NSW minister for transport and infrastructure Mr Andrew Constance says the upgrade represents the biggest improvement to the station in decades and will make it easier for passengers to interchange between the expanded light rail network, suburban and inter-city trains, and the new Sydney Metro currently under construction.

“This is the start of Central’s long-awaited renewal, bringing new entrances and simpler interchanges that will make life so much easier for customers,” Constance says. “Central station is the gateway to our great city, and we are working to develop a station that blends heritage with innovative design on a par with other grand stations around the world.”

More than 270,000 people use Central station daily, with that number expected to rise to 450,000 in the next two decades.

The contract awarded to Laing O'Rourke includes:
• the excavation and construction of the new underground Sydney Metro platforms at Central beneath platforms 13 and 14, and
• Central Walk - a new 19m-wide underground concourse from Chalmers Street, which will connect with the suburban train platforms, Sydney Metro platforms, light rail and buses.

Once the project is completed in 2022, work will continue along the 30km length of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project to lay track and fit out stations before services start in 2024.