Bankstown-Lidcombe rail line reopens after nine-week closure

Commuters in Sydney’s southwest can finally ditch replacement buses and hop back on the train following a marathon nine-week closure.

Commuters in Sydney’s southwest can finally ditch replacement buses and hop back on the rails from today, with the T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line resuming services. Picture: Damian Shaw

Commuters in Sydney’s southwest can finally ditch replacement buses and hop back on the train, with the T6 Lidcombe and Bankstown line resuming normal services after a marathon nine-week closure.

The popular rail link which serves thousands of daily passengers through Lidcombe, Berala, Regents Park, Birrong, Yagoona and Bankstown, shut on April 27 to make way for major construction works for the Sydney Metro network.

A Transport NSW spokesman said: “The closure allowed Sydney Metro to undertake major construction works associated with the extension of the Sydney Trains platforms at Bankstown Station”.

Sydney Southwest Metro line: Industrial action delayed the completion of the T3 Sydenham to Bankstown line until 2026. Picture: Supplied

Frustrated travellers who’ve been relying on fare-free replacement buses were once again able to catch their regularly scheduled trains coming every 15 minutes on the normal timetable.

The extensive construction works also included installing new track layouts that provides access to both platforms at Bankstown station and critical signalling upgrades – all in of preparation of the game-changing Southwest Metro.

The extensive construction works also included installing new track layouts that provide access to both platforms at Bankstown station and critical signalling upgrades. Picture: Supplied

“This comes ahead of the greatly anticipated Southwest Metro opening in 2026, connecting passengers from Sydney’s West into the CBD and across Sydney via a world class new Southwest Metro service,” the Transport NSW spokesman said.

“Passengers will benefit from a new fully airconditioned Sydney Metro train every four minutes in the peak in each direction with lifts, level platforms and platform screen doors for safety, accessibility and increased security.”

The works are aimed at fixing a “significant bottleneck” the existing rail network posed because of the way it merged with other railway lines close to the Sydney CBD, according to Transport NSW.

“By moving Bankstown line services to the new stand-alone Metro system, we can remove this bottleneck and provide more reliable journeys for customers from all across Sydney,” Transport NSW stated on their website.

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Originally published as Bankstown-Lidcombe rail line reopens after nine-week closure