Delay to shuttle trains starting during conversion of busy Sydney line to metro
Shuttle train services to help relieve pressure on the transport network when a busy rail line in Sydney’s south-west is closed for at least a year have been delayed by about three weeks due to recent industrial action.
Transport authorities now expect the new T6 shuttle train services between Lidcombe and Bankstown, which were meant to start on Monday, will be operating by the time schools reopen in mid-October.
The 12-month closure of the Bankstown line will start on Monday, forcing commuters to take replacement buses.Credit: Kate Geraghty
The return of students from holidays will be the first major test of replacement bus and train services during the closure of the T3 line between Sydenham and Bankstown to allow it to be converted to metro train standards. The line is used by up to 60,000 commuters a day.
The Minns government also confirmed it is aiming to introduce a new rail timetable on October 20 for the entire network, which will happen when students start sitting HSC exams.
The 12-month closure of the T3 line between Sydenham and Bankstown begins on Monday, and trips on pink-coloured replacement buses will be free for commuters.
Dubbed Southwest Link, buses will operate on three routes and will be a mix of all-stop and limited-stop services. More than 200 drivers have been recruited and 60 new buses purchased.
The government blamed a delay of about three weeks on the start of the T6 shuttle train service between Lidcombe and Bankstown stations on the now-lifted protected industrial action by rail workers.
In the interim, extra fare-free buses will replace trains between Lidcombe and Bankstown. Once open, the T6 will provide more travel options by connecting Bankstown to Lidcombe via Yagoona, Birrong, Regents Park and Berala.
Days after the rail union lifted bans that risked delaying the shutdown, Transport Minister Jo Haylen reiterated that the conversion of the Bankstown line could take longer than 12 months due to the complexity of the work.
“We’ll be holding our contractors to account and driving this program, but I do want to be upfront with these communities that it might take a little longer,” she said.
“We know there will be long lines and delays [during the shutdown], but in the end, this period of pain will be worth it.”
The line’s closure will more than double daily journey times for thousands of commuters to almost an hour for a one-way trip along the corridor when buses replace trains.
Regents Park will be the main interchange point for passengers travelling from Liverpool on the T3 line to the Sydney CBD from Monday.
Transport for NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins said the major test of the replacement services would occur when students returned to school in mid-October from holidays, and HSC exams began.
“I’m saying to every parent and every child ... please allow extra time and think about what alternatives to make sure they’re there at school on time to do those HSC [exams],” he said.
In what will be the end of an era for the 130-year-old T3 line, the last double-decker train to run on the 13-kilometre stretch to be converted to metro standards will leave Sydenham station at 12.25am on Monday for Bankstown.
The stretch of track will become the final part of the M1 metro line between Tallawong in the city’s north-west and Bankstown once the conversion is completed.
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the planned rollout of the new rail timetable on October 20 would be dependent on the sequencing of works for the Bankstown line conversion.
“Key changes in the timetable will be the stopping patterns on the T8. Half of the services in the peak will run via the airport, and the other half will run via Sydenham, St Peters and Erskineville to service those stations currently on the T3,” he said.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.