What London transport chief thinks about Sydney’s new metro

The man who runs one of the world’s largest public transport authorities says Sydney’s new metro will be a catalyst for economic growth in the same way as London’s Elizabeth line has spurred new housing and jobs.

Touring the city section of the $21.6 billion M1 metro line during a visit to Sydney this week, Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord said he was struck by the project’s architecture and large public spaces that bore similarities to London’s new east-west railway.

Transport for London commissioner Andy Lord rates Sydney’s new metro line.Credit: Louise Kennerley

“[The stations] are like cathedrals underground. They are almost tourist attractions in themselves. Between this and the Elizabeth line, they are the future of public transport,” he said.

As cost-of-living concerns pile pressure on governments worldwide, Lord said transport projects needed to be seen for their wider economic benefits instead of just how they improve journey times.

“We’ve got to be making decisions now for 20 years’ time,” he said. “You’ve got to have bold decisions, which you then stick with. You need that certainty because that’s the only way you’re going to get investors.”

He cited the wider benefits of the extension of London’s Northern line to Battersea power station, which spurred the building of tens of thousands of homes and revitalised an old industrial area alongside the River Thames. “That is what transport does. It is an enabler for economic growth,” he said.

In a similar vein, Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan said about 15,000 dwellings had been built on government-owned land near operating and planned metro lines since 2019.

Regan said Battersea was an “exemplar” for revitalising an area with shops, offices and apartments and was a sign of what to expect around Sydney’s White Bay power station, which will be the site of a station on the Metro West line.

As Sydney is experiencing a building boom in rail projects, an independent review has privately urged the government to develop a plan to invest up to $4 billion a year for a “metro expansion pipeline” over the coming decades.

TFL’s Andy Lord (left) and Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan survey North Sydney’s new Victoria Cross station. Credit: Louise Kennerley

Lord said governments needed to avoid boom-and-bust cycles and keep investing in building new rail lines and maintaining existing systems.

“What you want to be able to do is finish one project and move the expertise straight on to the next one. [Otherwise] you lose that skill set, which is why a lot of people from London have moved to Australia,” he said.

Many senior managers at Sydney Metro have worked at Transport for London.

Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond said the M1 metro line had added to Sydney’s brand as a modern city in tourists’ minds.

“If it’s not a great place to live, it’s not a great place to visit. It’s a game-changer in terms of people’s capacity to find their way around the city,” she said.

Trains run every four minutes on the M1 line during peak periods compared to every two minutes on the Elizabeth line, which has 43 stations.

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