Image: Commuters travelling on the new Sydney Metro line. Image: Sydney Metro/ Facebook
By Will Thorpe
Near the historic Lord Nelson Hotel in The Rocks, Sydney’s oldest and newest developments collide. Some of Australia’s oldest watering holes are towered over by the glass skyscrapers of Barangaroo. Straddling them both is one of the city’s newly-opened metro stations, its impact evidenced by the Wednesday evening crowd at the pub.
In just the first week of Sydney Metro City’s operation, Sydneysiders came out in force, with 1.4 million trips made on the line which now extends from the once-isolated Hills District below the harbour to Sydenham in the Inner West. The jubilation surrounding it has made the train line Sydney’s hottest attraction, something many might have considered unlikely for a piece of infrastructure.
Inner city businesses and residents for the first time have close access to rapid transit, a feature of many metropolitan centres overseas – and it is already transforming parts of the city that were once neglected. The line is central to urban renewal in Barangaroo and Waterloo, the site of significant housing development. Housing and shopping precincts are also being developed above Gadigal, Martin Place, and Victoria Cross stations.
Greater Choice For Commuters
Easier access for inner-city residents to the commercial areas of North Sydney, Chatswood, and Macquarie Centre precedes improved access to Bankstown which will come with the line’s final extension next year. When the Bankstown line is closed for conversion on September 30, frequencies will improve across the Sydney Trains network, including at inner-city stations.
Transport experts and the general public alike have hailed the new line. Kasun Wijayaratna, Senior Lecturer at UTS’ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, emphasised the “greater choice” the line has afforded travellers by providing alternative routes and stations.
“In the past, when using the rail network, your only options to transfer were at Town Hall, Wynyard, and Central. However, the addition of Metro City has released the pressure of these transfer points … [thus] leading to extra capacity, greater demand distribution, and better levels of service for all commuters,” Wijayaratna noted.
“It is a historic set of projects, much needed by a growing city, and I am very excited to see the continuation of the development of the network.”
The Price Of Progress
There have been some losers, as the metro draws commuters away from City Circle stations and their adjoining businesses. Passenger numbers at North Sydney station were down 37 percent on Sydney Metro City’s second day of operation compared to a week prior. Town Hall saw a twelve percent reduction. This may be the price of progress.
Professor John Nelson, Chair in Public Transport at the University of Sydney’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, emphasised the need for development around stations to make the most of the trains.
A second metro line into the city centre is presently under construction, expected to open in 2032. Sydney Metro West will connect the central business district to burgeoning Western Sydney, stopping at Parramatta before terminating at Westmead. The development of commercial and housing precincts around stations should follow, particularly for Metro West, Nelson said.
But the metro cannot exist in a vacuum. Professor Nelson stressed that there should be a seamless transition between modes of transport. “Wouldn’t it be great if Sydney Metro invested in shared micro-mobility (e-bikes and e-scooters) to enable first and last-mile connectivity to stations?”
Passengers Can’t Get Enough Of New Metro Line
He noted that bus rapid transit and light rail lines can be developed at a fraction of the cost of a metro or heavy rail line, all of which have their place in a big city. The metro now connects to the light rail lines serving the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs. Ultimately, Nelson expressed optimism for the under-construction Metro West line.
“Sydney Metro West can be expected to bring benefits to inner city residents. Doubling rail capacity between Parramatta and Sydney CBD is a good thing,” Nelson commented.
Meanwhile, Sydney Metro has not been shy about the success of the recently completed city project, remarking in a press release that “passengers can’t get enough of their new fast and reliable metro journeys.” Indeed, Sydneysiders cannot get enough of our latest piece of shiny infrastructure. The new line is a win for everyone who lives in or travels to the city centre and its surrounding suburbs. Development that is conscious of its presence is necessary to make the most of it.
As for right now, the pub-goers in Sydney’s historic heart are the happy beneficiaries of a train line that has brought Sydney’s new and old together.
