- Stage two of Sydney Metro line opens
- Commuters can travel from city’s north-west to Sydenham
Australia’s most expensive public transport project will welcome on board thousands of commuters for the first time today- seven years after construction began.
An estimated 200,000 passengers are expected to travel on the Sydney Metro network on Monday alone.
Stage two of the driverless train network between Chatswood and Sydenham includes four new Metro stations underneath the Sydney CBD.
It’s an extension of the existing Sydney Metro line which opened in 2019 between Tallawong in Sydney’s north-west and Chatswood on the north shore.
The planned opening of the $21billion driverless Metro network was delayed by two weeks after regulator sign-off delays impacted on the opening date of the new line.
The first service from Tallawong bound for Sydnenham will depart at 4.38am while the first train in the opposite direction will leave at 4.54am.
Trains will run every four minutes in the morning and evening peak periods in both directions.
NSW transport minister Jo Haylen had some advice for first-time passengers.
Stage two of the Sydney Metro train network between Chatswood and Sydenham opens on Monday. Pictured is the new Crows Nest station
‘Firstly, these trains are frequent and they are fast, so you need to take your time,’ Ms Haylen said.
‘Parents and carers, hold your kid’s hand, because you don’t want them on one train and you on another.
‘Also, these trains take off quickly, so make sure you’re holding on. You don’t want to be left on the floor.’
The city metro project, planned and commenced under the former coalition NSW government, has been hit with a series of cost overruns since it was approved in early 2017.
The final bill for the Sydney Metro City and Southwest line is expected to be about $21.5 billion, up $9 billion on its initial price tag.
A Sydney Metro City train line is seen stopping at Sydenham station as part of trials ahead of opening week this week
Multiple factors had contributed to the delayed opening of the new line, including industrial action and problems on the existing north-west section of the line which left passengers stuck for hours.
It forms part of a wider rollout of metro services across the city that combine to constitute the nation’s biggest public transport project.
A Sydney Metro West line will connect with Parramatta, while a third project will connect St Marys to the region’s new airport in the city’s south-west.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk