Revealed: How the new metro line has shaken up Sydney’s commutes

Sydney’s new $21.6 billion metro line is encouraging more people to ditch the car for public transport while easing pressure on busy heavy rail stations, which have had falls of up to 40 per cent in commuters passing through ticket gates.

New figures show almost 21,000 fewer commuters passed through North Sydney station’s gates on average each Wednesday – a 40 per cent fall to 30,620 people – in the four weeks after the city-section of the M1 metro rail line between Chatswood and Sydenham opened on August 19.

Commuters pass through the new Victoria Cross metro station’s ticket gates. Credit: Kate Geraghty

The new Victoria Cross metro station in North Sydney averaged 29,665 people entering or exiting on Wednesdays, which is typically the busiest day for travel as more people opt to work in the office instead of at home.

While entries and exits at North Sydney station fell considerably, the combined numbers for it and Victoria Cross show that thousands more people chose heavy rail or metro to travel to and from their destination – a trend that was replicated at stations in the central city.

The number filing in or out of Town Hall station – the city’s second busiest after Central – fell 12 per cent to 145,600 people on Wednesdays, while Museum station dropped 8 per cent to 21,176.

However, the new Gadigal metro station averaged about 27,300 people, resulting in almost 6000 more people passing through ticket gates at the three stations in that part of the CBD on Wednesdays than before the M1 line opened.

Sydney transport expert Mathew Hounsell said the data shows the new metro line was encouraging people who would usually drive or catch other types of public transport such as buses to connect to the driverless trains.

“It is clearly a success. We are definitely seeing induced demand because the total number of people going to the CBD by train has increased,” he said.

“If you build good quality transport, people will use it. There are definitely people switching from car and bus to the metro.”

Hounsell said the frequency and speed of the metro trains were also spurring some commuters to travel on them instead of double-deck trains during the morning and evening peaks, which was easing pressure on some of the city’s busiest stations such as Town Hall and Wynyard.

The number of passengers passing through North Sydney station’s ticket gates has fallen since the new metro line opened last month.Credit: Kate Geraghty

“Hopefully, it will mean Sydney Trains services will be more reliable from those stations,” he said.

The number of people tapping on or off at Opal readers at Wynyard station fell by 18 per cent to about 110,700 on Wednesdays after the metro line opened. The nearby Barangaroo metro station had about 16,940 people pass through its gates on average on that day.

Further north, Crows Nest metro station averaged 18,777 people entering or exiting its gates each Wednesday. St Leonards station, which is about 10 minutes’ walk away, had a 26 per cent drop to about 23,600 people on Wednesdays while the movements at the much smaller Wollstonecraft station fell 13 per cent.

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said cafes and other small businesses had experienced an uplift in foot traffic since the metro line had opened and the state government had directed public servants to work in offices at least three days a week.

“Everyone just loves the metro. I think the patronage numbers will increase further,” he said. “It also highlights why it is so important for the Sydenham to Bankstown extension [of the M1 metro line] to be completed as planned.”

Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said the relief on the busiest stations on the City Circle line in the CBD, as well as at Chatswood and Epping stations, had been dramatic since the metro line opened last month.

“We are seeing higher performances in the morning and afternoon peak for Sydney Trains,” he said.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said more than 200,000 people were passing through metro station gates on weekdays between Tallawong in the city’s northwest and Sydenham in the south. “That’s every five days, more than a million people loving the magic of metro,” she said.

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