The number of Sydney commuters shunning buses during metro refit revealed

A quarter of commuters on the shuttered T3 Bankstown line have spurned the free replacement buses, new data has revealed, leading to extra road congestion in Sydney’s south-west as about 10,000 people a day seek alternatives.

The T3 line carried some 40,000 people each day on average before it closed in 2024, according to Opal data from Transport for NSW. But manual counting revealed an average of 30,000 daily bus commuters in the final months of 2024, down from initial figures that excluded weekend trips.

The replacement bus service at Sydenham station, where thousands of commuters are switching to the metro.Credit: Steven Siewert

The line was closed from late September 2024 for a planned 12-month conversion to metro standards.

While the data shows that as many as one in four commuters on the old trains are rebuffing the free bus service, it is unclear what alternative arrangements commuters are making, as data from the area is not being published on the traffic volume database.

Local councillor Harry Stavrinos, whose ward covers Belmore, Wiley Park and Bankstown, said the buses are having a serious effect on local traffic.

“On Burwood Road, Belmore, the traffic is quite horrendous,” he said.

The buses are attracting an average of 30,000 people a day, compared to the 40,000 who took the T3 line before it closed.Credit: Steven Siewert

Greens councillor Conroy Blood echoed that sentiment.

“Choke points … can increase traffic a bit. In Campsie especially, the bus is pretty onerous,” he said.

At some intersections, such as in Belmore and Campsie, buses are also required to make left-hand turns from two lanes, which further exacerbates traffic congestion. This is especially pronounced on entries to arterial roads.

However, eight of the nine traffic counters near the closed train line have not uploaded data to the traffic volume database for 2024. Transport for NSW did not say why the data was unavailable.

Commuters have been forced to consider their options.Credit: Steven Siewert

Of the 30,000 using the buses, about 19,000 are changing at Sydenham, leaving 11,000 people using them for the entire journey.

Although some travelling between the city and inner west found the buses relatively beneficial, other commuters heading further west or across Sydney said the buses were slow and inconvenient.

Yugal Kulung travels from Little Bay to Campsie every day for work and says if he could drive, he would. “They come on time, but they’re very packed, especially at peak hours,” he said.

Louise Warrington, who commutes between Campsie and Bankstown, said there were too many buses, and they do not mimic the old train pattern.

While he uses the replacement buses, Yugal Kulung says he would drive if he could.Credit: Steven Siewert

“There used to be a fast train that stopped at the busier stations,” she said. “If you’re travelling from Bankstown past Belmore, it’s very slow. It does double my travel time.”

Another criticism was that the buses use the busy Marrickville Road to reach Canterbury Road.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson confirmed traffic flows had increased in peak periods on corridors like Canterbury Road but said drivers had adapted.

“Transport is working with local councils along the T3 corridor to monitor a range of matters, including traffic operations, congestion, bus stop infrastructure and any wear and tear impacts caused by increased bus movements,” they said.

Both Blood and Stavrinos said some residents were taking buses or driving to stations on nearby lines such as Kingsgrove, Burwood or Bardwell Park to avoid the Southwest Link.

Kingsgrove recorded an increase of about 10,000 users in October 2024, or 320 extra people on average each day. Bardwell Park, Beverly Hills, and Burwood all saw similar increases, which was in line with general patronage increases across the network.

Geoffrey Clifton, an academic at the Institute of Transport and Logistics at the University of Sydney, believes that even if not many people choose to drive to other stations, it will have an impact on congestion.

“There will be some people who will switch to cars for their whole journey,” he said.

Isabella Page, who travels from Alexandria to Marrickville, finds the buses good in the mornings: “But they’re still a bit slow.”Credit: Steven Siewert

“We will also see some congestion lessening at the [Bankstown] stations and some increasing at others.”

Michael Deady, who commutes from his home in Dulwich Hill to the CBD each day, agrees it is “not too bad”. “It’s still the fastest way,” he said.

Ursula, from Marrickville, called the bus service “fantastic.”

“They’re probably overdoing the service so people don’t complain,” she said.

The shutdown is taking place as part of the Sydney Metro project, extending the M1 line from Sydenham to Bankstown, where driverless trains will run via the CBD to Tallawong every four minutes in peak hours.

Stavrinos said although the disruption was unpleasant, the metro would make it worthwhile.

“I think most people realise that it’s short-term pain for long-term gain,” he said. “I don’t know what more they could do.”

The closure was planned to take 12 months, however, last August Transport Minister Jo Haylen cast doubt on that timeline.

“I do want to be upfront with passengers that it could take longer,” she said.

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