Feel good getting there

Sustainability is serious business at Sydney Metro 

For Sydney Metro “Sustainability” means planning, building and operating a metro system for current and future generations that optimises environmental, social and economic outcomes. This means:

• developing effective and appropriate responses to the key challenges of today and tomorrow such as climate resilience, energy security, land use, liveability, employment, diversity and inclusion
• being environmentally responsible by mitigating or reducing pollution and emissions, demonstrating stewardship towards the natural environment and reducing our ecological footprint, while complying with all applicable environmental laws, regulations and statutory obligations
• being socially responsible by working towards improving liveability and accessibility in the Greater Sydney region; and
• delivering a workforce and skills legacy which benefits individuals, communities, our projects and industry, and is achieved through collaboration and partnerships. 

Did you know Sydney Metro runs on 100% renewable electricity?

In fact, all of Sydney Metro’s trains, stations, and operational facilities have been powered entirely by renewable electricity since mid-2019!
Where we can we generate electricity ourselves, including from a 1.1 Megawatt solar array as big as a football field on the roof of the Sydney Metro HQ in Rouse Hill. But that’s not enough to power all our stations and train network, so we also changed the way we source electricity, opting out of non-renewable power when we purchase electricity from the grid.

Here’s how it works. Large renewable power generators create certificates for every megawatt hour of renewable electricity they produce. Sydney Metro purchases these renewable energy certificates from the power generators or suppliers. We then surrender these certificates to verify that our electricity consumption from the national grid is matched by an equivalent amount of renewable generation.
Currently Sydney Metro’s renewable energy certificates are being sourced from a purpose built solar farm at Beryl near Gulgong in central NSW.

The use of renewable energy certificates is the most transparent way to ensure the supply of electricity that powers the Metro trains you catch comes from 100% renewable sources. This certificate system also helps grow the local renewable energy industry, with revenue generated from the sale of certificates encouraging further investment in renewable energy generation.

We reduce carbon emissions in other ways too: from design to operations

To reduce our energy requirements in the first place, our stations and trains have been designed with key energy efficiency features to minimise energy demand. For example, our trains use regenerative braking to reduce the amount of energy consumed in traction. Regenerative braking occurs when energy from braking is captured back into the trackside powerlines (rather than being lost as heat) and passed on to power another Metro train within range.

Stations and associated rail infrastructure on Sydney Metro’s M1ⁱ line have been built with 26.2% less embodied carbon than business as usualⁱⁱ (that’s 401,862 tonnes of carbon avoided!). Embodied carbon is the greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with the creation, maintenance and end-of-life disposal of an asset. This includes the emissions associated with the production and transportation of materials, construction related emissions and end-of-life emissions.

Here’s how we did it: 

• choosing low carbon materials like concrete with high cement replacement rate (averaging at 38%)
• reusing and recycling 96% of all construction and demolition waste
• offsetting 20 to 46% carbon emissions associated with electricity used during construction
• trialling electric and biodiesel fuelled equipment and machinery to replace standard fossil fuel driven alternatives
• using materials that are locally made, have high recycled content or have been repurposed from our demolition works like reused timber to make new benches for some of our stations.

Other initiatives that achieve sustainability outcomes

Sydney Metro’s Sustainability webpage includes many more examplesⁱⁱⁱ of how we’re working towards a future where every journey is people and planet positive. Some of the highlights for the M1 line include:

• Washing the outside of our trains with 100% recycled water at our maintenance facility. 
• Delivering more than 100 programs to benefit the community during construction: from working with womens’ shelters, to providing tech support to seniors.
• Landscaping over 80 hectares with nearly 900,000 native plants and planting more than 1,000 trees.
• Employing 1,905 apprentices on our projects, making up 22% of our trade workforce.

Visit Sydney Metro Sustainability webpage to read more about how we’re working towards a future where every journey is people and planet positive.

As Transport moves closer towards our 2035 target of Net Zero emissions in Transport operations and fleet across the entire NSW public transport network, every trip you take makes a difference. Tap on, feel good, and join us on the journey towards a more sustainable future.

_{ⁱ A reference to ‘M1’ on this website means the Sydney Metro rail line from Tallawong station to Sydenham station.}

_{ⁱⁱ‘Business as usual’ (BAU) means the applicable rating scheme for the respective target (for example, IS Ratings, Green Star Ratings and TfNSW Carbon Estimate and Reporting Tool (CERT)}

_{ⁱⁱⁱThe information on this website was correct at the time of publication and is subject to change.}