3 months ago
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High-speed testing along Sydney’s delayed $29 billion Southwest metro line will begin this week, amid ongoing safety tests at half of the stations.
It comes after the Herald revealed last week that Transport for NSW expects the Sydenham to Bankstown section of the M1 line to open in September 2026, two years after the train line was closed, and a year longer than expected.
High-speed testing has begun along Sydney’s delayed Southwest metro line, amid progress being made to the transformations of the stations.
Its closure last September forced tens of thousands of commuters onto replacement buses every day, extending travel times and forcing residents into changed schedules.
The testing will involve trains running along the line at speeds of up to 100km/h, a step up from the current low-speed testing stage, which capped speeds at 25km/h.
A minimum of 9000 hours and 30,000 kilometres of combined testing will need to take place before the line opens. Increased activity is expected in the coming weeks and months.
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The current testing regime, which started in April, included a single train travelling along the line at low speed, racking up more than 700 hours and travelling 3000 kilometres. The high-speed testing phase will involve numerous trains. More will be added as the testing progresses.
On Monday, the Minns government also announced the transformation of the 11 stations along the line has reached 75 per cent completion. Painting and tiling are under way and Opal gate installation is nearing completion.
Passenger information display screens are being mounted while the testing and installation of speakers, CCTV, door security and hearing loops is ongoing.
The opening of the line will ultimately depend on final approval by the national rail safety regulator.
The testing and installation of speakers, CCTV, door security and hearing loops continues.
The Minns government has been reluctant to publicly commit to an opening date for the conversion of the former T3 heavy rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown to the driverless metro trains.
The complexity of the project has been compounded by the challenges associated with the installation of 170 mechanical gap fillers to platforms at eight stations along the line. The small hydraulic platforms are intended to ensure commuters can safely step on and off the trains when the line opens.
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.
NSW Premier Chris Minns thanked commuters for “sticking” with the government amid the delays.
“We understand the patience this has required from local communities and businesses, and I want to thank them for sticking with us,” he said.
“Their support has helped make one of the biggest transport transformations in Sydney’s history possible.”
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