"One of the things that has taxed us is that they are significantly curved platforms,"Sydney Metro program development director Luke Franzmann told about 500 people at an industry briefing on Friday."That is something we want to test with industry."
Unlike the double-decker trains such as the S-Sets and Tangaras that ply the existing Bankstown Line,the driverless metro trains will need to stop at exact positions on platforms to allow for barriers to open for passengers.
While train drivers will be sacrificed,the benefits for passengers will be level access and smaller gaps between carriages and platforms. In contrast,some existing platforms in Sydney require passengers to make a small step on or off carriages.
While the metro line from Chatswood to Sydenham involves digging twin 15-kilometre tunnels via new stations at spots such as Martin Place and Pitt Street in Sydney's CBD,the extension to Bankstown will require upgrading the existing 13.5 km railway,including a realignment of the track in places. Nine stations are located between Sydenham and Bankstown,including at Marrickville,Dulwich Hill,Canterbury and Lakemba.
Mr Franzmann said the conversion of the existing line to one that was capable of handling high-frequency driverless trains would be a challenge,especially given the rail corridor was more than a century old.
The project team had to consider a"major overhaul"of all of the stations on the Bankstown line because of the desire to"achieve a metro product",which includes platform edge barriers,better accessibility for passengers and lifts at every stop.