All Aboard! Celebrating Sydney Central Station Metro's first anniversary

A new children's book celebrating Central Station's 116 year history has launched to mark one year since the opening of the Sydney Metro City line between Chatswood and Sydenham.

‘All onboard – Discovering Sydney’s Central Station’ has been written by the fantastic Australian author Jackie French and illustrated by the talented Martina Heiduczek.

Laing O’Rourke and John McAslan + Partners had the vision to capture the fantastic stories we heard while working on the landmark Central Station Metro project.

The book explores how Central Station evolved from a tin shed in 1855 to Australia’s busiest and most iconic railway hub.

Mark Dimmock, Managing Director of Laing O'Rourke Australia, said:

"The Sydney Central Station Metro is truly a construction and engineering masterpiece that Laing O'Rourke and our client Sydney Metro are incredibly proud of. I would like to thank each individual who worked on this iconic project from tender stage through to today.

What makes this children's book particularly special is that it captures not just our remarkable achievement in transforming Australia's busiest commuter hub but places it within the rich tapestry of Central Station's extraordinary history. Our project, with its engineering marvel Central Walk, the innovative roof canopy built three times over, and the 27-metre-deep metro platforms, becomes part of a story that spans generations.

When children read about Central Station's past and discover how we've helped write its next chapter through sustainable design and world-leading construction techniques, they're seeing how today's engineering excellence builds upon yesterday's vision. That's a legacy we're incredibly proud to have contributed to, and one that will inspire the next generation of builders and dreamers."

Author Jackie French added, “This book is to everyone who loves trains and to all the train guards of my many solo train trips between Sydney and Brisbane as a child, who brought me plates of mixed cream and Nice biscuits, and made each journey a fascinating adventure.”

In Australia, the completion of the Sydney Central Station Metro project combined a once-in-a-century remodel of a nationally iconic station with a new-build Metro hub for the most significant transportation investment in a generation. The project involved multiple complexities – not least of which was keeping the station functioning throughout, while delivering to exacting environmental standards.