Push for additional train services for Bankstown to Sydenham train commuters during metro shutdown

A southwest Sydney council in the crossfire of the highly contentious Metro project has called for additional services for commuters as they brace for the shutdown of the popular T3 train line.

Sydney Metro's new trains for the City & Southwest line have undergone safety testing, marking a major milestone in the multibillion-dollar project. Picture: Supplied by NSW Government

Canterbury-Bankstown Council has pushed for additional train services for the surrounding East Hills railway line in preparation for the predicted commuter chaos during the T3 line shutdown.

The line will stop once the City Metro linking Sydenham to the Sydney CBD is up and running – which is forecast to be between July to October next year.

The closure – to take place as rail is converted to Metro standards to allow driverless trains – will impact stations stretching from the T3’s Birrong train station, as well as all stops between Bankstown to Sydenham including Wiley Park, Punchbowl, Lakemba, Campsie, Canterbury, Hurlstone Park and Dulwich Hill.

Thousands of passengers will be forced on to a new dedicated bus fleet during the closure.

Canterbury-Bankstown Council has resolved to write to the Transport Minister Jo Haylen and call for increased train service on the T8 Airport and South lines during the metro conversion.

Train passengers from Bankstown to Sydenham will be left to catch buses while part of the heavy rail line is upgraded to Metro standards. Picture: Simon Bullard

Labor councillor David Walsh told Tuesday’s council meeting that extra services would be needed to cope with the expected increase in passengers using the rail line.

“For the duration of the shutdown, it is likely that there will be increased ridership on the East Hills line as passengers from the Bankstown line seek alternative routes into the city,” he said.

“The combination of increased demand and increased capacity makes it imperative that services on the East Hills line are increased commensurately”.

A Transport for NSW spokeswoman said a new timetable would be introduced in 2024 and would include service changes across the rail network including changes to the T8 Airport & South Line and for stations west of Bankstown on the current T3 Bankstown Line.

Commuters have been told to brace for the 12-month shutdown which will force them on to buses. Picture: Jeremy Piper

“For stations west of Bankstown, rail services currently operating between Liverpool and the City Circle via Bankstown will instead run via Regents Park and Lidcombe to the Sydney CBD,” the spokeswoman said.

A rail service will also operate between Bankstown and Lidcombe, with Regents Park to be the main interchange point for passengers switching between the two T3 Bankstown Line branches.

When asked if more services would be made available for stations surrounding the impacted line, no direct answer was provided by Transport for NSW.

Councillor Linda Downey said she supported the motion “on the basis that if we’re forewarned we can be forearmed”.

“While we have a whole rail service out for a period of time … other provisions can be put in place to alleviate some of those issues,” she said.

Independent councillor Barbara Coorey said while she supported Mr Walsh’s motion, she did not support the conversion of the Metro line.

“It is a disaster and quite frankly, I think the government underestimated the enormity of the shutdown,” she said.