Minister Andrew Constance

In a win-win for the environment, Sydney Trains has teamed up with Taronga Zoo to provide bamboo from the rail corridor to feed Red Pandas and supply the Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Elephant exhibits.

Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance and Minister for Energy and Environment Matt Kean joined Sydney Trains Acting Chief Executive Suzanne Holden and Louise Ginman, Unit Supervisor of Carnivores at Taronga Zoo for a special feeding session to mark the partnership.

NORTHCONNEX is still on target to be opened in 2019 after the project reached a major milestone on Monday.

It has reached the halfway point of the project, which will connect the M2 in West Pennants Hills to the M1 entrance at Wahroonga via an underground tunnel.

The project is designed to take off thousands of trucks and cars off Pennant Hills Road, which is currently the only connection between the M1 and M2.

The project has 20 roadheaders working around the clock to dig the road tunnels.