Ten new Metro stations will begin ferrying passengers between Sydney’s western suburbs and the CBD next week, marking a major milestone in the development of Sydney’s underground driverless train network.
Stations in Bankstown, Punchbowl, Wiley Park, Lakemba, Belmore, Campsie, Canterbury, Hurlstone Park, Dulwich Hill and Marrickville will all be open from 4.31am on October 30, granting passengers from throughout Sydney’s west quick and easy access to the CBD and Sydney’s northern suburbs.
For passengers currently spending more than an hour via train and bus networks to reach Central station from Bankstown, the commute will be sliced in half, with expected journey lengths of about 28 minutes between the Bankstown and Central Metro stations.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the opening of the new stations would be a “huge moment for southwest Sydney”.
“I want to thank the thousands of commuters, families and local businesses for their patience while we’ve undertaken this major transformation,” Mr Minns said.
“This is about giving people in southwest Sydney the same fast, reliable public transport connection that other parts of our city enjoy. It’s an investment that will make a real difference to commuters for generations to come.”
Transport Minister John Graham said the Metro would “transform” the way people in Sydney’s southwest travel, and open Sydney’s southwest to commuters from other parts of the city.
NSW Transport has said there may be “teething issues” along the network over the first couple of days, but has assured commuters of additional staff being on hand to help out for anybody who requires assistance.
The road to completion for the southwest Metro has not always been seamless, and in 2023 a review took place after the budget for the project – slated in 2016 to cost about $12 billion – suffered a significant blowout.
The current estimated cost for the Sydney Metro West project is about $25 billion.