Just over 15 years ago, when plans for a metro line to the far stretches of north-western Sydney existed only in documents and government notices, one Sydney father was paying closer attention than most.
Nick Wagener’s twin daughters, Imogen and Elly, were not even born, but as he inspected open homes across Sydney with his wife, he was calculating how they might commute to Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College in North Sydney.
Elly and Imogen Wagener enjoy the ride to school on the metro, thanks to their parents’ foresight. Credit: James Brickwood
“We bought [our house] on the basis the metro was being built. That was part of the decision-making,” he said.
“My wife wanted the girls to go to Monte because my wife went to Monte.”
Over the years, exactly when and where a metro line would go changed. But fortunately for the Wageners, the north-west metro opened the same year his daughters began high school. To get from Kellyville to North Sydney now takes 42 minutes.
The North Sydney area has a high concentration of private, comprehensive and selective schools, and principals say that thanks to the opening of the metro line, more students from further afield are enrolling.
North Sydney Boys’ High reports more students are coming from the north-west.Credit: North Sydney Boys/Facebook
“It has really drastically reduced travel time for our students, it is safe, it is on time, it is efficient, and it connects students to other transport hubs,” Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College principal Nicole Christensen said.
North Sydney Boys principal Brian Ferguson said parents were turning down independent schools due to the metro.
“A number of new parents indicated to me that the new metro played a part in their decision to apply for North Sydney Boys’ High School instead of private schools in their local area, particularly from the north-western suburbs,” Ferguson said.
A spokeswoman for private boys school Shore said enrolments from north-western Sydney significantly increased – “making Shore more accessible for families travelling to North Sydney” – after the Tallawong to Chatswood section opened in 2019.
Dave Pitcairn, principal of Reddam House North Shore, which opened this year, said about 60 per cent of students used the metro to get to school, with students coming from Epping and Cherrybrook.
“Having only opened the school this year, it’s hard to say what difference it’s made. But we think the metro is having an impact. Parents mention it during the application process, and we have a number of students from suburbs further afield,” he said.
Marist Catholic College North Shore principal Anthony Boys said it had also had an increase in applicants from West Pennant Hills, Cherrybrook, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill – “and even as far as Tallawong”.
The school went co-ed in 2021. Enrolments increased by 80 per cent over the past five years to almost 1500 students.
“Parents have noted the convenience of the metro as a factor in their decision-making, especially for students commuting from areas further afield who are drawn to the excellent academic and co-curricular opportunities we offer our students,” he said.