As it happened: Sydney Metro opening LIVE updates: City’s multibillion-dollar rail line opens to commuters

It’s been a landmark day for the city as the $21.6 billion metro rail line began operations and the first trains took passengers under the Sydney Harbour, ushering in a new era of public transport.

Julie Keech sketches Victoria Cross station.Credit: Kathryn Wicks

To recap:

• The extended M1 metro from Chatswood to Sydenham opened in the early hours of this morning. Transport Minister Jo Haylen said up to 200,000 people were expected to travel on the extended line under the harbour and central city today.
• About 40,000 people ushered in a new era of public transport in the first five hours. Premier Chris Minns praised former premier Gladys Berejiklian for her vision, while Berejiklian in turn congratulated the thousands of workers who made the new train line a reality.
• In our editorial, the Herald called it a shining moment for the city. Sydney editor Michael Koziol has penned this analysis that said the metro has the potential to transform Sydney, “but it will require more investment, better planning and choices that deliver that outcome”.
• And Nick Newling ranked all the toilets here. It’s news you can use.

Thank you for joining our live coverage of the Sydney Metro opening today. We leave you with this drawing from artist Julie Keech, who captured the historic day from a vantage point at Victoria Cross station.

A drawing of Victoria Cross station.Credit: Julie Keech

There’s been a lot of love for the Herald’s transport and infrastructure editor Matt O’Sullivan today, and deservedly so. It’s been a long and rocky journey to get to this point, not to mention a costly one, and Matt has guided readers through all the twists and turns.

He has broken the news and kept the government honest of late with revelations about the last-minute dramas that led to the delayed opening. He was also on board the 4.54am metro train that went under Sydney Harbour and into the history books.

A cutaway illustration of the new underground metro station at Martin Place and office towers above.Credit: Sharp Brothers

Matt’s feature pieces in the lead-up to today’s opening have also been a joy to read, perhaps none more so than the story published on Friday charting the ups and downs of the decision-making process dating back to 2011.

From the drills shaking up the city so much they shattered glasses, to the agonising over whether to dig under the harbour, to the battle of Waterloo station, it’s a cracking read. You may not be able to get through the whole series while on the speedy metro trains, but if there’s one piece you read today while zipping along, read this.

For many public transport enthusiasts who were up early this morning, it probably feels like bed time already. But for many Sydney commuters, it’s approaching home time and the first afternoon peak hour.

If all goes smoothly, Transport Minister Jo Haylen is expecting up to 200,000 people to take a journey on the metro today. But as Matt O’Sullivan and Michael Koziol write here, the new line’s bigger test will be in the days ahead when the commuting week reaches a crescendo.

Readers have been getting in touch with the Herald about their experiences throughout the day.

Anthony Edwards writes: “Loved heading out of Chatswood this morning, feeling the speed as we descended into the tunnel towards Crows Nest. Love the metro from Bella Vista. Let’s keep building connecting all parts of the greater Sydney compass, and not forgetting very fast trains to Canberra, Newcastle and beyond.”

Margaret Portell made a spur-of-the-moment decision to take a ride from Sydenham to Barangaroo: “It was super quick but I noted that as far as Central the ride was quite jerky. Barangaroo Station is beautiful. There were lots of friendly helpful staff on hand for anyone who needed advice. I’m looking forward to the extension to Bankstown but not to the huge disruption to train services later this year.”

For Dave Watkins, the speed from Central to Barangaroo shortly after 7am was impressive. “However, I do have one concern: the exit for Barangaroo lacks any shelter in the event of inclement weather. It will be a significant improvement once the construction of the second exit, which will be nearer to the Barangaroo precinct, is completed.”

Another observation from Barangaroo: Will Atkins points out the metro station and the ferry wharf are a 12-minute walk apart. “Major transit miscalculation for the system. It is a beautiful metro. Let’s build a new wharf next to Barangaroo Metro so the F4 Ferry Service (Circular Quay to Pyrmont) has a viable transit point to the Metro.”

Mary and Paul De Luna bump into their daughter while enjoying the first day of the new metro line.Credit: Mary De Luna

On a happier note, though, Paul and Mary De Luna report they had a chance meeting with their daughter on her way to work using the new Martin Place metro. Mary sent in pictures of “retirees enjoying the first day of Metro from Tallawong to Sydenham station”.

Hopefully your afternoon journeys are smooth.

For younger readers wondering why the under-harbour rail crossing opened today is so significant, it has been a long time coming.

It was on June 2, 2012, that the Herald reported a second harbour crossing would be key to the state government’s transport masterplan – under the guidance of then-minister Gladys Berejiklian. Our former transport editor Jacob Saulwick reported that: “An urgent need for a second crossing was identified in the long-term plan of the former NSW rail supremo Ron Christie in 2001.”

You can read Jacob’s 2012 story here.

Reporter Nick Newling was out at Tallawong to catch the 4.38am train into the city, and had a busy morning visiting each of the new stations on the M1.

Along the way, he’s answered the No.1 and No.2 questions: where are the toilets, and how good are they?

Nick has done a loo review: ranking the new facilities from worst to best.

Which one does he describe as making “you feel like you’re taking a minute to yourself during an awkward date at an overpriced restaurant”? Where is the “subterranean escape”? And which station has “black slate floors meet sea-foam tiles in this home away from home”?

More importantly, which station forgot to install hand dryers? And which came out on top?

Read Nick’s review here to find out.

I’m at the Miller Street entrance of Victoria Cross Station in North Sydney, just in time for the craziness of the school rush peak hour.

Students have rushed through the Opal gates, but haven’t gone much further.

There is only lift access to the Victoria Cross Station entrance on Miller Street, which is close to a number of schools.Credit: Daniel Lo Surdo

The entrance here is lift only, meaning that passengers can’t use an escalator to get down to the platform.

Consequently, there’s been a major bottleneck for the four elevators at Victoria Cross, with transport officials now directing students to the southern entrance, some two blocks down towards the North Sydney CBD, to access the metro.

How does Sydney’s new metro line compare on the world stage?

Today’s new line runs through the heart of the city, but it is part of a much larger network being built under the city.

When the $25 billion Metro West line between the CBD and Parramatta opens in 2032, the driverless system will span 113 kilometres and 46 stations in Sydney.

Importantly, it will connect to Sydney’s existing double-decker train network, which will still carry the lion’s share of rail commuters after the metro system is complete.

But how does it stack up against Tokyo, Singapore, Paris, Montreal, New York, Barcelona and Hong Kong? Transport editor Matt O’Sullivan and urban affairs reporter Anthony Segaert run the ruler to see which metro rules the world here.

Former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has offered her congratulations to those who helped deliver the new extension of Sydney’s metro network on the day of its opening.

The former premier, now a senior executive at Optus, told the Herald: “A huge congratulations to the literally thousands of workers involved who helped deliver this important project.”

Then-premier Gladys Berejiklian and then-transport minister Andrew Constance inside the cross harbour metro tunnel in June 2021. Credit: Nick Moir

As part of the previous Coalition government, Berejiklian helped conceive the metro line as transport minister, funded it as treasurer and opened the first stage, Metro North West, as premier.

After riding the train through the new city section on Monday, Premier Chris Minns singled out Berejiklian for praise, and said it would be disingenuous for his government to take the kudos.

“We want to point out that the previous government, in particular the previous premier, Gladys Berejiklian, deserves a lot of credit,” Minns said.

“On a day like today I want to pay tribute to her for the fact she pushed through with this project, she had the vision to get it done.”

The man widely credited for Sydney’s metro network, Rodd Staples, joined hundreds of others on the 4.38am service from Tallawong over the extended M1 line.

Dubbed “Metro man”, Staples had organised to catch the first train from Tallawong with two others who had a long involvement in the city’s metro rail projects: Tim Parker, now the head of the country’s High Speed Rail Authority, and Tom Gellibrand, chief executive of Infrastructure NSW.

The architect of the metro network, Rodd Staples, left, Infrastructure NSW chief Tom Gellibrand and former Sydney Metro executive Tim Parker ride the 4.38am train from Tallawong.

Staples said it was a proud day for the many thousands of people who worked tirelessly on the mega rail project over the last decade.

“It’s also a credit to both sides of politics that they have seen this project through,” he said.

“It was a joy to talk with customers and hear how this new metro service is already changing the way they travel and, as a result, changing their lives.

“As big as this project is, we always wanted its impact on customers to be personal. Today showed me that we are well on the way to achieving that for so many.”

Staples also wrote for the Herald last week about how he sees today’s opening as life-changing, for now and future generations. Read his oped here.

In an extremely packed Victoria Cross arcade, it would have been very easy to miss Transport Minister Jo Haylen lining up at the end of the Marrickville Pork Roll queue.

Which is an impressive feat because, not only does she stand out because she’s, well, Jo Haylen - her red blazer was not worn in an effort to blend in. So I asked her, why did you bring a cultural icon from Marrickville to North Sydney?

Transport Minister Jo Haylen and Member for Coogee Marjorie O’Neill, left, get a Banh Mi at North Sydney. Credit: Edwina Pickles

“The metro!” she said.

“It’s a Marrickville institution, and something that I know people have enjoyed in the inner west for years and years, and it’s part of our great multicultural heritage in the inner west.

“It is a hit for good reason. It is delicious and also excellent value.

“I’m so pleased that now people here in Victoria Cross in North Sydney are going to be able to enjoy the same fabulous lunchtime delicacy, the Marrickville Pork Roll.

“That’s one of the things that a high frequency, fast public transport service does, is it just opens up a whole lot of opportunities, including great business opportunities as well.”

Then I asked the most crucial of all questions: Would you like to tell our readers why you chose to have lunch here? Are you even hungry?

“I am starving. In fact, I’m sure Marge (Marjorie O’Neill - Member for Coogee) is too, because we were up very, very early to get on that first train with 1000 other passengers. I’ve got to say, what feels like several hours later, yeah, I’m ready for lunch”.

I would say, given the huge line-up, many folks in North Sydney today were ready for the famous banh mi for lunch too.