- Second phase of Sydney metro line opens
- Travellers can travel from the north-west of the city to Sydenham.
Australia’s most expensive public transport project will welcome thousands of commuters for the first time today, seven years after construction began.
An estimated 200,000 passengers will travel on the Sydney Metro network on Monday alone.
The second phase of the driverless rail network between Chatswood and Sydenham includes four new metro stations beneath central Sydney.
It is an extension of the existing Sydney Metro line that opened in 2019 between Tallawong in Sydney’s northwest and Chatswood on the north shore.
The planned opening of the $21 billion driverless subway network has been delayed by two weeks after delays in regulatory approval affected the opening date of the new line.
The first service from Tallawong to Sydnenham will depart at 4.38am, while the first train in the opposite direction will depart at 4.54am.
Trains will run every four minutes during morning and evening rush hours in both directions.
NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen had some advice for first-time travellers.
The second phase of the Sydney Metro rail network between Chatswood and Sydenham opens on Monday. Pictured is the new Crows Nest station.
“First of all, these trains are frequent and fast, so you have to take your time,” Haylen said.
‘Parents and carers, hold your children’s hands, because you don’t want them to be on one train and you on another.
Also, these trains take off quickly, so make sure you hold on tight so you don’t get stuck on the ground.
The city’s metro project, planned and started under the former New South Wales coalition government, has been plagued by a series of cost overruns since it was approved in early 2017.
The final bill for the Sydney Metro City and Southwest line is expected to be around $21.5 billion, $9 billion more than its initial price tag.
A Sydney Metro City train line is seen stopping at Sydenham station as part of testing ahead of opening week this week
Multiple factors contributed to the delay in opening the new line, including industrial strikes and problems on the existing northwestern section of the line, which left passengers stranded for hours.
It is part of a broader rollout of metro services across the city that combine to form the largest public transport project in the country.
A Sydney Metro West line will connect to Parramatta, while a third project will connect St Marys to the region’s new airport in the city’s southwest.