Target Opening Day Set for Chatswood to Sydenham Metro Line

The Minister for Transport, Jo Haylen, has announced the target opening date for the Sydney Metro City as 4 August 2024.

This opening date is subject to final testing and regulatory approvals.

This city section of what will be known as the M1 Northwest & Bankstown Line includes an additional 15.5 kilometres, which extends the North West line from Chatswood, below the harbour and through the Sydney CBD, to Sydenham.

A planned 2,645 new metro services will travel through the CBD each week, moving more than 37,000 people in the AM peak.

Once open, passengers will experience metro travel times from Victoria Cross in North Sydney, under the harbour to Barangaroo in 3 minutes, between Martin Place and Central in 4 minutes and from Sydenham to Chatswood in 22 minutes.

Transport for NSW has previously stated that the planned route and timetable changes for the changes in bus routes will take effect on the Metro opening date.

Service information will be signposted at stations and available at www.transportnsw.info before opening.

M1 Details

Sydney’s new M1 line includes:

• 45 metro trains and 445 new services a day;
• A train every four minutes in the peak, seven minutes during weekdays, between morning and afternoon peak services (gradually increasing over the first few months to a train every five minutes) and every 10 minutes during off-peak and on weekends;
• Six fully accessible new stations at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal and Waterloo, along with new platforms at Central and Sydenham;
• Interchanges with buses at all stations, ferries at Barangaroo, light rail at Central and with train services at Martin Place, Central and Sydenham;
• Uninterrupted network mobile coverage;
• Safe journeys monitored by a state-of-the-art control centre, with approx. 100 CCTV cameras at every station and 38 cameras inside each train;
• Over 600 secure bike parking spaces at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Waterloo and Sydenham, as part of 900 new bike parking spaces across all eight stations.
• Platform screen door technology to keep people and objects safely away from tracks.

Final confirmation of the opening date will be given in the coming weeks when the operator successfully completes more than 100 remaining trial running exercises including:

• Joint exercises with emergency services to practice station and train evacuation scenarios;
• Testing alternative train timetables for when planned and unplanned service disruptions occour;
• Managing crowds during major events at each station;
• Continuing to safely deliver Metro services from the back-up control centre, when the Operations Control Centre is evacuated.

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said:

“Excitement is mounting for when commuters will be able to step on-board 445 new metro services deep below the city every day.

“Metro will be the fastest way to travel in and around Sydney CBD and north of the city, including across the harbour, when passenger services on the M1 Line start next month.”

Transport for NSW released the following video, to provide commuters an indication of what the Metro will provide.

Bus Changes Due to Metro Opening

Transport for NSW is introducing changes to bus routes due to the launch of the Sydney Metro line from Chatswood to Sydenham. The changes to bus services will start in August, at the same time Sydney Metro services start operating between Chatswood to Sydenham.

Transport for NSW believes these changes will improve the connection to Sydney Metro and broader public transport network services, mainly in the North West and North Shore.

Transport for NSW has released maps showing the old and new routes for northwest and north shore buses.

You can view the existing (grey map) and new route (blue map). The changes are probably best seen on a desktop or laptop, as they are harder to see on a mobile device.

As far as ITC can see, they have not yet released the timetable changes.

To view the maps, go to LINK IN BIO https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e33e577555e642fb84fb39961a86fa61

Specific Route Changes

Bus Route 251

Minor service reduction due to low patronage and availability of alternatives.  Some passengers may need to use an earlier or later service, an alternate route/mode or transfer to an alternative service.

Bus Route 252

There will be route path changes and timetable changes.

Route 252 will now operate to/from North Sydney only, no longer operating between North Sydney and the Sydney CBD.

Passengers travelling to/from the Sydney CBD can use M1 Metro services from Crows Nest or Victoria Cross stations.

This change removes bus network duplication with Metro services between Victoria Cross and Sydney CBD stations whilst retaining local access to schools and employment in North Sydney.

Bus Route 253

Minor service reduction due to low patronage and availability of alternatives. •Some passengers may need to use an earlier or later service or transfer to an alternative service.

ITC Note: Several Residents have contacted ITC about the number of cancellations on this route. When Route 253 is cancelled, residents walk up to the interchange to catch a different bus. How does this impact Opal Data and patronage figures?

Bus Route 254

The service will operate as a loop service around Riverview – except for the buses that currently service Ross Smith Parade.  There will only be minor changes to the timetable, with some trips now operating as a single loop from McMahons Point to Riverview.

Bus Route 261

There will be changes in the bus route path and timetable.

Route 261 will now operate to/from North Sydney only, no longer operating between North Sydney and the Sydney CBD. Passengers travelling to/from the Sydney CBD can use frequent M1 Metro services from Victoria Cross station.

This change removes bus network duplication with Metro services between Victoria Cross and Sydney CBD stations whilst retaining local access to schools and employment in North Sydney.

Bus Route 265

There will be changes in the bus route path and timetable.

Route 265 will continue to operate between Lane Cove and North Sydney, however it will no longer operate via Greenwich wharf.

Route 267 will instead extend to Greenwich Wharf and provide passengers direct access to Sydney Metro services at Crows Nest, Sydney Trains services at St Leonards and improved connectivity to local centres seven days a week.

Bus Route 267

There will be changes in the bus route path and timetable.

Route 267 will now operate between Chatswood and Greenwich Wharf, no longer terminating at Crows Nest.

This route extension gives passengers direct access to Sydney Metro services at Crows Nest and Sydney Trains services at St Leonards and improves connectivity to local centres seven days a week.

Bus Route 285

There will be timetable changes.  Additional services will be provided, replacing some routes 288 and 294.

Bus Route 287

There will be timetable changes.

Due to low patronage, minor service reductions will be made; some passengers may need an earlier or later service.

Bus Route 288 

There will be changes in the bus route path and timetable.

Route 288 will no longer operate between Epping and Macquarie University

These changes remove bus network duplication with Metro services between Epping and Macquarie University stations, with alternative bus services also available in this section.

Daytime service frequency will now operate every 20 minutes throughout the week (currently every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays) and be coordinated with route 292 to provide a bus every 10 minutes between the Lane Cove Interchange and the Sydney CBD.

To maintain route 288 links to Epping Boys High School, a morning trip will be extended from Macquarie University to Epping Boys High (and vice versa in the afternoon).

Bus Route 292

There will be timetable changes.

Additional services will operate on route 292, providing increased capacity during busy times.

Daytime service frequency will now operate every 20 minutes throughout the week, coordinated with route 288 to provide a bus every 10 minutes between Lane Cove Interchange and the Sydney CBD.

ITC Note:  Bus Route 262 cancellations are the most frequently reported to In the Cove.

Bus Route 294

This service will be discontinued.

Route 294 has been replaced by frequent M1 Metro services from Macquarie University or Macquarie Park stations to the city, or passengers may use alternative bus services, including routes 288, 292 or 506, to reach their destination.

Bus Route 536

There will be timetable changes.

The service reduction is due to low patronage and the availability of alternatives. Some passengers may need to use an earlier or later service, an alternate route or transfer to an alternative service.

To see all the bus changes impacting the North Shore and the North West, click here.

How Do You Provide Feedback on the Changes?

To provide feedback on the changes – click here.

Where do I go for more information?

Visit www.transport.nsw.gov.au/buschanges to see what these changes mean for you and to plan.   Transport for NSW has advised ITC that this site will be updated with more information before the implementation date.

Our cover photo was supplied by Transport for NSW and was taken at the 2024 Crows Nest Open Day.