Easter shutdown to enable bumper weekend of Southwest Metro testing

Around-the-clock testing will be carried out across the four-day weekend from 1.20am Friday, 3 April to 4:00am Tuesday, 7 April.

More than 80 specialist staff will be working across the weekend to deliver a substantial program of work ahead of the Bankstown extension opening later this year.  

The extended testing window will allow more than 120 individual checks to be completed and over 1,000 kilometres of test running to be undertaken.  

During this window, the testing fleet will double from two to four trains for the first time and new train software will be installed and tested to ensure optimal travel speeds between stations on the new line. 

Last year, Easter was one of the quieter periods on the metro network, with around 389,000 trips recorded across the four-day weekend. This is about 20 per cent lower than the number of trips recorded during a typical weekend.  

To support travel during the closure and trips to the Royal Easter Show, around 390 bus services will operate between Sydney’s North West and the Hills District every 10 to 20 minutes, providing a direct connection to Sydney Olympic Park.  

For customers travelling to and from the Sydney CBD, replacement buses will run between Tallawong and Chatswood, where passengers can connect with Sydney Trains services to complete their journey. 
 
As testing continues, further closures will be required, and passengers are encouraged to plan ahead by visiting transportnsw.info.  
Upcoming work includes overnight closures between Central and Sydenham on 7–8 April and a weekend closure between Chatswood and Sydenham on 18–19 April. 

When metro services to Bankstown begin in the second half of this year, the M1 line will stretch 66 kilometres from the Sydney’s northwest, beneath the Sydney CBD and through to Bankstown. The line will serve 31 stations, connecting some of Sydney’s busiest suburbs through the heart of the Sydney CBD.