Testing has commenced on Sydney's Sydenham to Bankstown metro extension, promising an end to the replacement bus services that have plagued commuters for nearly two years. The new line offers speeds of up to 100km/h, but the New South Wales government remains tight-lipped about a firm start date for passenger services.
Replacement Buses Nearing the End
For almost two years, thousands of passengers in Sydney's inner west and south-west have queued daily for replacement buses. In Marrickville, the queue for the bus to nearby Sydenham metro station winds past artisan butchers and bánh mi shops. During the morning peak, commuters sometimes wait for three or four bright-pink buses before securing a spot. With “through running” testing starting on Tuesday, those replacement buses will soon be a bad memory.
Premier Cautious on Start Date
“We are still in the hands of the national safety regulator, and we don’t want to tempt fate with a date that we don’t meet,” Premier Chris Minns said on Tuesday, pre-empting questions from reporters ahead of a media opportunity to ride from Sydenham to Bankstown. As the doors beep shut at Sydenham, the prospect of journeys to Bankstown in less than half an hour feels very real. Five minutes later, the train has not moved. “I reckon it’s going to be hard to make 24 minutes,” joked the premier, who got off at the first stop: Marrickville.
Speeding Through the Inner West
Soon the train was zooming through the inner west at unprecedented speeds of up to 100km/h, the Cooks River passing underneath. As the train pulled up to stations – Campsie, Canterbury, Belmore – the doors opened to reveal workers in orange hi-vis, removing plastic wrapping from benches, fixing signage, and working on lifts. These former T3 Bankstown line stations have been closed since September 2024, following the opening of the city metro extension the month before.
Delays and Heritage Issues
Since then, metro trains have been running from Tallawong in the north-west via Central station, terminating at Sydenham. As of Tuesday, after passengers disembark at Sydenham, some trains will carry on – or “through run” – to Bankstown. They will ramp up so that every service will run to Bankstown before passenger services begin. Last month, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Sydney Metro was targeting mid-October. Acting NSW transport minister Jenny Aitchison, who stayed on board all the way to Bankstown and back, refused to be drawn on a date. “If you look at the revised program that was put in place, I think we’re meeting all the targets along that,” she said. Aitchison attributed the delays to “heritage issues on the network”. Alia Karaman, project director for Sydney Metro Southwest, added: “We’re a brownfield railway, there are unexpected hiccups every day.”
Unexpected Stop and Time Savings
Outside Lakemba, there was an unexpected stop. The train ground to a halt, and the horn went off. The faces of dozens of transport officials dropped. Something had triggered the network alarm system, possibly blocking the track. Thankfully, the train started moving again. From the time the train actually left Sydenham to when doors opened on the rejuvenated Bankstown station, it took just over 26 minutes, despite the interruption. A journey from Bankstown to Central is expected to take 28 minutes – a six-minute saving compared with the former rail line. Lakemba to Victoria Cross is expected to take 37 minutes – a 24-minute saving.
Capacity and Future Demand
The government says the extension will deliver capacity for an additional 17,000 people during peak hours. But will that be enough? Aitchison said Transport for NSW has modelled demand. “We know there’s obviously going to be demand, but it is hard to know that until it actually starts.” For now, Sydneysiders have more interruptions to deal with, including full line closures across the whole metro line in coming weekends in July. At times during the journey to Bankstown and back to Sydenham, the replacement bus could be glimpsed running alongside the train – the status quo, for now.
