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Template:Future public transportation

MetroPitt is the name of a proposed new subway line in Sydney. The subway line, which will be exclusively underground, will start at Central Station, travel under the Central Business District (including under Pitt Street, which lends its name), cross under Sydney Harbour, pass through the Northern Sydney suburbs and end at the existing Saint Leonards railway station.

The proposal was announced by Premier Bob Carr on 15 June 2006 (shortly before his resignation).

Currently, southbound commuters heading to work generally alight at either Town Hall or Wynyard stations after crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Both stations and the lines that connect them are considerably crowded and cannot be easily expanded to handle increased capacity. A second railway line transversing Sydney Harbour would ease congestion at both stations, reduce travelling times between the City and North Sydney, and facilitate travel from North Sydney to both the Eastern Suburbs and to the south-west trunk lines.

MetroPitt is an alternative to MetroWest, the government's previous plan of running a subway line from Haymarket in the city's Chinatown precinct near Darling Harbour, along the western edge of the city under Sussex or Kent Street and either stopping at Wynyard station or crossing the harbour 'strapped' to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This option would not serve the part of the city experiencing the fastest growth of employment, and would have necessitated the destruction of eight office buildings. However in 2006 the Iemma government hasn't totally ruled out the possibility of using the MetroWest corridor sometime in the future.

MetroPitt forms part of the New South Wales government's $8 billion North West - CBD - South West line, including the North West Rail Link (to extend from Cheltenham to Rouse Hill), and the spur to Leppington in Sydney's South West. The cross-tunnel alone is slated to cost $5 billion. On 18 February 2006 Premier Morris Iemma said that his government had placed planning buffers along the corridors of both the MetroWest and MetroPitt in the city centre to secure future accessibility. . Developers who want to excavate deeper than two metres within a 25-metre buffer zone of the corridors will need to seek RailCorp's approval.

A report by the government that states the project will need to connect The Rocks station as soon as possible in order to relieve capacity on Town Hall and Wynyard, and expects the tunnel would be built by 2018. However neither the Carr not Iemma governments have wanted to publically announce an expected date of completion, with some commentators like the State Liberal member for Baulkham Hills Wayne Merton doubting the government will follow through with the promise. Previous projects, such as the Parramatta Rail Link have been either curtailed, delayed or cancelled.

Stations

In the plan the stations along MetroPitt will include:

• Central Station: Utilising platforms 26 and 27, currently unused.
• Park Street: New station near Town Hall station.
• Castlecreagh Street: New station to connect with Martin Place station.
• The Rocks: New station at the end of George Street in Sydney's historical precinct, expected to be the deepest underground in Sydney.
• Victoria Cross: New station under the six-way intersection of Mount Street, Miller Street, and the Pacific Highway in North Sydney
• Crows Nest: New station in North Sydney.
• Saint Leonards: Existing station.

See also

• Sydney Metropolitan Strategy, Department of Planning
• Satellite image of the proposed MetroPitt route, originally prepared by The Sydney Morning Herald

Template:CityRailSydney

• Subways
• CityRail