With the opening of Sydney Metro City having dramatically slashed commute times between Chatswood and Sydenham, attention now turns to the next section of the Metro City & Southwest line – and that brings a world of change to commuters on the T3 Bankstown Line. On September 30, the T3 line will close between Sydenham and Bankstown, in order to upgrade the rail network to accommodate the Metro and run services all the way to Bankstown.
Whilst that’s going to throw a large wrench into commutes for those coming from Bankstown and the Inner West, there’s a little silver lining that’s been revealed. NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen has announced that replacement bus services between Sydenham and Bankstown – dubbed the ‘Southwest Link’ – will be free for commuters, starting on the first day of the closure, and operating until the line reopens. During peak travel times, buses will arrive every 2-4 minutes.
There’s been no secret made that the closure of the T3 Bankstown Line will likely to add time to commutes, and there’s also a degree of uncertainty about when it’ll reopen. The closure was pegged at 12 months in previous updates, but the state government is now targeting late 2025 for reopening – indicating that it could extend beyond the original 12 months. Quoted by ABC, Haylen said that “we will absolutely be holding our construction partners to account to deliver” on the original 12-month timeline.
Once the redevelopment works have been completed and Metro services run all the way to Bankstown, commuters will be served by a train every four minutes at peak times. Additionally, the project will make all 11 affected stations fully accessible, featuring lifts and level access to trains. A longer-term ambition of the Sydney Metro project is to eventually extend services beyond Bankstown out to Liverpool.
For those catching the replacement bus services, there are a trio of routes that will serve various stations. The SW1 will stop at all stations, whilst the SW2 (Sydenham, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, and Bankstown) and SW3 (Sydenham, Canterbury, Campsie) will serve select stations only. Meanwhile, if you live in Bankstown and have the option to work from home, it’s probably something worth exploring…
Top image: Transport for NSW