Sydenham to Bankstown

The Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, which is Stage 2 of Sydney Metro proposes to upgrade and convert all 11 stations between Sydenham and Bankstown to metro standards. This upgrade addresses one of Sydney’s biggest rail bottlenecks.

The T3 Bankstown Line has effectively slowed down the Sydney Trains network because of the way it merges with other railway lines closer to the city, including the T2 Airport Line and Inner West lines. The suburban trains currently operating on the T3 Bankstown Line could be allocated to other railway lines in the west and south west.

The upgrade includes:

Upgrading and converting all 11 stations on the 13.5-kilometre route from Sydenham to Bankstown to Sydney Metro standards

Upgrading the interchange between Sydney Metro City & Southwest and Sydney Trains at both locations

Improving lines within the corridor

All stations meet the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, customers catching or getting off buses and taxis, and people being dropped off and picked up in cars

Improving station way-finding and signage.

These works are the subject of a second Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the future, following more planning and technical investigations.

Big capacity boost

Working together with major upgrades to the Western Line, Sydney Metro ultimately increases the number of trains entering the central business district (CBD) across the entire Sydney railway system from 120 to about 200 in the busiest hour of the day. This means the railway network across greater Sydney will have room for an extra 100,000 train customers an hour in the peak.

After the conversion, metro trains from Bankstown will run at least every four minutes in the peak, or 15 trains an hour.

Fully segregated

The Sydney Metro City & Southwest network is fully segregated from existing Sydney Trains railway tracks between Sydenham and Bankstown, improving the reliability of the new services on the line.

The T3 Line west beyond Bankstown would continue to be operated by Sydney Trains, serving stations between Cabramatta, Lidcombe and Bankstown.

Converting the T3 Bankstown Line calls for a temporary suspension of rail services and use of an interim replacement bus service. More details will become available, after industry input and during public consultation in 2016 and beyond.