a transformative new metro line that will reshape travel between the CBD, Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park.

The massive 1,100-tonne tunnel boring machines, Jessie and Ruby, are now just 700 metres from completing their journey after carving their way 35 metres below the water’s surface and travelling beneath key landmarks such as the Australian Maritime Museum and King Street Wharf. Designed to operate in high-pressure, water-rich geological conditions, both machines have advanced at a rate of roughly 90 metres per week, carefully navigating one of the most complex underground environments in the city. Their current path takes them beneath some of Sydney’s busiest streets—including York, George and Pitt streets and directly underneath Wynyard Station as they approach the emerging Hunter Street cavern.

With tunnelling now 97% complete across the entire project, attention will soon shift to track laying and station construction, moving the Metro West line closer to its expected 2032 opening. Once operational, the new metro will double rail capacity between the CBD and Parramatta and deliver fast, reliable, high-frequency services that slash travel times across the corridor. The line is set to provide a 20-minute trip between Hunter Street and Parramatta and an impressive 15-minute connection between the CBD and Sydney Olympic Park, an enormous win for the businesses, visitors, workers and residents who depend on rapid and efficient east-west travel.

Premier Chris Minns highlighted the significance of this progress, calling it “real, substantial progress” on one of the nation’s largest public transport undertakings and emphasising its impact on accessibility to key centres including Westmead, Parramatta and Olympic Park. Minister for Transport John Graham also acknowledged the skilled team of 210 workers who have guided the tunnel boring machines through some of the most demanding underground conditions in Australia, noting that the future two-minute connection between Hunter Street and Pyrmont, and the swift 13-minute onward journey to Sydney Olympic Park, represents a “quantum leap” for east-west mobility.

For Sydney Olympic Park and its business community, the nearing completion of tunnelling signals a major step forward in long-term connectivity and precinct growth. The Metro West line remains one of the most important infrastructure projects shaping the future of Western Sydney, and with tunnelling almost finished, the vision of faster, smarter, and more efficient transport is coming sharply into view.