Overview
UPDATE: MAY 24, 2019 — To celebrate the launch of one of the country's biggest transport projects, the Metro North West, all travel on its first day will be free. No Opal Cards required, folks. The railway line's 13 station doors will open to the public for the first time at 11am on Sunday, May 26, with the last train leaving Rouse Hill for Chatswood at 9.35pm. That means you could spend 635 minutes of your weekend riding Sydney's sparkly new driverless trains. Or, not. Anyway, the option is there. For more info, head to the NSW Government website.
One of Australia's biggest transport projects is almost complete. While it's not the never-ending southeast light rail project, it's almost as exciting. It's Sydney's new $8.3 billion Metro North West railway line, a 36-kilometre journey linking Rouse Hill and Chatswood — and it's set to be a a major win for commuters in the area.
The new railway line — and its sparkly new driverless trains — is officially launching on Sunday, May 26, and the government is promising turn-up-and-go services every four minutes (in each direction) during peak times. No timetable necessary.
According to the ABC, trains from Chatswood to the city will run every three minutes to cope with the increased commuter traffic, with the number of trains during the morning peak increasing from 120 an hour to 200.
The Metro North West is just one part of the government's overall Sydney Metro project, which will, along with Metro City and Metro Southwest, see a new railway linking Rouse Hill to Chatswood, travelling under the Sydney Harbour to the city, then down to Bankstown. Sydney Metro West will link the city to Parramatta. Running on all lines will be the new driverless trains. At this point; however, the final stages of the billion-dollar project — Metro Southwest and West, specifically — are not expected to be completed until 2024.
A map of Sydney Metro North West, City and South West.
The Metro North West line has had a swag of major rail upgrades, including 13 fully accessible revamped train stations, 4000 new carparks and platform screen doors installed at all Sydney Metro stations. The government has made it easier to get to the new stations, too, with 1500 additional weekly services and modified routes introduced to the existing bus network. To check if your bus has been impacted, head to the Transport for NSW website.
During the new railway line's first six weeks, it will build to max capacity, with trains initially running every five minutes during peak hours and some supplementary late-night buses running after 9.30pm from Sunday through Wednesday.
The Metro North West will officially launch on Sunday, May 26. You can read more information about the Sydney Metro project at sydneymetro.info.