‘Truly historic moment’: $21.6bn Sydney metro line finally open

The $21.6bn metro line has finally opened after delays over safety checks. The unveiling has been hailed as a ‘truly historic moment’.

Sydney’s new metro line has officially opened after it received the final tick of approval from safety regulators last week.

The very first passenger journey kicked off at 4.54am on Monday morning, with 445 services tipped to run between Chatswood and Sydenham each day.

Trains will run every four minutes during the peak times of 6.40am-10am and 3pm-7pm, and every 10 minutes for off-peak times.

Commuters board one of the first Sydney Metro trains on its way back in to the city. The brand new Sydney Metro had its maiden run to Tallawong leaving Sydenham Station at 4.54am.. Picture: Richard Dobson / Newswire

The very first passenger journey kicked off at 4.54am on Monday morning, with 445 services tipped to run between Chatswood and Sydenham each day. Picture: NSW government.

The $21.6bn project — funded by the former Liberal government — was scheduled to launch on August 4 but had been pushed back over safety checks.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the new line will be “a huge change for Sydney and a big step forward”.

“This is a massive piece of transport infrastructure, and in part, credit should go to former Premier Mike Baird, his successor, Gladys Berejiklian, and her successor, Dominic Perrottet,” he said.

“It will genuinely transform the way people get to and from work, and it’ll be fantastic, so Sydney enjoy the experience.”

A trip between Chatswood and Sydenham takes about 22 minutes with the new metro, while travelling between Sydenham and Tallawong will take just under an hour.

Speeds reach up to 100km/h on the new line, with Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan reminding people to hold on when the train takes off.

Excited staff and commuters. Picture: Richard Dobson / Newswire

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen added the unveiling is a “truly historic moment”.

“Sydney, welcome to your new railway. This is truly a historic moment that will forever be etched in the storybook of this great city,” she said.

“I want to honour the legacy of the 50,000 workers who have built this railway, which will serve Sydney for the next century.

“We are anticipating crowds of potentially up to 200,000 people today for the first day of operations so please be patient and mindful as you get familiar with this fantastic new way to travel.”

Commuters can expect minor ongoing work at most of the new stations, including improvements to roads, footpaths and traffic intersections.

This will reportedly not impact travel.

Originally published as ‘Truly historic moment’: $21.6bn Sydney metro line finally open