$21.6bn Sydney Metro City opening date delayed over safety checks

The highly anticipated opening of a metro service has been indefinitely delayed, with no clues as to a new date.

A $21.6bn metro service to connect Sydney’s CBD to the city’s north will be delayed indefinitely from its highly anticipated start date originally set for this Sunday.

Confirming the “disappointing” postponement, NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen failed to set a new start date however said the metro line was still awaiting vital safety checks from the National Rail Safety Regulator.

Ms Haylen said the body still needed to complete about four tests, which were being undertaken, but refused to answer questions as to whether this process would take days, weeks or months.

“This is about a process of independent assurance. The good news is this railway is 99 per cent ready, but we need 100 per cent,” she said.

“Those exercises needed to be assessed, the paperwork needs to be submitted and the safety regulator then needs to assess it and give us our tick of approval, so we are very close but not quite there.”

A revised opening date for the service has yet to be shared. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

The highly anticipated route will connect Chatswood to Sydenham and involves the opening of six new stations at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street, and Waterloo, plus new platforms at Central and Sydenham.

Ms Haylen stressed the railway was safe, and the delays were not due to a “question of safety” but rather ensuring independent assurances and processes were completed.

She said a combination of factors contributed to the testing delays, including industrial action from the firefighters union, the Fire Brigade Employees Union, and a July signalling issue that led to commuters being stuck on-board a metro between Cherrybrook and Epping for about two hours on the North West Metro Line.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the delays were not due to questions of safety. Picture: NewsWire/ Damian Shaw

Ms Haylen said Fire and Rescue NSW was also required to complete additional exercises.

“Because some of the Fire and Rescue members did not participate in every single one of the 200 trial exercises, it did mean that we wanted to provide an extra level of assurance and Fire and Rescue requested for those extra exercises to take place,” she said.

More to come