.jpg)
- This page was last modified on 16 June 2025, at 06:19. Suggest an edit.
Sydney Metro City & Southwest facts for kids
| Sydney Metro City & Southwest | |
|---|---|
 |
|
The City and Southwest project (dotted) extends the Metro North West Line (shaded)
|
|
| Overview | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Owner | Transport for NSW |
| Locale | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Stations | 18 (7 new stations, 11 stations converted) |
| Service | |
| Type | Rapid transit |
| System | Sydney Metro |
| Rolling stock | Metropolis Stock |
| History | |
| Announced | 2013 |
| Start of major construction | 2017 |
| Planned opening | 4 August 2024 (Chatswood to Sydenham) 2025 (Sydenham to Bankstown) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 30 km (19 mi) |
| Number of tracks | 2 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC from overhead catenary |
| Signalling | Alstom Urbalis 400 moving block CBTC ATC under ATO GoA 4 (UTO), with subsystems of ATP, Iconis ATS and Smartlock CBI |
The Sydney Metro City & Southwest is a huge new train project in Sydney, Australia. It's about 30-kilometre (19 mi) long and is almost finished! This project will make the Metro North West Line even longer. It will connect Chatswood in the north to Bankstown in the south-west. It also goes right through the middle of Sydney city.
This project has two main parts. First, there's a new 16-kilometre (9.9 mi) tunnel that goes under Sydney Harbour. It then travels through the city to Sydenham. This part includes seven brand new underground stations. The second part involves changing 11 existing train stations. These stations are on the old Bankstown line. They are being updated for new, driverless trains.
Once finished, this new track will be part of a single 66-km train line. This will be a big part of the Sydney Metro network. The project will help more people travel around Sydney. It's expected to let over 100,000 extra people travel every hour!
Building started in 2017. The tunnel from Chatswood to Sydenham is set to open on 4 August 2024. The updated Bankstown line part should open in 2025. The big tunnel digging finished in March 2020. In 2023, the government said the project would cost $20.5 billion. This was more than first thought, partly because of new station designs.
Contents
Project Journey
In 2013, people started talking about making the North West Rail Link longer. The idea was to build a metro tunnel from Chatswood. It would go under Sydney Harbour and through the city. Then it would connect to the Bankstown line. This idea was officially announced by the New South Wales government in 2014.
Work began on 9 April 2015. Crews started drilling deep holes, up to 70 m (230 ft) below Sydney Harbour. This helped them find the best path for the new tunnels.
Chatswood to Sydenham Section
The plans for the Chatswood to Sydenham part were approved in January 2017. In June 2017, a group of companies won the job to build the twin tunnels. These tunnels run from Chatswood to Sydenham.
A big upgrade for Central station started in March 2018. This included building two new underground platforms for the metro trains. There's also a new underground area called Central Walk. The new platforms are being built under the existing platforms 13 and 14.
Tunnel digging started in October 2018.
In November 2018, a large contract was given to Systems Connect. This group will lay the tracks from Chatswood to Sydenham. They will also update the power system on the Bankstown line. Plus, they will build new train facilities at Rouse Hill and Marrickville.
-
Gadigal railway station being built in October 2018
-
Building the tunnel under Sydney Harbour at Blues Point, April 2019
-
A Tunnel boring machine at Waterloo station, May 2019
-
Building the underground station at Martin Place, July 2019
-
The Barangaroo station area being built in September 2020
-
Victoria Cross station, November 2023
-
Crows Nest station, November 2023
-
Barangaroo station, November 2023
Sydenham to Bankstown Section
From Sydenham, the Sydney Metro will use the existing Bankstown railway line. This section, from Sydenham to Bankstown, will be changed for new, single-deck driverless trains. These trains will have doors at the edge of the platform. Bankstown will become a station where you can change between the Metro and other train lines.
Plans for upgrading the Bankstown line were approved in December 2018. Starting in December 2019, parts of the Bankstown line were closed at certain times. This allowed workers to change and upgrade the line to metro standards.
Some people had concerns about changing the Bankstown line. They worried about how easy it would be for people to change trains. However, the government decided to continue with the plan.
In December 2020, Transport for NSW said that when the Bankstown line closes for upgrades in 2024, some train services would change. For example, a train service from Liverpool to the City would start again. Also, a shuttle train would run between Lidcombe and Bankstown. These changes were confirmed in late 2023.
In April 2023, the government confirmed that the Bankstown line upgrade was delayed. It is now expected to open in 2025. This is after the main city tunnel starts running.
In August 2023, the government confirmed that the Sydenham to Bankstown line conversion would continue. This includes a 12-month temporary closure starting in mid-2024.
Project Cost
A tunnel boring machine being put together at Barangaroo station in June 2019. Building underground stations was a big part of the cost.
In 2020, news reports said the project's cost had increased. It went from an estimated $11.5-$12.5 billion to $16.8 billion. This was partly because building the underground city stations was more expensive than expected.
In April 2023, the new government looked into the project's costs. They announced that the City & Southwest project was now expected to cost $20.5 billion. This was a $9 billion increase from the first estimates. More cost increases might happen before the line is fully finished in 2025.
Train Route
.jpg)
The first part of the extension will end at Sydenham station.
This project is a big extension of the Metro North West Line. It connects Chatswood, where the line currently ends, to Sydenham. New stations are being built at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street, Central, and Waterloo.
At Sydenham, the new line will join the existing Bankstown railway line. This line will be changed so that single-deck driverless trains can run between Sydenham and Bankstown. This is all part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.
The original plan for new stations included Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Martin Place, Pitt Street (now Gadigal), Central, Sydenham, and the stations on the Bankstown line. Later, Barangaroo and Waterloo stations were also confirmed.
Other stations on the T3 Bankstown Line (like Erskineville and St Peters) will still be used by Sydney Trains.
Future Plans
Liverpool was once considered for a future extension of the line.
In 2015, the governments looked into extending the Sydney Metro City & Southwest. One idea was to extend it from Bankstown to Liverpool. However, this extension is not likely to be built for at least 20 years. After the 2023 state election, this Metro extension was cancelled.
Images for kids
-
Excavation of the Marrickville dive in August 2018
-
The Sydenham to Bankstown part of the project involves updating the current Bankstown Line to metro standards.
-
A tunnel boring machine being put together at Barangaroo station in June 2019. Building underground stations was a big part of the cost.
-
A Metropolis Stock train at Chatswood station. This is where the Metro North West Line currently ends.
-
The first part of the extension will end at Sydenham station.
-
Bankstown station will be the final stop for the Sydney Metro Northwest, City & Southwest in 2025.
-
Liverpool was once considered for a future extension of the line.