Buses Will Replace Trains on Three Sydney Train Lines Over the Christmas Holidays
Parts of the rail network will be closed throughout late December and early January to complete upgrades.
If you were planning to get around on trains this festive season, you might have to rethink your plans. Transport for NSW has announced that sections of three Sydney train lines and one intercity line will close from Tuesday, December 24 to complete upgrades to the network. Which means, lots of replacement buses.
Sections of the T3 Bankstown, T4 Illawarra Line and Blue Mountains Line will close temporarily over the holidays, while the T6 Carlingford Line will close permanently from Sunday, January 5 to make way for the new Parramatta Light Rail. The light rail will connect Carlingford to Westmead via Camellia and Parramatta's CBD, but it isn't set to launch until 2023. So, in the interim, Carlingford residents wanting to board the T1 or T2 will need to jump on a bus — the new 535, which will travel from Carlingford to Parramatta.
On the T3 line, buses will replace trains between Central and Campsie from December 24–28 and between Campsie and Sydenham from December 28–January 5, while the train line is upgraded for the second stage of the Sydney Metro project. Together with the Metro North West railway line, that launched back in May, the Metro City and Metro South West will see a new railway linking Rouse Hill to Chatswood, travelling under the Sydney Harbour to the city, then down to Bankstown. Metro West will link the city to Parramatta.
Track maintenance will also be performed on the T4 line, causing temporary closures between Hurstville and Central from December 24– 28. The Blue Mountains Line between Penrith and Bathurst will also close from December 26–30, and, currently, buses are replacing trains between Mount Victoria, Lithgow and Bathurst due to damage to rail infrastructure caused by the bushfires.
Transport for NSW Coordinator General Marg Prendergast says while upgrades are being carried out over the summer break to "minimise disruption to the community", commuters should plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
To find out more about the changes and replacement buses, head to Transport for NSW. For the latest updates on traffic, including impacts from the bushfire season, head to Live Traffic NSW.
