悉尼机场地铁线的首列无人驾驶列车已正式交付，由德国西门子公司在维也纳制造[1]。这列名为"凯恩斯"的列车标志着该项目的重要进展，悉尼地铁首席执行官Hugh Lawson将其称为"重大里程碑"[1]。
新列车在设计上针对机场乘客进行了优化[1]。车厢宽度比现有悉尼地铁增加30厘米，专门配备了行李存放区和轮椅无障碍空间，以满足携带行李的乘客和家庭出行需求[1]。联邦交通部长Catherine King将这些列车形容为西悉尼的"无人驾驶私人司机"[1]。
该地铁线全长23公里，连接圣玛丽至布拉德菲尔德，共设6个车站，建设耗资超过120亿澳元[1]。共有12列列车服务该线路，其中首列已交付，另外9列预计年底前运抵，最后2列预计2027年4月前交付[1]。根据规划，该项目预计在2027年底前完全投入运营[1]。初期运营每小时运行12列列车，容量可容纳7800人；未来可扩展至每小时20列列车，容量接近26000人[1]。
该项目原计划与机场10月开航同步，但现已推迟约18个月[1]。NSW政府与承包商就延期和成本超支问题存在纠纷，成本超支金额最多达22亿澳元[1]。
Sydney's new airport metro line has received its first driverless train, manufactured by Germany's Siemens in Vienna, marking a major milestone for the project [1]. The inaugural train, named Cairns, is the first of 12 units ordered for the service, with nine additional trains expected to arrive by year's end and the final two scheduled for delivery by April 2027 [1].
The trains are specifically tailored for airport passengers and families traveling with luggage, featuring cargo storage areas, wheelchair-accessible spaces, and carriages 30 centimeters wider than Sydney's existing metro network [1]. Operating at full capacity, the line will run 12 trains per hour with a passenger capacity of 7,800, with potential to expand to 20 trains hourly accommodating nearly 26,000 people [1]. The 23-kilometer line, connecting St Marys to Bradfield across six stations, carries a cost exceeding AUD 120 billion and was originally planned to open alongside the airport terminal in October, though operations have been delayed by approximately 18 months [1].
Sydney Metro Chief Executive Hugh Lawson described the train's arrival as a "major milestone" [1], while Federal Transport Minister Catherine King characterized the trains as "driverless personal chauffeurs for Western Sydney" [1]. The NSW government and its contractors remain in dispute over project delays and cost overruns, with potential additional expenses reaching as much as AUD 2.2 billion [1].