It’s been a full ten days since the newest stretch of the Sydney Metro – the Sydney City line connecting Chatswood to Sydenham via eight shiny new stations – began welcoming passengers. Now, a start date has been released for work on the additional stretch of the M1 line, which will connect Sydenham to Bankstown. The bad news? The construction of this stretch of metro line will necessitate the closure of the T3 Bankstown line between Sydenham and Bankstown for at least 12 months. The good news? The bus replacement service will be free for all passengers… win some, lose some.
The mega operation to transform the 130-year-old train line between Sydenham and Bankstown into super high-spec metro track is set to begin on Monday, September 30, and it’s predicted to take at least 12 months. Once it’s complete, metro trains will run every four minutes at peak times – zooming passengers along the M1 line all the way to Tallawong through the CBD. In the meantime, commuters are in for a slightly less seamless experience – people who live in Bankstown will have their trip times to the city doubled.
After considering a series of alternative journey options (including active transport links, and even the potential introduction of electric scooters), Transport for NSW has confirmed that the main replacement transport link will be a free-to-use bus service. The Southwest Link bus service will begin when the T3 line closes on Monday, September 30 and will continue for the entire conversion period, until the shiny new stretch of metro line opens (estimated for late 2025).
According to Transport for NSW, a complete team of bus drivers has been recruited to operate the 100 buses set to run from early mornings late into the night, seven days a week while the T3 line conversion work is underway. With buses set to run every two to four minutes at peak times, the bus service will connect passengers from Sydney’s west to Sydenham metro station, where the journey into Central takes just seven minutes.
The Southwest Link bus service will comprise three dedicated bus routes known as SW1 (all stops), SW2 (limited stops) and SW3 (limited stops):
- SW1 – Sydenham, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury, Campsie, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Bankstown.
- SW2 – Sydenham, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Bankstown.
- SW3 – Sydenham, Canterbury, Campsie.
The T6 train line will also become available at the same time as Southwest Link, but part of the line between Campsie and Bankstown will be shut from September 21 as preparatory work begins on the line. The T6 line will connect Bankstown to Lidcombe Station via Yagoona, Birrong, Regents Park and Berala.
Because the project of converting the train line is such a major one – involving transforming stations to become fully accessible, installing new security barriers at 81 locations along the line, landscaping the surrounding area and carrying out extensive testing to make sure the route is safe – Transport for NSW are predicting that it’s likely to take longer than 12 months, with the opening date for the new stretch of metro line slated for “late 2025”.
“The disruption on the Bankstown line is going to be really hard, but when the work is complete, south west Sydney will be connected to the CBD like never before,” says Metro Southwest Project Director Alia Karaman.
In the meantime, it looks like the bus is the answer. You can learn more about the Southwest Link bus service over here, and you can keep track of progress on the Sydney Metro project over here.