Southwest Metro completes its largest rail possession

Over a 31-day shutdown of the n line from Sydenham to Bankstown, extensive work was undertaken as preparations continue before the final conversion to metro standards, which will take place during a 12-month shutdown of the line starting between July and October 2024. The shutdown is set to take place after the launch of City metro services between Chatswood and Sydenham.

A further two and a half week shutdown of the line between Sydenham and Bankstown will take place over the April school holidays.

These works are imperative to the delivery of this city-shaping project, which will see a metro train every four-minutes in the peak, bringing turn-up-and-go services to the people of southwest Sydney. Some stations on the T3 Bankstown Line currently only receive a train every 15 minutes in the peak.

We thank the community for their patience as we bring these much-needed upgrades to the nearly 130-year-old line.

In January, more than 600 workers daily worked more than 150,000 hours to deliver: 
•    22.5 kilometres of track realignment, 800 metres of reconditioning and two new track crossovers at Bankstown
•    Start of construction of a new platform for metro services at Bankstown 
•    Work on the Bankstown crossover which will allow metro trains to swap onto the other track if required
•    11.5 kilometres of overhead wiring for system upgrades and the installing 44 kilometres of signalling cable 
•    1.5 kilometres of security fencing and 500 metres of segregation fencing panels installed
•    Protection screens on pedestrian bridges at Canterbury and Campsie
•    Enabling work for the future installation of the Platform Screen Doors and Mechanical Gap Fillers 
•    Installation of critical trackside equipment and station building service work to support the installation of station equipment and systems.

In January, further work also took place on the Metro North West Line to allow train testing with the new City metro line. The extension of this line means communities of northwest Sydney will have a direct public transport link into the Sydney CBD for the first time.

The weekend shutdown enabled the rigorous testing and commissioning program to continue, ahead of the mid-2024 opening of the City line and seamless integration with the existing Metro North West Line. This ongoing testing and commissioning activity included:

•    Eight trains operating on the line at one time, doubling the previous maximum of four
•    33 trains completing the full journey between Tallawong and Sydenham
•    Trains travelling between Tallawong and Sydenham, at times at maximum speeds, simulating the turn-up-and-go service of a train every four minutes
•    Systems integration testing, including train and platform screen doors, passenger information displays, help points and announcements in all stations
•    Dynamic noise and vibration testing on the train, stations, in the new metro tunnels and in basements of buildings located above the alignment

We once again thank the communities of southwest Sydney and the northwest for their patience and understanding as we make these crucial upgrades to Australia’s biggest public transport project.