Overview
With just days to go until the new Sydney Metro City and Southwest Line's planned opening, Transport for NSW has announced that the super-fast train line will no longer welcome its first passengers on Sunday, August 4.
In recent months, thousands of hours of tests have been carried out on the new line's systems to prepare them for commuters. However, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator has yet to certify the line as passenger-ready, forcing Transport for NSW to postpone the opening. A new opening date is yet to be announced.
It has taken seven years of construction to prepare the new line connecting Sydenham in Sydney's southwest to Chatswood, north of the harbour, and tantalising images of the new stations, including the vast "superhub" at Martin Place, have offered a glimpse at the exciting upgrades commuters can look forward to.
Improved infrastructure around new Metro stations has also been revealed in recent days, including a sprawling public spaces at the waterfront Barangaroo precinct, where hundreds of plants, seating areas and a monument of a unique piece of Sydney history have been installed.
At a media address at Martin Place on Tuesday, July 30, Transport Minister Jo Haylen said of the delayed opening: "We do need a little more time for the safety regulator to give us the final tick of approval. I've always said that safety and reliability comes first and I'm not in the business of putting additional pressure on the national safety regulator."
More than 11,000 hours of tests have been carried out on the line already, however, four additional exercises, in collaboration with Fire and Rescue NSW, will need to be completed before final approval to open can be issued.
For more information about the City and Southwest Metro line, visit the Sydney Metro website.
Images: Transport for NSW