Metro testing has officially begun on the new Southwest Metro line marking the first time a metro train has operated on this track as the Minns Labor Government transforms a 130-year-old former T3 Bankstown line into a modern, turn-up-and-go metro.
The milestone for Sydney Metro Southwest was achieved at 4am this morning, beginning a rigorous testing and commissioning program that will include more than 6,500 hours of train testing between Sydenham and Bankstown.
Train set TS 28 completed the inaugural 6.5-kilometre journey to Campsie Station in 5 hours. When the extended metro line opens next year, the same journey will take just 11 minutes.
Making stops at each station, the train made its way towards Campsie, before later travelling the full length of the new line to Bankstown.
The start of train testing has been made possible by significant conversion works completed by more than 800 workers since the closure of the T3 line on September 30 last year.
The initial testing phase will see the train travel at speeds under 25km/h under manual control.
Tests to be completed at speeds under 25km/h include:
- 'Car-Car Clearance Test' to ensure all curves/turns are negotiated without issue
- Kinematic Envelope Testing to ensure safe distance between sides of the train and the station platforms
- Signalling functions, including radio coverage
- Platform screen door interface checks
- Mechanical gap filler tests
- Testing a train under loaded conditions, where the train is filled with water containers to simulate a train filled with passengers.
The next phase will involve testing at higher speeds and a transition from manual to automated train operations.
We thank passengers on the M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line for their ongoing patience during a period of increased disruption on the line during testing. There will be several full or partial line closures necessary, along with some evenings where the service will stop running at 10pm.
When the final section of the M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line opens next year, Sydney will have a 66-kilometre fast and reliable metro network connecting Sydney's north west with the south west, passing under the harbour and through the Sydney CBD.
The conversion of the Southwest Metro is also enabling the delivery of more much needed housing as a result of the Minns Labor Government enabling the delivery of housing along the Southwest Metro line through transport oriented development changes.
This housing is being built where people want to live, near public transport, improving affordability, reducing building and infrastructure costs and building a better NSW.
For more information on Southwest Metro: City & Southwest project overview | Sydney Metro
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
"This is an exciting day for south west Sydney who have put up with major disruption to their train services and waited patiently for what will be a transformative new metro service.
"Seeing a metro train in testing on these tracks is a glimpse into the future where people from Bankstown and Belmore, Campise and Canterbury, will have access to the most modern, turn-up-and-go metro services leaving these stations every four minutes.
"I want to thank the hardworking Southwest Metro conversion team who have worked around the clock to get these trains on the tracks as we work towards opening this brand new metro line."
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
"Train testing is another reminder to the southwest that this most modern is on its way to service your community.
"The southwest section of the M1 Metro Line is expected to add an additional 17,000 people to the rail network every hour during peak periods.
Member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis said:
"This is a transformational project and one that will leave an important legacy in the area.
"A trip from Campsie on the metro is going to get people into Central Station in just 18 minutes, Chatswood in 33 minutes and Macquarie University in 44 minutes.
"I would like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding during work on the conversion to Metro."
