Secret chart that reveals target date for Sydney metro line’s opening

The NSW government has narrowed down the opening date for the final stage of Sydney’s $30 billion M1 metro line to mid-October which, if realised, will end more than two years of major disruptions for tens of thousands of commuters.

The internal plans for the first passenger service on the metro line between Sydenham and Bankstown in “mid-October” are detailed in confidential Sydney Metro documents.

Given previous weekend openings of Sydney’s rail lines, the first service is likely to take place on Sunday, October 18, if the latest plans are achieved.

The “target program” for the first passenger service shows the government agency intends to hand the line to the M1’s private operator, Metro Trains Sydney, on July 13, which will be followed by five weeks of trial runs.

The confidential program notes that “further optimisation” of the date for first services will be determined after the line is handed to the operator.

The date of the first passenger service will ultimately hinge on approval by the national rail safety regulator.

A mid-October opening would avoid clashing with the NRL grand final at Olympic Park on October 4, when public transport services will be put to the test. Opening the line on October 18 would also be a day after The Everest at Royal Randwick racecourse and Bledisloe Cup rugby union Test at Olympic Park.

The ribbon was cut on the first stage of the M1 line between Tallawong and Chatswood on a Sunday in May 2019. The city-section was to be opened on a Sunday in early August 2024 until a delay resulted in the government opting for a Monday several weeks later.

Sydney Metro said the exact opening date depended on several factors, including progress of dynamic testing and complex safety approvals.

“The rigorous testing program is progressing as planned with the test fleet successfully working its way through required checks,” it said. “An opening date is not confirmed, and any suggested date is purely speculative.”

Transport for NSW said planning was under way to adjust bus services to align with the M1 extension between Sydenham and Bankstown, and routes were reviewed to improve connections and complement rail services.

“Additional services to and from Bankstown are already being progressively introduced, with further details to be provided closer to opening,” it said.

Sydney Trains also has a major timetable change planned for October or November, which is designed to “detangle” the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line from services on the South Coast line as trains approach the inner city.

Coalition transport spokesperson Natalie Ward said it was good news that commuters now had some clarity on the pathway forward for opening the metro line between Sydenham and Bankstown.

“However, the detail will be in the delivery,” she said. “The shutdown will have been double what was originally promised.”

Transport Minister John Graham said the documents confirmed the government’s public advice that it was working towards an opening later this year. “The documents show the dynamic processes, including comprehensive testing and independent safety checks, that need to be completed before opening,” he said.

Graham said that commuters and businesses had shown patience during construction, and it would be respecting them and the rail regulator’s process before announcing a target opening date.

Tens of thousands of commuters have had to catch replacement buses each day between Sydenham and Bankstown since September 2024, when the T3 heavy rail line was shut to complete the final 13-kilometre section of the M1 line.

In mid-2018, the former Coalition government told commuters that the line would need to be closed for three to six months. Even before it closed in September 2024, the Minns government said the shutdown might last longer than its earlier estimates of 12 months.

The government has repeatedly declined to give a target date for the opening, other than to say it would be in the second half of this year.

Once the Vivid festival ends on Saturday, commuters will face closures of the M1 line between Tallawong and Sydenham over the weekends of June 20-21, June 27-28, July 11-12, July 18-19 and July 25-26 as part of “southwest-enabling” works.