Final stage of Sydney’s M1 metro line set to open as late as next September

15 hours ago 4

The final stage of Sydney’s $29 billion M1 metro line is set to open as late as September next year, two years after a section of track in the city’s south-west was closed to complete the mega-project which forced tens of thousands of commuters onto replacement buses.

Transport for NSW is now targeting an opening of the south-west section between Sydenham and Bankstown of the M1 line in September, according to those close to the complex project.

The opening date for the 13-kilometre section will be subject to high-speed testing of automated trains on the line, which is expected to start within the next few weeks, and ultimately hinges on final approval by the national rail safety regulator for passenger services.

Premier Chris Minns (right) and other ministers on a metro train in July at Bankstown station.

Aside from managing the opening of the M1’s final stretch, setting a target date is crucial for dealing with other transport services such as buses and suburban trains which will feed commuters onto it.

Replacement buses, which have been ferrying tens of thousands of commuters each day along the closed T3 rail corridor since September last year, are contracted – if required – until the end of 2026.

Converting the former T3 heavy rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown to one for driverless metro trains has been one of the most complex parts of the M1 mega-project, leaving the Minns government reluctant to commit publicly to a date for its completion.

The NSW government confirmed that high-speed testing of trains on the final section is expected to start within weeks, although that is also subject to approval by the national rail regulator.

Tens of thousands of commuters have been taking replacement buses each day since the Bankstown line was closed for metro conversion works in September last year.

The first stage of testing started in April with trains travelling at up to 25 kilometres an hour, while the next phase will eventually involve them running at speeds of up to 100km/h.

The government did not answer specific questions about the target date but said converting the line to metro standards was a “massive undertaking”, and it would update the public on an opening date when it was possible to do so and when it was confident it could deliver on that date.

“This next stage of testing is just one important step on the way to that,” a spokesperson said.

“The T3 Bankstown line was more than a century old and a notorious bottleneck on the rail system that often resulted in disrupted journeys in that part of Sydney.”

The existing M1 line between Tallawong and Sydenham via the CBD was also closed over the weekend to finish integration and testing of control systems that will enable passenger services to be extended to Bankstown next year.

The installation of 170 mechanical gap fillers to platforms at eight stations along the converted line between Sydenham and Bankstown has added complexity to the operation of driverless trains. The small hydraulic platforms extend to the metro carriages before screen doors open, ensuring that commuters can safely step on and off when the line opens.

Sydney Metro, the agency overseeing the project, has also been embroiled in a dispute with Fire and Rescue NSW over a lack of fire hydrants on platforms at nine stations.

The M1 line comprises the first stage between Tallawong and Chatswood, completed in 2019 at a cost of $7.3 billion, and the city and southwest sections which are costing a total of $21.6 billion.

The final stage between Sydenham and Bankstown had been planned to be opened in late 2025 after a 12-month shutdown of the old line, but was later delayed until some time next year.

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.