Sydney Metro City celebrates its record-breaking first year of passenger services 

More than 66.8 million journeys have been taken on fast, frequent and reliable metro services stretching from Sydney’s northwest, under the CBD and out to Sydenham in Sydney’s south.   

Overall public transport usage has also surged since the opening of Sydney Metro City, with more than 17.8 million additional ticketed trips across all modes recorded between August 2024 to July 2025 compared with the same time in 2023/24. 

The M1 Northwest & Bankstown Line has an average 99.4 per cent on-time running, with 210,000 metro trips made daily, including 120,000 under Sydney Harbour, as passengers make the most out of their 2,650 new weekly metro services.   

On 19 August 2024, the inaugural city-bound passenger journey on Train Set 29 departed Sydenham Station’s Platform 1 at 4:54am.  This morning at 4:54am, Train Set 29 recreated that maiden journey from Sydenham, packed with metro fans. 

The City section of the M1 includes 15.5-kilometre twin metro tunnels extending metro services through new city stations at: Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal and Waterloo, and new platforms at Central and Sydenham - helping ease the harbour divide. 

New data reveals at least 3,200 fewer vehicles are travelling southbound over the Harbour Bridge each day, with 69,600 southbound vehicle trips recorded in the year prior to Metro City’s opening and 66,400 southbound vehicle trips recorded during the same period this past year. 

Each day, more than 120,000 trips are made on a metro below the harbour, significantly easing pressure on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and reducing congestion into the CBD.  

Sydney Metro has also helped alleviate pressure at critical Sydney Trains stations and provides alternative travel options for heavy rail passengers during disruption. 

At North Sydney Station (serving the T1 line), weekday trips have halved from 25,400 to 12,200 since the opening of nearby Victoria Cross Station.  

At St Leonards Station, patronage is down by one-third from 16,000 to 10,600 following the opening of Crows Nest Station .  

Sydney Trains lines running close to the M1 line have also seen a shift in patronage, with the T1 North Shore Line & Western line experiencing a 25 per cent decrease in daily trips since Metro opened and the T9 Northern Line experiencing a 10 per cent decrease in daily trips across the line.  

In the past year, patronage has almost doubled on the northwest section of the line with passengers enjoying their direct city services and no longer needing to interchange at Chatswood.   

Reflecting the increased Sydney Metro use in the northwest, bus-to-metro interchanges on a weekday at North West M1 stations have increased by 40 per cent, demonstrating improved connectivity between bus and metro modes.   

Town Hall Station, close to the new Gadigal Metro Station, and Wynyard, just minutes from Martin Place Metro Station, have seen some of the most notable reductions in passenger numbers on weekdays. 

Since Sydney Metro City opened, Town Hall station has seen a reduction in weekday boardings from 123,600 to 108,500, and Wynyard has seen a reduction from 73,500 weekday boardings to 63,500. 

Metro’s critical role in supporting broader public transport movement across the city has seen intermodal connectivity continue to rise, with approximately 940,000 interchanges from Sydney Trains to Sydney Metro, and a further 390,000 interchanges from bus to Sydney Metro services each month.    

Passenger survey results reflect strong public support for these services. Sydney Metro achieved an impressive 98% satisfaction rating in the Transport for NSW Customer Satisfaction Survey. In addition, feedback gathered from over 11,500 customer surveys conducted over the past 12 months highlights consistent praise for Metro’s timeliness, cleanliness, and reliability.  

Metro is also a hit with weekend travellers, with families and visitors clocking up an average 118,000 journeys across Saturday and Sunday services.  

When it comes to the eight new city stations and platforms, Central Station takes top prize for most popular new metro stop, handling about 22,800 metro trips each weekday.   

Martin Place Station is the second busiest station on the M1 Line and facilitates 20,600 daily metro trips. The station has recorded a 167% increase in patronage since becoming a two-mode station, underscoring the benefits of improved connectivity.  

Barangaroo Station has emerged as a valuable transport link for people accessing the harbourside location not previously serviced by a rail line. Seven thousand people move through the station each day, with the station taking on a crucial role in supporting the movement of large crowds during major Sydney events, such as Vivid and New Years Eve celebrations.   

Across the eight new city stops, the doors have opened more than 45 retail and food outlets, creating thousands of new jobs, while tens of thousands of people are utilising office spaces in over station developments above Martin Place and Gadigal.  

Sydney Metro’s role in creating housing opportunities has also been realised, with 234 new build-to-rent apartments opening in Indi Sydney, the building above Gadigal Station. This will be further amplified by residential developments under construction at Waterloo and Crows Nest.   

The M1 Line currently stretches 51.5-kilometres, with 21 stations between Tallawong and Sydenham.    

More than 50,000 people will have worked on the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project once complete.   

Next year, the final section of the M1 Line will open, extending metro services beyond Sydenham to Bankstown.  

For more information on the Sydney Metro’s M1 line visit: https://www.sydneymetro.info/about  

One year of M1 Line services in numbers:   

• 66.8 million metro trips    

• 35.5 million metro trips between Crows Nest and Sydenham.   

• Average 210,000 weekday journeys   

• 120,000 metro trips below Sydney Harbour per weekday  

• Over 130,000 total delivered services  

• 6.8 million kilometres travelled since the city line opened, equivalent to 8.85 trips to the moon and back  

• Weekday morning peak average 64,700 metro trips  

• Weekday evening peak average 76,000 metro trips     

• 99.4% on-time running      

• Most popular service: Services between 8am to 9am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with approx. 30,100 metro trips  

• Busiest city station: Central, with an average of 22,800 weekday metro trips