Series synopsis
Sydney's Super Tunnel is an Australian documentary television series that premiered on SBS on August 12, 2020. It stars Lani Tupu.
The documentary series, filmed over seven years, delves into the complexities of the Sydney Metro project, focusing on the tunnel construction, including under-harbor tunnelling, the use of large tunnel boring machines, and excavation work deep below the city. It also highlights the role of steam locomotives and other aspects of the project including rigorous testing of the automated driverless trains to ensure the safety and longevity for many years of public use.
Premise
The documentary series, filmed over seven years, delves into the complexities of the Sydney Metro project, focusing on the tunnel construction, including under-harbor tunnelling, the use of large tunnel boring machines, and excavation work deep below the city. It also highlights the role of steam locomotives and other aspects of the project including rigorous testing of the automated driverless trains to ensure the safety and longevity for many years of public use.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Lani Tupu as Narrator
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 8 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 4 | August 12, 2020 | September 9, 2020 |
| Season 2 | 4 | April 3, 2025 | April 24, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Action Stations The show kicks off with a dynamic taster of what the series has in store - namely the inside story of a crack team building a trailblazing, fully-automated metro system costing $50 billion. |
August 12, 2020 |
| 2 |
What Lies Beneath We check in on our engineers encountering all manner of issues tunnelling through a minefield of existing infrastructure - skyscraper footings and basements, sewers, a graveyard, and rail tunnels. |
August 19, 2020 |
| 3 |
Digging Deep Another super challenge looms, perhaps the greatest of the entire project - digging two tunnels beneath Sydney Harbour. |
September 2, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Great Expectations An extension is now underway to get people into the centre of Australia's biggest city, including a new tunnel crossing deep under Sydney Harbour. |
April 3, 2025 |
| 2 |
Down And Dirty As Australia's largest transport project gets underway, we go back under Sydney Harbour to check out history in the making as the construction of the twin metro rail tunnels continues deep under the surface. |
April 10, 2025 |
| 3 |
Testing Times After the completion of 30km of tunnelling, workers prepare to build railway stations, lay tracks and test driverless trains; at Central Station, Australia's busiest railway station, Central Walk, the underground pedestrian subway comes to life. |
April 17, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | SBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | August 12, 2020 |
| Last aired | April 24, 2025 |
| Runtime | 51 minutes |
| Status | continue |