Sydney Metro opening day: Live updates
It’s passing the test. The $21 billion Sydney Metro has officially opened, with packed carriages. Follow for live updates from the opening day.
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After a long wait, the new Sydney Metro stations have finally opened to passengers this morning.
There are new stations at Sydenham, Waterloo, Central, Gadigal (Pitt St), Martin Place, Barangaroo, Victoria Cross, and Crows Nest as part of the $21 billion project that was delayed from opening for two weeks over red tape issues.
The first service left Tallawong for Sydenham at 4.38am, while the first service left Sydenham at 4.54am.
RELATED: Everything you need to know about the Metro
RELATED: Why Metro is biggest Sydney project since Harbour Bridge
Follow for live updates from the opening day:
6pm: A trip to remember
Users of the Metro at Central station are being given limited edition badges honouring the first day of its use.
The only blight of the first day is one of the three lanes of the escalators at Central dor the platform is under repairs. — Harrison Finlay
5.40pm: The evening commute test
The Metro passed its first test of bringing people into the city this morning, now faces its next test of taking home the masses rolling in during the peak hour rush.
With northbound and southbound services arriving every four to five minutes, commuters don’t have to wait very long, meaning the platforms are much freer than you would see at most train stations in peak hour.
Isaac Tan, 24 and Alicia Kamandiyap, 21 both used the Metro this morning from Macquarie Park and were so impressed with the service, they are using it to return home.
“It was really good, efficient and much quicker,” Mr Tan said.
“It’s one of the only few good things that Transport has done for this city”.
“It used to be so inconvenient having to change at Chatswood but now it makes it more likely we will come into the city,” Ms Kamandiyap said
Many commuters were trying the Metro by taking another route for their way home.
Gordon resident Jane Grant swapped the train for the Metro: “I thought I’d give it a try on day one… it’s much quicker,” she said.
Ms Grant said that if it lives up to expectation, it will become her primary option.
“If it it’s as quick as I think it will be, then definitely”
Strathfield resident Isabella Mezza said the new line is great for easier access to surrounding suburbs and applauded the safety measures at stations.
“I like the doors, they look really safe, she said.
The barriers at the Metro stations allow commuters to walk along the platforms without the risk of falling or dropping items onto the track. — Harrison Finlay
9.45am: The morning grind … but faster
As the morning rush came to an end at about 9.30am, commuters could have easily forgotten the start of the week marked a defining moment in the city’s history.
From being crowded with train enthusiasts in the early hours to quickly transitioning to everyday commuters, the metro went from fever-pitch excitement to the familiar everyday grind.
Crowds flocked down the escalators at the new platforms at Central Station eagerly awaiting their first metro trip with most commuters presently surprised by the frequency of trains as doors closed in their faces.
Despite delays in the metro’s opening, it survived its first real test without any major disruptions or hiccups.
8.35am: Train enthusiasts impressed with new Metro
A group of train enthusiasts from all parts of Sydney, including the northern beaches and western Sydney have grouped together as they test out the new public transport.
Len Fielding, Talin Irvin, Will Thorpe, Francis Gonzales, Jane S Kuziak, Charlie Sunderland and Chelsea Ayscough have all teamed together on Monday morning.
“I think it’s really cool, the new link from the northwest all the way into the city is a game changer for people that live out that way,” the group said.
“It’s a huge improvement and the stations are beautiful.”
The group had just travelled through the “path of light” at Martin Place which blew them away.
“They’ve got the lights and the ambient sound and these gorgeous seats,” the group said.
“It’s the most visually interesting thing (on the metro) and as someone who loves the arts … seeing that sort of visual art and expression incorporated into people’s day to day lives … is just so good to have.”
8.15am: Faster trips
The convenience of the new metro has caught the eye of many, including Jonas Fallman from Macquarie Park.
Originally, Mr Fallman would have to change stations at Chatswood, now his usual trip into the city has become much faster.
“I’ve only been to a few stations but they all look really nice,” he said.
8am: Peak hour train sets off
7.45am: Commuters explore new parts of Sydney
While he won’t be using the metro often, Steven Flanagan from Granville is pleased to finally see the transformation of Central Railway Station which will now give him the opportunity to finally see parts of Sydney he’s never been.
“I just think that Central is one of the best stations in the world, I’ve travelled a lot and it’s gone from something really outdated,” he said.
“I’ll use the metro to go to parts of Sydney I’ve never been before.”
Mr Flanagan said he is a “great supporter” of heavy rail but admitted it was a “very unreliable service”.
“This will be the way forward,” he said.
“I’ve lived in Tokyo and London and they’ve never heard track work.”
7.15am: Business as usual
In a big contrast to the excitement early this morning, commuters are already falling asleep, working on laptops, and staring at phones as the Metro settles into a steady rhythm just after 7am.
It seems as if the network has quickly become ‘business as usual’ for most Sydneysiders in a sign the Metro is off to a seamless start.
However, with the daily work commute expected to pick up before 9am, the current peace and quiet might not last.
Record numbers are expected to ride the Metro on its first day as people from across the city opt to travel to work on Sydney’s latest attraction.
7am: Commuters test out new Metro
Damien Mancell, 50, plans to give the new Metro a few days to see if it makes a difference to his daily commute.
While he currently travels from Central Station to North Sydney, the Metro could save him about six minutes by taking him to the new Victoria Cross station.
However, with his office located between Victoria Cross and Crows Nest, Mancell is reserving judgment, saying, “We’ll see if it makes a difference to my commute — I’m giving it a few days to find out.”
6.45am: NSW Premier Chris Minns on Sydney Metro opening
Following a two-week delay, NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the official opening of the new Sydney Metro on Monday morning.
“Big news. Sydney Metro is officially open,” he shared on Facebook, marking a significant milestone for the city’s public transportation.
6.40am: Family connection draws crowds as train pulls into Victoria Cross
Mackenzie Walters, whose partner worked on the Metro City project, was among the early-morning crowd at Victoria Cross station to witness the historic first train arrival, calling the moment “surreal” and praising the metro’s potential to transform city commutes.
“Well basically it’s within the family. My partner has worked on the metro and we just wanted to see it for ourselves in person,” she said.
“I’ve heard so much about the project from the beginning to now and being here and seeing it in action is really surreal.
“I know up to 15,000 people will be moving through (an hour) so think it will be accessible for so many people moving around the city
“It will shorten commute times for people, it will be awesome,” Ms Walters said.
Gadigal Metro. #SydneyMetro pic.twitter.com/LlFpbfEAge
— Warrior జగననà±à°¨à°¤à±‹à°¨à±‡ à°ªà±à°°à°¯à°¾à°£à°‚ (@Vamsee007) August 18, 2024
6.20am: First journey completed without a hitch
Faces lit up as the crowded train arrived at Waterloo station in southern Sydney and commuters caught their first glimpse of one of the network’s futuristic new underground stations.
The Metro then continued its 100km/h journey up to Chatswood without a hitch where the line connected to the existing Metro Northwest.
Richmond local Andrew Stannard, 23, said the Metro offered a new way to get around the city besides the existing Sydney train network.
“It gives me alternate options,” he said.
“It’s also nice to have a big focus on nice clean stations, and to have commuters come through these stations and not be stuck in traffic.”
Mr Stannard said he had planned to be on the first Metro train “for weeks” and hadn’t slept all night.
“I’ve been awake since 6pm I slept in the whole day pretty much for this (the first service).
“We were planning this for quite a while. Unfortunately it had to be on a Monday and I have work in four hours, but it’s all right.”
5am: The first trip of the new Metro
A usually peaceful inner Sydney train station has transformed on Monday morning as the Sydney Metro City officially welcomed its first ever service.
Crowds packed out the Sydenham platform for the network’s inaugural northbound service at 4:54am, with cheers going up as the driverless train rolled in on a cold clear morning to transport its first passengers.
Commuters woke up in the dark with ‘Metro’ signs to celebrate the milestone, joined by train enthusiasts, locals, and Metro employees who congratulated each other as they watched seven years, and $21.6 billion, finally come to life.
Sydenham local Victoria Rawlings, 38, had made a special memento to mark the occasion and said she was had waited “many years” for the grand opening.
“It’s a historic moment, it’s a game changer for the city and it’s a feat of engineering,” Ms Rawlings said.
“It’s just such an exciting time to be living and working in Sydney.”
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