Sydney Metro City has begun trial running of its full-service timetable ahead of an expected August opening.
Upon opening, this service will provide faster trips for commuters travelling across Sydney said NSW Premier, Chris Minns.
“The countdown is now on to thousands of people across Sydney getting to spend less time travelling and more time with their family and friends,” said Mr Minns.
“These metro lines are part of a city-shaping public transport project that will support more housing for a generation of young people who have been locked out of homes for too long.
“If we are going to address the housing crisis, we have to build homes near public transport like this and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
The trial running that is beginning will see services run between Chatswood, under the Sydney CBD and out to Sydenham.
It follows more than a year of testing and commissioning of the new infrastructure, including the new tunnels, trains and stations – a crucial step in achieving accreditation before passenger services commence.
Since the testing program started in April 2023, approximately 9,800 hours of a total of 11,000 hours of required testing has been completed along the 51.5km line from Tallawong to Sydenham.
Network tests include running operational processes and procedures, as well as replicating emergency exercises to assess the response to unplanned situations.
These scenarios include incidents and service recovery, such as trains stopped in tunnels, customer evacuations and drills involving emergency services.
When metro services start through the city this year, passengers will benefit from fully accessible, safe and direct public transport services with record travel times in the peak, including from:
- Martin Place to Waterloo in 6 minutes;
- Sydenham to Macquarie University in 33 minutes;
- Central to Chatswood in 15 minutes;
- North Sydney’s Victoria Cross under the harbour to Barangaroo in 3 minutes.
“Soon Sydney will have a world-class metro service travelling right through the heart of the CBD,” said Transport Minister, Jo Haylen.
“Around 1000 people will be involved in the simulated scenarios, playing the role of the customer, to ensure we are ready to welcome commuters on board mid this year.
“It is an exciting time for this great city as Metro is introduced in the heart of the CBD, to the west and greater west, contributing to the biggest transformation in public transport Sydney has ever seen.”
The extension of metro services from Sydenham to Bankstown will be the next stage of Sydney Metro’s transformation.
The T3 Bankstown Line will be closed for the 12-month conversion, to deliver turn-up-and-go metro services every 4 minutes in the peak upon opening 2025.
A comprehensive temporary transport plan, including alternative bus and rail services, will ensure customers can get to where they need to go.
The closure of the T3 Bankstown Line will not occur until the city section of the line provides a reliable service for commuters from Sydenham into the CBD.
This significant milestone for the city project comes as work surges ahead at lightning pace on the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport project, where major tunnelling is now complete after tunnel boring machine (TBM) Marlene broke through at St Marys.
With tunnelling for the Airport project complete, the focus for the team now turns to preparing for the start of tracklaying and the construction of six new stations.
