North West Metro - Proposed Route

Proposed Route

The North West Metro was to have been 37 km (23 mi) in length, with 32 km (20 mi) underground and 5 km (3.1 mi) above ground. The line was likely to have been operated without drivers. It was to run on conventional standard gauge track, similar to the existing CityRail network, but would have used single deck rolling stock in contrast to CityRail's double deck stock.

There were 17 new metro stations proposed at:

• St James - with interchange for train services for the City Circle
• Martin Place - with interchange for train services for Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line
• Wynyard - with interchange with train services for the City Circle, North Shore, Northern and Western Lines
• Pyrmont - with interchange with Metro Light Rail services
• Rozelle
• Drummoyne
• Henley
• Gladesville
• Top Ryde
• Denistone East
• Epping - an interchange with train services to Hornsby, Chatswood and Strathfield
• Cherrybrook - on the corner of Franklin Road and Castle Hill Road with a car park for 960 car spaces, a bus interchange, taxi stands, and kiss and ride stands
• Castle Hill - between Old Castle Hill Road and Old Northern Road with a bus interchange and taxi stands on Old Castle Hill Road, and interchange with North-West T-way services
• Hills Centre - between Carrington Road and Castle Hill Showground near the Hills Centre, with a car park for 640 car spaces, a bus interchange, taxi stands, and kiss and ride stands
• Norwest - in the suburb of Bella Vista, Sydney between Norwest Boulevard and Norwest Marketown, with a car park for 640 car spaces, a bus interchange, taxi stands, and kiss and ride stands
• Kellyville - between Burns Interchange and Balmoral Road, with a car park for 1200 car spaces, a bus interchange, taxi stands, and kiss and ride stands, and connections to the Burns Interchange North West T-way station
• Rouse Hill - an interchange for North-West T-way services

In addition to the stations, a surface facility for ventilation and emergency egress, storage and/or amenities was to have been constructed "at the midpoint of the tunnel between Epping and" Cherrybrook, to service the unusually long (6 km) tunnel between the two stations.

The metro was supposed to offer a service of one train every four to five minutes during the off peak, increasing to every three minutes during peak hours. A journey from St James to Rouse Hill was estimated to take 44 minutes, however there was debate as to whether advertised point-to-point transit times were too optimistic.

Construction was to begin in 2010 with the first section from Hills Centre to Epping to open in 2015. By 2017 all stations from Rouse Hill to St. James were due to be open.