Sydney Metro extension M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line hits milestone

Sydney Metro extension M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line has reached a key operational milestone, with a train completing an end-to-end journey from Tallawong to Bankstown for the first time, as outlined in a NSW Government ministerial release.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Tallawong to Bankstown metro test run across 31 stations

The test run took the train through all 31 stations on the 66-kilometre route and up to 100 kilometres an hour on the new section of track. Transport for New South Wales said the trip marked an “exciting milestone” for the extension, which is due to open later in 2026.

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More trains, more often on the former T3 Bankstown Line corridor

Once the project is completed, metro services are planned to run every four minutes in peak periods — 15 metro trains an hour. That compares with eight trains an hour on the former heavy rail T3 Bankstown Line, almost doubling the services connecting South-West Sydney with the rest of the city.

Travel times are also expected to improve. Passengers at Bankstown will be able to travel to Gadigal Station in 30 minutes, saving 15 minutes compared with the 45-minute trip it took to reach Town Hall on the former heavy rail line.

High-speed testing and station works on the Southwest extension

Sydney Metro Southwest extension high-speed testing continues ahead of the planned opening. The current phase requires at least 9,000 hours and 30,000 kilometres of combined testing before the line can open.

Across the Southwest line, 79 per cent of works within the corridor and at stations are now complete. Tiling is largely finished at four stations, while construction continues at the remaining six, and painting and landscaping are underway at most stations.

Testing is moving forward on the platform screen doors and mechanical gap fillers, with the technology passing its first round of tests at every station. Next, integration testing with the test train is due later this year. During the high-speed testing phase on the Southwest extension, more than 70 critical integration tests will be carried out to confirm systems operate together and to validate the performance, functionality and safety of the trains and new infrastructure.

As part of the final conversion, crews will complete works to integrate the Southwest Metro with the existing metro network. This will require multiple full and partial closures on the M1 Line in the lead-up to opening, to allow work to be done safely in the rail corridor — a timeline also discussed in Railway Supply’s coverage of the extension testing and closures.

M1 Line closures January 2026 replacement buses

Metro services will not run on the line from January 17–18 or from January 24–25. Replacement buses will operate between Tallawong and Chatswood, with Sydney Trains services running between Chatswood and Sydenham, consistent with the Transport for NSW trackwork notice.

Minister for Transport John Graham said: “The first metro train to cover the entire 66-kilometre length of line is an exciting day for all of Sydney. It is even more exciting for the people of Southwest Sydney who have been patiently waiting for their turn to join the metro network. With a service every four minutes, metro will transform this area’s connection to the rest of the city, providing many more opportunities in jobs and education.”

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