Final Stage Of South-West M1 Metro Could Be Delayed Another Year

The last stage of Sydney’s nearly $30 million M1 metro line may yet be delayed another year from opening, almost two years after stations along the T3 train line between Sydenham and Bankstown were closed.

Sources close to the project told the Sydney Morning Herald that Transport for NSW is now planning for a September 2026 opening, provided that imminent testing of the driverless trains is approved by the national rail safety regulator for passenger services.

Under the initial plans of the previous Coalition government, the Sydenham-Bankstown section of the metro was meant to open in 2024, along with the second stage of the M1 line between Chatswood and Sydenham.

Up to 60,000 commuters switched to replacement buses or alternate transport to meet their travel needs, with the pink S1 buses contracted until the end of 2026.

“The T3 Bankstown line was more than a century old and a notorious bottleneck on the rail system that often resulted in disrupted journeys in that part of Sydney,” a spokesperson told the Herald, adding that the incoming stage of testing was “just one important step” in what is a  “massive undertaking”.

Government avoids concrete date

Earlier this year, Premier Chris Minns dodged questions on whether the metro would open in the first quarter of 2026, saying he didn’t want to commit to a specific deadline.

“We want to make sure that when we announce that date, the public has got confidence that it will be completed. We believe it will be in 2026, but the date will be released as soon as possible,” he said, adding that anything “go wrong between now and the opening date”.

Once complete, the converted metro would see a trip from Bankstown to Central station completed in 28 minutes, six minutes faster than the same journey on suburban trains.

Previous discussions of opening dates earlier in the year had the state government claiming metro delays were due to the large-scale industrial action, with Transport Minister John Graham claiming limited access to work sites and restricted provision of work permits was “very disruptive”.

At the time, the NSW branch of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union called the delay “another incompetent Transport blowout” on a post across their social media pages.

“Instead of taking responsibility, they’re once again playing the blame game on ‘industrial action’,” they said.

“It’s time for the government to stop shifting the blame and focus on actually improving transport in NSW.”