The tunnel will be part of a body of works seeking to remove the operational conflict between freight and passenger trains on the Main North Line.
The North Strathfield Rail Underpass project will resolve two issues in the area of the service:
- A steep incline slowing freight uphill from Parramatta River to Hornsby;
- Freight trains crossing tracks causing delays to passenger services.
In order to overcome these issues, Transport for New South Wales has proposed the construction of a 200 m tunnel under the M4 Motorway and running parallel to Queen Street.
The project is due to be complete in late 2015.