Transport Minister Andrew Constance briefed hundreds of industry executives on Tuesday morning about the $10 billion-plus project, which the government recently dubbed “Sydney Metro”.

“This massive city shaping project will be the new spine of our city’s public transport system and will serve us for generations to come with room to grow,” Mr Constance said.

…….The new line, which will use single-deck driverless trains, will connect to the proposed extension of the north west rail link at Chatswood, run under the city, and connect to the Bankstown Line at Sydenham.

At least three new train stations will be built in the city, at Martin Place, Pitt Street near Town Hall, and Central, with the possibility of another station at Barangaroo.

The stations that are being built for the north west rail link in Sydney’s outer north west suburbs have involved the digging of large boxes underground, a process that could need to be repeated in Sydney’s central business district.

Asked if new developments could be built on station boxes in central Sydney, Mr Constance said: “We’ve got to be open to everything.

“We are going to see a massive influx of people into Sydney as we grow, we are going to see the population grow to six million people by 2031, that means a combination of transport projects facilitating both urban developments in terms of brownfield sites and obviously greenfield sites as well,” he said.

“You only need to look at the development that’s happening in the north-west, and what we will see in terms of the uplift associated with Sydney Metro North West, to know that this type of infrastructure is a game changer in terms of urban design, urban planning,” he said.

“We want to maximise the development opportunities off the investments we are making on behalf of the taxpayer because it makes economic and social sense.”

Construction on the project is slated to start in 2017 and finish in 2024.