World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 hrs ago
Sydney’s south-west metro extension to open on October 30
Sydney’s south-west metro extension will open on October 30, with its first service due to leave at 4:31am.
It will connect Bankstown and other south-west suburbs to the CBD, North Sydney and the city’s north-west.
Trains on the former T3 Bankstown line stopped in September 2024 while the 130-year-old railway and stations were converted for metro services.
Replacement buses have carried passengers during the work, and those buses will still run on opening day and the first weekend.
Metro trains will run every four minutes at weekday peak times, with less frequent services at other times.
The government says the new line will offer more capacity and faster journeys, including a six-minute saving between Bankstown and Central.
Some train doors will initially stay closed at stations with wider platform gaps while equipment is monitored, and officials have warned of possible early service problems.
Sydney’s south-west metro extension is set to open to passengers on Friday, October 30.
The first service will leave Bankstown station at 4.31am.
The 13-kilometre section between Sydenham and Bankstown completes a 66-kilometre M1 line linking Bankstown and Tallawong.
The former T3 heavy rail line closed in September 2024 for conversion, leaving commuters to use replacement buses.
The government says the metro will bring faster journeys and more frequent services, though it warns of possible minor teething issues.
- Who
- The NSW government is opening the extension; passengers in Sydney’s south-west will use it.
- What
- A 13-kilometre section of the M1 metro line between Sydenham and Bankstown will open.
- When
- Friday, October 30, 2026. The first service is scheduled to leave at 4.31am.
- Where
- Sydney, between Sydenham and Bankstown, connecting the south-west to the city and the wider metro line.
- Why
- To convert the former T3 heavy rail line to metro and connect the south-west to the wider Sydney metro network.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The project was first announced by the former Coalition government.
The Sydney city metro section opened.
The T3 heavy rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown closed for conversion.
The NSW premier announced that the south-west extension would open on October 30.
The first passenger service is scheduled to leave Bankstown station at 4.31am.
- Extension length
- 13 kilometres between Sydenham and Bankstown
- Opening date
- October 30, 2026
- First service
- 4.31am from Bankstown station
- Full M1 line
- 66 kilometres between Tallawong and Bankstown
- Former rail line closed
- September 2024
3 sources
What people are saying
This is a huge moment for south-west Sydney
The pink buses have really played a big role moving people around, but the time for them is over
We need a faster route from Bankstown to the city
The new Metro will deliver 50 per cent more passenger capacity than the old T3 Bankstown Line it replaces, along with faster journeys and direct connections to more jobs, education and opportunities across Sydney