
Hey Sydney- Something's Changed
By ECF Practice Lead, Sara Wilson
Thanks to all those who shared about how wonderful it has been to ride the new Sydney Metro. I’m fortunate to have been on it too. And I agree. It’s something special. Grown up. International. Wonderful. Beautiful, even. But has anyone noticed the areas above and around the stations? You could be forgiven for thinking they’ve always been there. Of course, they haven’t, they’re all new, too, just like the stations below. They just “feel” right, like they belong there.
This experience is not only testament to the architects and construction companies that designed and delivered the buildings and other over-station structures, but also to the long-term planning that was done before there was any money on the table or approvals locked away. These are the result of visionary precinct plans, done by urban planners who didn’t just look at the buildings in isolation, but imagined what the “place” would feel like. What would it be like to be a human interacting with the space? What would the story of that place be? And how would it be expressed?
Of course, many thousands of hours were spent, seeking ideas and feedback from people of all kinds of backgrounds and interests, including the traditional owners of the land on which the stations sit. Perhaps more than most major infrastructure projects, I couldn’t say. What I do think is really evident, is the different approach that was taken, even the language. These were always station “precincts”, where both transport and travel were considered, where experience as well as efficiency were measured, and where arriving and departing were just as important as lingering and enjoying.
Somehow, it feels like we haven’t just arrived at our destination. It feels like we’re on a different journey now. A grown up one, where humans are well and truly at the centre of our urban places, no matter where they are.
Sydney Metro
By ECF General Manager, Tracey Arthur
A month is an extremely long time in the ever-evolving world of social media, news cycles and politics.
The opening of the Sydney Metro, however, is one story that captured the hearts of NSW for several weeks – from current and former politicians to the media, public transport commuters, train enthusiasts, engineers, architects and government employees.
Over the past few weeks my social media feeds have been full of positive, heartfelt stories. The posts have been from those who worked on the project, filled with genuine pride and excitement, at their involvement in helping to create a city shaping, public transport system or simply to announce the joy of having a fast, efficient, reliable service.
I was fortunate to work at Transport for NSW in the early days of the project and experience the enthusiasm as this critical transport infrastructure project was coming to life and later, lucky enough, to have a few sneak peeks at the underground stations as they were evolving from deep caverns to majestic pieces of architecture.
As tunnel boring machines churn beneath our city and construction continues to shape our future public transport and roads infrastructure, we look forward to the opening of the next significant project that will change the way we travel.
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