Sydney’s mega-rail line is finally here: What you need to know about metro

Seven years after construction started, Sydneysiders will finally be able to hop on driverless trains on Monday that run along the second stage of a metro network, whisking them under the central city at up to 100 kilometres an hour.

The opening of the main section of the $21.6 billion line between Chatswood and Sydenham has spurred a host of last-minute advice for passengers riding the metro train system for the first time.

Top of the list is to avoid running for train doors and to hold on when you are onboard because the metro trains accelerate and brake much quicker than Sydney’s existing double-deck trains.

Platforms for the driverless metro trains at Victoria Cross station in North Sydney.Credit: Nick Moir

As the line finally opens, the test will be how hundreds of thousands of commuters navigate the system every day and whether it realises expectations.

What will trips cost?

Fares for journeys on the driverless metro trains under the harbour between Chatswood and Sydenham are the same as those for Sydney Trains.

Adults pay $4.20 to travel up to 10 kilometres, and $5.22 for journeys up to 20 kilometres, during peak periods. Off-peak fares are $2.94 and $3.65 respectively.

The city section of the metro line is woven into the broader transport network, and commuters may use Sydney Trains or metro – or both – depending on where they are travelling. The fares for metro are consistent with the rest of Sydney’s public transport network.

A 51.5-kilometre journey from one end of the extended metro line to the other – Sydenham to Tallawong – will cost an adult $8.03 during peak periods and $5.62 in off-peak hours.

What is it exactly?

The $21.6 billion second stage of the city’s expanding driverless train network has been known as Sydney Metro City and Southwest during years of construction.

It is an extension of the existing Metro Northwest line, which opened in 2019 between Tallawong, near Rouse Hill, and Chatswood at a cost of $7.3 billion. Together, they form one line known as the M1 Northwest and Bankstown line, or the M1.

The city section of the new line extends for 15.5 kilometres from Sydenham to Chatswood and the remainder of existing metro track covers 36 kilometres to Tallawong.

Once a final section is completed next year, the line will extend on from Sydenham to Bankstown, covering 66 kilometres from Sydney’s west to northwest via the CBD.

What will mobile coverage be like?

The 15.5 kilometres of new line from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour to Sydenham are mostly underground, which raises a question of what it means for mobile phone coverage.

Those who travel on existing double-decker trains through tunnels under the CBD know that mobile coverage can be poor on the City Circle. Ditto the T8 Airport line.

Metro City and Southwest project director Hugh Lawson said mobile coverage was available in trains travelling through the tunnels along the new line and in the underground stations, including platforms.

How often will trains run and when?

Trains will run every four minutes in peak periods – 6.30am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm – in both directions between Tallawong and Sydenham.

They will continue onto Bankstown once the 13-kilometre stretch of existing rail track is converted to metro trains standards by late next year.

In a major change, the frequency of inter-peak services between 10am and 3pm will increase within the first few months of the line’s opening to a train every five minutes in both directions, from every seven minutes. Services will be run every 10 minutes in off-peak periods.

Trains will operate on the line from 4.08am to 1.20am Monday to Thursday; from 4.08am to 2.20am on Fridays and Saturdays; and from 4.08am to 11.50pm on Sundays.

How long will the trips take between stations?

The speed of trains accelerating out of stations is something passengers will notice. They travel at up to 100 kilometres an hour along the line and are quick even in relatively short sections between stations due to their pick-up.

They have to travel at slower speeds along some sections, such as between Barangaroo and Martin Place, due to tight curves in the twin tunnels. “As you go around curves, you go slower, but also it’s a fairly short distance anyway,” Lawson said of the CBD section.

A metro train trip from Chatswood to Gadigal station near Town Hall in the central city takes 13 minutes. A Sydney Trains double-decker from Chatswood to Town Hall is 21 minutes.

Likewise, a trip from Central to Epping via Chatswood is 30 minutes on a metro train, compared with 34 minutes on Sydney Trains via Strathfield.

How long will it take from platforms to streets?

The six new underground stations are built to depths averaging about 30 metres.

It means commuters will take about four to five minutes to walk from street level to platforms, taking escalators or lifts on the way. The Crows Nest station, for example, has two banks of escalators to descend to the platforms.

Lawson said part of the stations’ design was to ensure passengers “get in and out in an easy, streamlined way”.

What are the trains like?

Commuters in Sydney’s northwest have become accustomed to the single-deck trains on the metro line from Tallawong to Chatswood since it opened in 2019.

Yet, the opening of the extended line under the harbour and the CBD will be a new experience for vast swathes of Sydney’s commuters who are used to double-decker trains.

The main difference is the fewer seats and the single-deck carriages, which allow passengers to see from one end to the other. The same trains that have operated on Metro Northwest will run on the extended line now known as the M1. The fleet has been expanded to 45 driverless trains from 22 for the extended line.

Each of the trains built in India by French company Alstom will have six carriages but this can be increased to eight.

Lawson said it was a metro train system like those elsewhere in the world where not every passenger was expected to get a seat.

“You’re travelling generally shorter distances. It’s a metro – it’s not a long-distance train where everyone books a seat,” he said.

What to watch out for?

Commuters who are familiar with Sydney’s existing railway stations might take time to get used to screen doors on platforms for the new metro line.

“If you’ve not seen those before, don’t stand right in front of the doors. Stand slightly to the side to let people off,” Lawson said. “It sounds obvious, but because you can see the doors, people will sometimes stand naturally right in front of them.”

This is why you’ll notice floor markings near the screen doors to act as a guide about where to stand. If you stand to the side and let people walk off the trains, you’ll find it easier and quicker to board.

“That is the way you get on and off the train quickest,” Lawson said.

Each of the single-deck carriages has three double doors, allowing people to get on and off quicker. Sydney Trains’ double-deck carriages each have two doors, and require passengers to mount the stairs to get in and out.

The less time spent at station platforms – referred to as “dwell time” – means trains can run more frequently along the line, which is operated by a private consortium led by Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation.

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