Station upgrades, more trains: Sydney metro transforms travel in South West Sydney
13.09.2017
South West Sydney rail customers will be able to start using upgraded stations from 2020 – four years ahead of schedule – as the 122-year-old Bankstown Line is transformed to Sydney Metro standards.
The NSW Government has released the concept designs for major station upgrades that will make travel easier and faster for customers, cutting weekly travel times by up to an hour.
Work starts from next year to make big improvements to the stations, including making them fully accessible – with all stations to have level access between the platform and trains.
Where a station upgrade like a new lift or new station entry can be opened early, we'll deliver that as quickly as possible with these upgrades being opened progressively from 2020. You won't need to wait until trains start running in 2024.
The NSW Government has confirmed the Bankstown line upgrade will include:
- New entrances at upgraded stations.
- New public plazas to create open space.
- Heritage station buildings to be incorporated into modern designs.
- Train services more than tripled at stations like Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury and Wiley Park.
- A brand new concourse connecting Metro to Light Rail at Dulwich Hill.
- The first stages on a new active transport corridor to be delivered as part of the project.
The Bankstown Line was built in the late 19th century for steam trains, now this growing area of Sydney will have a modern 21st century metro with fast, safe and reliable trains, with plenty of room to grow in the future.
Customers will have a new fully air-conditioned metro train every four minutes in the peak, delivering a new quality of railway service never before seen in Australia.
The community can now have its say on the Marrickville to Bankstown upgrade with the Environmental Impact Statement open for feedback until 8 November 2017.
As part of the upgrade, South West Sydney customers will have new and direct access to major CBD metro stations and beyond, including Martin Place, Pitt Street, Barangaroo, Victoria Cross in North Sydney, Chatswood and Macquarie Park.
Customers on the T3 Bankstown Line will continue to access other City Circle stations by transferring to Sydney Trains services or taking the new metro to stations in close proximity.
Customers will also see a major boost to train services. On the Bankstown Line there is currently up to eight trains an hour in the peak at major stations along the line – other stations have as few as four an hour in the peak and sometimes just two an hour at nights and weekends.
When Sydney Metro services start in 2024, there will be 15 trains an hour at all stations during the peak, with plenty of room to grow in the future.
The T3 Bankstown Line has a rich history and where possible heritage buildings such as ticket offices and platform buildings have been incorporated into new designs. Heritage buildings are being retained for use when Sydney Metro opens at Marrickville, Hurlstone Park, Dulwich Hill, Canterbury, Campsie, Belmore, Lakemba and Bankstown.
To complete major upgrades, Sydney Metro will take advantage of the four annual scheduled maintenance closures of the Bankstown Line to do upgrade work. Additional periodic closures will be scheduled around quieter travel times like nights, weekends and school holidays to minimise impacts.
At all other times the Bankstown Line will remain open with normal Sydney Trains services.
As outlined earlier this year, to convert the Sydenham to Bankstown line to metro services, a closure of between three to six months will be required to do work that can only be done once Sydney Trains have stopped operating on the line. This closure will be just before metro services start in 2024.
View an overview of the Environmental Impact Statement here