Commuters face at least another eight-month wait for new metro line opening
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 mega M1 project, leaving the Minns government reluctant to commit publicly to a date for its completion.
Sydney Metro is halfway through low-speed testing – up to 25 km/h – of new single-deck trains on the line between Sydenham and Bankstown. High-speed testing is expected to start in September or October, subject to regulatory approval.
Marrickville station is the most progressed of the 10 on the south-west section of the line, followed by Bankstown, Belmore and Punchbowl. Campsie and Canterbury stations require the most work to complete.
Asked whether it would open in the first quarter of next year, Premier Chris Minns said he was not committing to it because of the government's bitter experience announcing opening dates and not meeting them.
'We've obviously got a target date and a completion date. But when you've got major infrastructure projects like the one that we're trying to pull off here, things can go wrong, and it's been, with some bitter experience that that's been the case,' he said.
'We want to make sure that when we announce that date, the public has got confidence that it will be completed. We believe it will be in 2026, but the date will be released as soon as possible.'
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