Sydney City Metro: How 24-hour Metro would cut your travel time

Travellers would have their commute time almost halved in some instances if the Metro ran overnight, as Western Sydney figures call for the move to be adopted.

Late-night revellers and workers living in Sydney’s far-northwest would have their after-dark travel time slashed almost in half if the Metro ran 24 hours a day.

It comes as leaders across the city back the call for the Metro City — the new line running from Sydenham to Chatswood where it will connect to the North West line running to Tallawong — to run all night.

New Metro train times show a trip from Martin Place to Tallawong will take 48 minutes on the driverless train system, when services begin on August 4.

The same trip on a late-night bus takes one hour and 31 minutes.

Metro services are set to run until 1am on weekdays and 2.30am on weekends once fully operational, but western Sydney leaders lashed the NSW Government’s reluctance to extend to a 24-hour timetable.

Sydney Metro City will open in August, with new stations in North Sydney and Sydney's CBD.

“This is what’s wrong with this city – all of the best cities in the world are 24/7, they’re vibrant and they make moving across city easy,” Western Sydney University Pro Vice-Chancellor Andy Marks said.

“This is the opposite of that – for too long, people in western Sydney have been treated as second class citizens – why would you do that when these transport models are meant to connect them to opportunity and bring people together?”

Business Western Sydney executive director David Borger. Picture: John Appleyard

Business Western Sydney’s David Borger added the opening of the Metro next month was the perfect time to prepare to throw services open over the 24 hours.

“If we’re opening a new system, now’s the time to open up our city to the people of northwest Sydney,” he said.

“For a lot of people in western Sydney it can be a real schlep to get home from a night out in the CBD.

“A lot of the wait staff and front of house staff in venues around Sydney come from western and north west Sydney – it has relatively affordable accommodation, so a lot of the workforce is coming from the west – if we want a late night city, we need late night workers.”

Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email [e-mail]

Originally published as Sydney City Metro: How 24-hour Metro would cut your travel time