Commuters to cop eight weekend closures of Sydney’s metro line to finish final stage

1 month ago 15

Commuters face about another eight weekend closures of parts or all of Sydney’s M1 metro line to allow for testing of trains and other work on the final section of the rail project between Sydenham and Bankstown before it opens.

As high-speed testing along the final stage ramps up, a metro train travelled the entire length of the 66-kilometre M1 line from Tallawong to Bankstown via the city, stopping at all 31 stations. The train reached speeds of 100km/h on the final section between Sydenham and Bankstown.

Southwest Metro project director Alia Karaman said about eight weekend shutdowns of parts or all of the existing M1 line would be required to complete the final stage.

A metro train passes Transport Minister John Graham, left, and other ministers and officials on a platform at Wiley Park station on Thursday.

“If we don’t shut down, then it means we’re not able to complete a critical part of the work,” she said. “The number [of shutdowns] will vary depending on the functionality that’s required, the events and the weekend that we are targeting.”

Metro services will not run on the M1 line between Tallawong and Sydenham this weekend, as well as January 24-25, to allow for systems testing. At least four weeks’ notice will be given to commuters of other weekend closures.

The final stage between Sydenham and Bankstown was to be opened in late 2025 after a 12-month shutdown of the old heavy rail line, but was later delayed until the second half of this year.

Workers toil away on a platform at Wiley Park station on Thursday.

Under the original plans of the previous Coalition government, the south-west section was meant to open in 2024 at the same time as the rest of the second stage between Chatswood and Sydenham.

Transport Minister John Graham declined to give a target date for the opening, reiterating that it would be in the second half of this year. “When we can be more specific, we will be,” he said on Thursday.

While describing the full-length train trip as a breakthrough for the project, Graham said there was no way to convert the existing heavy rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown to metro train standards without some disruption to commuters.

“There’s a lot of testing to go. There will be more disruption ahead. We’re warning that on the 17th and 18th of January, and the 24th and the 25th of January, the metro line will not be operating so that we can do this important work,” he said.

Coalition transport spokesperson Natalie Ward said Graham should explain when the final section of the M1 line would actually open. “Labor told commuters they’d be riding this metro in September last year. It’s now January 2026, and they’re still waiting,” she said.

The latest phase of high-speed testing of trains requires a minimum of 9000 hours and 30,000 kilometres of combined testing to be completed before the M1 line’s final stage opens.

About 79 per cent of work in the corridor in Sydney’s south-west and at stations has been completed. Tiling is largely finished at four stations and is progressing at the other six on the final section, while painting and landscaping are underway at most stations.

Testing is also well progressed on the platform screen doors and 170 mechanical gap fillers, and the latter has passed its first round of tests at every station.

The installation of the gap fillers to platforms at eight stations has added complexity to the operation of driverless trains. The small hydraulic platforms extend to the metro carriages before screen doors open, ensuring commuters can safely step on and off when the line opens.

The cost of completing the final stretch between Sydenham and Bankstown has blown out the cost of what was formerly known as the Metro City and Southwest project to as much $23 billion, from a previous forecast of $21.6 billion.

The price tag of the city and south-west sections is now more than double the original forecast of about $11.5 billion last decade. Combined with the $7.3 billion cost of the first stage from Tallawong to Chatswood, which opened in 2019, the price tag for the entire 66-kilometre line is now $30.4 billion.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.