Warnings that metro rail line to Sydney’s new airport is set to be delayed again

The opening of a multibillion-dollar metro rail line to Sydney’s new international airport risks being delayed until 2028 as switching on power at stations, and other work on the troubled project, runs late amid a protracted dispute between the state government and contractors.

Confidential Sydney Metro documents reveal bureaucrats in January warned of an “elevated” risk to the 23 kilometre metro line’s latest targeted completion date of late December next year, raising the prospect of it slipping into 2028, extending the delay in opening it to about 18 months.

The officials cited an “overall sharp reduction in achievement of planned [versus] actual installation activities”, as well as delays to delivery of trains and other significant equipment such as power transformers.

The rail line was originally meant to open when passenger flights start at Western Sydney Airport in October. Monthly reviews for the rail project show target dates for turning power on at stations such as St Marys, followed by those for commissioning them, have slipped.

A review in January said progress on mechanical, electrical and plumbing work at stations was “inconsistent”, and “most problematic” at St Marys and the airport terminal station. “This has resulted in delay to forecast for critical [high-voltage] room readiness,” it said.

A stabling and maintenance facility at Orchards Hills for the fleet of new driverless trains faces delays of almost two months in switching on power, which officials concede “does not provide confidence in the overall program”.

The documents confirm delays in shipping 12 trains built by German multinational Siemens from Europe to NSW. Under the latest timeframe, the first train to arrive in NSW “has been delayed” from May 12 to June 10, almost a month later than planned due to customer testing in Vienna.

“The remaining trains will arrive in three-week intervals, except for trains one and two, which arrive on 29 April 2027,” it says, noting that the latter are undergoing testing on tracks in Germany.

After a two-month sea voyage, the first train will arrive at Port Kembla this month before it is transported in early July to the Orchard Hills stabling yards.

The January review also cited a delay of three to four weeks to forecast construction work as installation of rail systems at stations nears. “Set alongside the delay in train delivery, this trend raises questions for Siemens’ scope,” it said.

Even before the warnings in January, a review in September advised that “ongoing delay” to powering the Orchard Hills stabling and maintenance facil