‘Miserable’, ‘torture’ but eventually ‘convenient’: On the buses out of Bankstown as long journey to metro begins

Transport staff have declared the first morning commute without the Bankstown to Sydenham train line a success, but are bracing for increased pressure on the bus replacement system when school students return from holidays in two weeks.

The approximately 60,000 commuters on the T3 Bankstown Line, now closed to be converted for the metro, woke to a new transport system on Monday.

Commuters at Bankstown station on Monday morning.Credit: Nick Moir

In place of the double-decker trains was a fleet of fare-free, pink replacement buses, offering a frequent yet slower journey to Sydenham and Lidcombe stations.

More than 10,000 commuters used the three replacement bus routes on Monday morning, most of which arrived on time.

A larger-than-expected volume of buses at the Bankstown Interchange led to some congestion, which will prompt transport staff to extend the length of green lights to help buses enter and exit the interchange.

Tow trucks will also be deployed from 6am on Tuesday after delays were caused by cars parked in the new bus zones at several of the train stations, especially at Dulwich Hill.

A limited-stops bus service from Bankstown to Sydenham took 15 minutes longer than the all-stops train line from the same two points. One passenger could be overheard calling the replacement service “miserable”, and claimed he could have been in Redfern by the time the bus had stopped in Belmore.

The change provoked confusion from commuters at Bankstown, from which city-bound travellers face the greatest delays because of the closure. The line is expected to reopen late next year as a part of the M1 Metro, which will stretch from Bankstown to Tallawong, in Sydney’s north-west, via the CBD.

Among the hundreds of Bankstown residents adapting to the new transport system was Mithun, who arrived at the station 40 minutes early ahead of expected delays on his commute to Martin Place.

Mithun boards a bus replacement service in Bankstown on Monday morning.Credit: Nick Moir

He supported the line’s conversion to the metro, a system he said had been “convenient” since being introduced in August.

While residents across the line were able to manage the bus replacements with relative ease, the real concern among transport staff and commuters will be how the network responds to the additional stress when school students return on October 14.

Transport for NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins said the return of students was the “big, hard test” he was preparing for, adding his staff would be on “red alert” to ensure smooth transport flow in a fortnight.

Replacement bus services to Sydenham heavily rely on Canterbury Road, after stops in Bankstown, Punchbowl, Wiley Park and Belmore.

Belmore resident Anna Vergos described travelling on Canterbury Road as “torture” when bus replacement services have been used in the past, saying they removed one lane of traffic and created bottlenecks for morning commuters.

Sydenham to Bankstown bus replacements.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen told 2GB on Monday morning that the shutdown and conversion were “pain for gain”, saying she didn’t want commuters “stuck on buses longer than they need to be”.

Kelly Young, a Belmore resident who commutes to Wynyard three times a week, forecast “awful” traffic on Canterbury Road once students return, but supports metro construction provided it is paired with high-density housing.

Young expects 40 minutes of extra traffic each way on her commute to Wynyard during the train line closure.

In the early hours of Monday morning, the final heavy rail train made its way through Bankstown station.

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