Transport for NSW has appointed Arthur J Gallagher to deliver an insurance program for the Sydney Metro City and Southwest rail project’s second stage of development.

The stage includes a 30km line extension between Chatswood and Bankstown, due to open in 2024, along with seven new stations, five upgraded stations and 4000 commuter parking spaces.

The insurance program will initially focus on providing contract works, public liability and delay in start-up cover. Gallagher will also provide claims management and advice throughout the project.

“This is by no means a generic insurance placement,” Gallagher’s Construction Practice Leader Roger Irvine said. “The scope of the project and its inherent complexity requires a structured and tailored insurance and risk management approach that the team worked around the clock to develop in collaboration with our international colleagues.”

The scheme will introduce driverless single-deck trains and the capacity to run a train every two minutes through the centre of Sydney, carrying almost double the passenger numbers per hour per line than the current suburban system.