Sydney Metro City is set to open its doors to passengers on Monday 19 August, after final approval was granted by the national independent safety regulator.
Based on its independent assessment, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has reviewed and signed off on the transport mega project.
The City Section of the M1 Line includes an additional 15.5-kilometres of city-shaping metro rail extending the Metro North West line from Chatswood, below the harbour and through the Sydney CBD, to Sydenham.
The M1 Line will commence services at 4:38am at Tallawong Station and 4:54am at Sydenham Station seven days a week for the first four weeks of operation.
After this, services will commence at Tallawong Station at 4:08am and at Sydenham Station at 4:54am seven days a week.
Information on services will be clearly signposted at stations and available at www.transportnsw.info prior to opening.
A game-changing 2,645 new metro services will travel through the heart of the city each week, moving 17,000 people each way per hour in the AM peak.
Once open, passengers will have fast metro travel times including from Victoria Cross in North Sydney, under the harbour to Barangaroo in 3 minutes, between Martin Place and Central in 4 minutes and from Sydenham to Chatswood in 22 minutes.
An updated bus timetable is in place to support the line’s opening, which has been running smoothly since it was introduced on 4 August, ready to support M1 passengers.
Sydney’s new M1 line includes:
- 445 new metro services each weekday, with a train every four minutes in the peak, seven minutes during weekdays between morning and afternoon peak services (increasing after the first month to a train every five minutes) and every 10 minutes during off peak and on weekends;
- Six fully accessible new stations at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal and Waterloo, along with new platforms at Central and Sydenham;
- Simple interchanges with buses at all stations, ferries at Barangaroo, light rail at Central and with train services at Martin Place, Central and Sydenham;
- Uninterrupted network mobile coverage;
- Safe journeys monitored by a state-of-the-art control centre, with approximately 100 CCTV cameras at every station and 38 cameras inside each train;
- Over 600 secure bike parking spaces at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Waterloo and Sydenham, as part of 900 new bike parking spaces across all eight stations;
- Platform screen door technology to keep people and objects safely away from tracks.
Later this year when Sydney Metro City is fully integrated and providing reliable services from Sydenham to the CBD, the T3 Bankstown Line will close for up to 12 months for the final conversion works to support what will be known as the M1 Northwest & Bankstown Line. These upgrades mean by 2025, south-west Sydney communities will have turn-up-and-go metro services every four minutes in the peak directly into Sydney CBD.
A temporary transport plan will be in place, including Southwest Link – dedicated, high-frequency bus services between Sydenham and Bankstown train stations.
Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:
“We look forward to welcoming passengers on board Sydney’s amazing new railway from Monday 19 August.
“This is the biggest change to Sydney’s public transport system since the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It’s going to double rail capacity across our harbour, take pressure off our heavy rail network and deliver a fantastic new transport service for passengers right across our city.”
“The M1 Line will see 45 state-of-the-art metro trains, that can carry around 1,150 passengers, moving through six new stations across our city.”
“So if you’re looking for a great way to start the week, jump on the new metro and see what this transformational new public transport service looks like for yourself.”
Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said:
“It’s all systems go for Metro City and everyone at Transport for NSW is getting ready to support passengers as we integrate this new railway into our existing network.
“This is a massive change for Sydney that will transform the way we move around, so we’re asking people to please plan ahead at transportnsw.info and using the Opal app, as well as third party apps, or speak to our friendly staff for information about your journey.”
Sydney Metro Chief Executive Peter Regan said:
“We are so excited to welcome passengers on board the new M1 City Line. More than 50,000 people have worked on this project and I know they are as proud as I am to show Sydney what we have been working on.
“This comes after a year of testing and commissioning, including more than 200 simulated exercises that have included disruption, emergency scenarios and security drills to ensure the trains and stations are ready for passengers to enjoy.
“We thank everyone for their patience. We have always said safety is the number one priority, and we’ve worked with the relevant authorities throughout construction and commissioning to ensure everything is safe and secure.”