Sydney Metro
The Sydney Metro is an automated rapid transit system in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It currently consists of one route, the Metro North West & Bankstown Line, running between Tallawong and Sydenham and consisting of 21 stations on of twin tracks, mostly underground. The system opened on 26 May 2019, becoming the first underground railway in Oceania.
The first stage of the line was extended from Chatswood to Sydenham on 19 August 2024 as part of the first stage of the City & Southwest project. The second stage of the project will then further extend this line to Bankstown as part of a partial conversion of the existing Bankstown railway line with a scheduled completion in 2026.
Two additional lines are also under construction, as part of the Sydney Metro West and Western Sydney Airport projects. The Western Sydney Airport project will construct a line approximately from St Marys to the new Bradfield Station in Badgerys Creek. It will comprise six stations and service the Western Sydney International Airport, which is also currently under construction, upon its opening in 2026.
Sydney Metro West will construct a new line from Westmead to a new station at Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD. It will comprise ten stations, serviced by fully underground twin tracks. The line will service Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park upon opening in 2032.
When all current projects are complete, the network will amount to a total of 46 stations and of track.
The Metro North West & Bankstown Line of the Sydney Metro is Australia's only fully automated heavy rail system. It is managed by the Sydney Metro agency, under the umbrella of Transport for NSW. Services are operated by Metro Trains Sydney and integrated with the established Sydney Trains network. Its line also makes it the third-longest single driverless rapid transit line in the world, behind Rapid KL Putrajaya line and the Dubai Metro Red Line.
History
Earlier proposals
The first proposals for a metro system in Sydney were put forward in 2001, when Co-ordinator-General of Rail Ron Christie released his "Long-term Strategic Plan for Rail" report, outlining long-term goals for the expansion of the rail network. He suggested that some "metro" lines—operationally independent from the existing network—should be constructed past 2020 due to capacity constraints. This was later dismissed by the New South Wales Government as only a "shopping list" of potential projects.The idea for a metro resurfaced in late 2007 when discussions about an underground 'Anzac Line' took place within the NSW Government. The line would have run from West Ryde in Sydney's northwest to Malabar in the southeast but did not come to fruition. In early 2008, following the shelving of various heavy rail expansion projects from the 2005 Metropolitan Rail Expansion Program, the Government officially announced the North West Metro. Expected to cost $12 billion, it would have linked Rouse Hill in Sydney's northwest with the CBD, with construction starting in 2010 and finishing in 2017.
The construction of the North West Metro was dependent upon the privatisation of the electricity network, but, after a change of the state's Premier in late 2008, it was cancelled due to budgetary concerns. Its replacement was the, $4 billion CBD Metro, a shortened route running from Rozelle in the inner-west and into the CBD through to Central railway station. Construction was scheduled to start in 2010, like its predecessor, but would finish earlier in 2015. The CBD Metro was to have formed the "central spine" of a future metro network, with a planned West Metro extension to Westmead and Parramatta to be constructed soon after, subject to Federal funding.
Reception to the plans was mixed, with Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell accusing the Premier of "making it up as he goes along" after costings were not released until after the press conference; criticism came from the Greens because the route seemed designed to pass through marginal electoral seats. The Government's initial submission to Infrastructure Australia for funding was rejected due to "a lack of integrated planning". It was later revealed that the cost had jumped from $4 billion to $5.3 billion in six months, as well as that internal estimates showed that the metro would run at only 15% of its maximum capacity.
The CBD Metro was cancelled in early 2010 after the Premier was deposed a few months before in 2009. The Government had spent almost $410 million on the project. The new Premier Kristina Keneally chose instead to focus on the expansion of the existing heavy rail network, including the North West Rail Link and South West Rail Link.
Revival
In mid-2012, the newly elected Coalition government announced Sydney's Rail Future and the NSW Transport Masterplan. Under this proposal, the North West Rail Link would be built as a single-deck, privately operated metro connecting to a future second harbour crossing. These plans received criticism on the basis that they might not have the capacity of existing double-deck trains and concerns over the inability of trains on the existing network to use the new crossing. Later, the route was extended and the name changed to Sydney Metro.In 2014, the Government announced the second harbour crossing under the name Sydney Rapid Transit, as part of the 'Rebuilding NSW' infrastructure plan funded through the sale of electricity infrastructure. The new railway would cross Sydney Harbour, tunnel beneath the CBD, and join a converted portion of the Bankstown line up to Bankstown railway station.
The system was officially renamed 'Sydney Metro' in June 2015 following the passage of power privatisation bills. Opposing parties warned the government that the sale of the power infrastructure may not provide the capital needed.
In July 2018, Sydney Metro was established as a statutory authority, tasked with leading the delivery of the metro system. Peter Regan has been the Chief Executive of the agency since March 2021.
In January 2023, it was announced that the emergency exits in tunnels on the Metro West and Metro Western Sydney Airport lines will be spaced at where possible, matching the existing lines.
In February 2023, as part of the 2023 state election campaign, the government of Dominic Perrottet announced business cases would be produced for further extensions for the Sydney Metro network. This included the following links:
- Tallawong to St Marys
- Westmead to the Aerotropolis
- Bankstown to Glenfield via Liverpool
- Macarthur to the Aerotropolis
Operations
Network
The Metro North West & Bankstown Line is currently the only line in the Sydney Metro network, linking Tallawong to Sydenham with 21 stations along a distance.Services began between Tallawong and Chatswood in May 2019. For the first 6 months of operation, they were supplemented with trackwork-style rail replacement buses for late-night services from Sundays to Wednesdays. The section to Sydenham through the city centre opened in August 2024.
Capacity
The Metro North West & Bankstown Line currently operates with 6-car trains running on 4-minute headways. After the addition of the Stage 2 extension to Bankstown, the stations' platforms will be configured to allow for future use of 8-car trains and the signalling system designed to allow for 2-minute headways, both of which are planned to be introduced once increased patronage demands it. Eight-car trains have a design capacity of 1,539 customers and increasing the running frequency to ultimately 30 trains per hour would provide a maximum capacity of 46,170 passengers per hour per direction.Rolling stock
Metropolis
The network currently operates using 45 6-car Metropolis Stock trains, which are fully automated electric multiple units. Each single-deck train features two dedicated areas for prams, luggage and bicycles. There are three doorways per side per carriage and no internal doors between the carriages. In a 6-car configuration, the trains have a seating capacity of 378 people, with a total capacity of 1,100. Seating arrangements on the Alstom trains are longitudinal, following the style of most other metro trains. The trains utilise Alstom's trademark Urbalis 400 Grade-of-Automation signalling system that ensures that trains are capable of operating automatically at all times including door closing, obstacle detection and emergencies.Before the introduction of services, a full-scale model of the new train was built for use on public display, including at the annual Sydney Royal Easter Show. The trains were built at Alstom's rolling stock manufacturing facility in Sri City, India, with the first six-car Sydney Metro train arriving in Rouse Hill in September 2017 to undergo testing.
In February 2018, dynamic testing on the first of the trainsets began. Testing was done on brakes, passenger information displays, lighting and door operation.
In 2019, an additional 23 6-car sets were ordered for the City & Southwest extension from the existing 22 sets, as of December 2024, all 23 sets have been delivered and are operational on the line.
Inspiro
For the Western Sydney Airport, Siemens will supply 12 3-car Siemens Inspiro driverless sets. These trains will enter service from 2026, upon the opening of the line.Patronage
The following table lists patronage figures for the network during the corresponding financial year. Major events that affected the number of journeys made or how patronage is measured are included as notes.Ticketing and costs
Sydney Metro uses the Opal card ticketing system. The fare system is fully integrated with the Sydney Trains network and the NSW TrainLink Intercity network, trips involving suburban, metro and intercity services are calculated as a single fare and there is no interchange penalty. Students who use the Sydney Metro network to get to and from schools can apply for a free School Opal card. Opal is also valid on bus, ferry, and light rail services but separate fares apply for these modes. The following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single trip tickets:^ = $2.50 for Senior/Pensioner cardholders
As there are no return or periodical options available, reusable Opal cards include several caps to reduce the cost for frequent travellers: