At the start of this week, Sydney experienced what Transport Minister Jo Haylen described as the biggest upgrade to the city’s infrastructure since the opening of the Harbour Bridge. As of Monday, Sydneysiders can now zip through the CBD at record speed thanks to the extension of Sydney Metro – which saw eight futuristic Metro stations open up, connecting us to a super-speedy train system that can zoom from Central to North Sydney in just nine minutes. Now we’re experiencing life with the Metro City line in operation, the question we’re all starting to ask is: where next? Once complete, the Sydney Metro project will comprise 46 stations across the city – here’s a breakdown of what we’ve got so far, and what’s in the works.
Back in 2019, the first stretch of the Sydney Metro opened between Tallawong and Chatswood – a 35-kilometre super-fast train line that made zipping through Sydney’s northwest a lot more speedy. The second phase of Sydney Metro is the City line, which opened on Monday and connects Chatswood to Sydenham. But the Sydney Metro isn’t stopping here – with an extension of the current line due to open in 2025, and two new lines due to open in the 2030s.
The next phase will be an extension of the existing (M1) line from Sydenham all the way to Bankstown, with work set to begin once Sydneysiders have settled in to the existing system. The completion of this final stretch of the M1 line will require the current train line between those two stations to close – you can learn more about what that will mean for your commute here, and you can check out a list of all current and future stations on the M1 Metro line here.
Additional to the M1 line, Transport for NSW is also working on two whole new routes: Sydney Metro West (a 24-kilometre line from the Sydney CBD to Westmead via Parramatta) and Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport – a new line connecting St Marys to the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport and the neighbouring CBD.
In exciting news for metro maniacs in Sydney’s west, construction on these new lines is well underway. Sydney Metro West reached a major milestone this week – with two 4.6-kilometre tunnels now complete. Once open (with 2032 slated for the opening date), Sydney Metro West will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, with a station at Sydney Olympic Park making the area (complete with Sydney's first inland wave park and so much more) a lot more accessible.
“By 2032, Sydney Olympic Park won’t just be linked to the rest of Sydney by rail, but also by this new Metro and Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2,” Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said.
You can learn more about the Sydney Metro West project over here. In the meantime, you can plan your journey on Sydney’s existing metro system over here.
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