It’s been more than a month since the new stretch of Sydney Metro began welcoming passengers, and so far, it’s made getting around Sydney a whole lot smoother. But sometimes a step backwards is needed to take two steps forward, and commuters in Sydney’s west are about to see that play out in real time – as the T3 Bankstown line between Sydenham and Bankstown shuts up shop to be converted into a metro line. As of this coming Monday (September 30), the stretch of train line will close, and a new (free) bus service will operate between the stations until the conversion into metro line is complete.
Once the work is complete, commuters in this stretch of Sydney’s west will have a super-speedy direct link into the city, with metro trains set to run every four minutes during peak times. The work will also see all 11 stations along the line receive major upgrades, making them fully accessible (to meet the accessibility standards of all existing Sydney Metro stations). But in the meantime, things are looking a little more clunky, with the bus service in place to replace the train service expected to make some commutes considerably slower.
The train stations on the T3 Bankstown line set to close from Monday, September 30 are:
Marrickville
Dulwich Hill
Hurlstone Park
Canterbury
Campsie
Belmore
Lakemba
Wiley Park
Punchbowl
After considering a series of possible solutions for the missing transport link, Transport for NSW has settled on introducing a free-to-use bus service between the closed stations. A fleet of dedicated (pink!) buses will make up what’s been labelled the Southwest Link, running every two-to four minutes during peak times along the following routes:
- SW1 (all stops) – Sydenham, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury, Campsie, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Bankstown.
- SW2 (limited stops) – Sydenham, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Bankstown.
- SW3 (limited stops) – Sydenham, Canterbury, Campsie.
Adding to the disruption, work on the new T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown train line is still underway, with industrial action causing delays, meaning buses (the 8AT3 Express – a direct bus between Bankstown and Lidcombe – and the 8T3 All Stops) will replace trains for a further stretch of trainline for an as-yet undisclosed time period.
According to Transport for NSW, the T6 line (between Bankstown and Lidcombe) will be brought into operation “as soon as possible”, with Minister for Transport Jo Haylen explaining: ““Make no mistake – this will be a tough time.”
Earlier this year, the anticipated timeline for the conversion was released, with Transport for NSW estimating the work to take more than 12 months.
It’s a long time to wait, but ultimately the conversion of the 130-year-old train line into a metro line will make getting around a lot easier.
In the meantime, download a good podcast and jump on the bus – it might take longer, but it won’t cost you a cent. 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.