“I’m comfortable that we’re within our range to get new infrastructure for Sydney up and running,but it’s not just a blind acceptance of new metros,” he said.
Loading
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the M1 metro line,which now extends from Tallawong in the north-west to Sydenham in the south,would relieve pressure on the rest of the transport network.
While operations ran smoothly on the opening Monday,Haylen conceded the test would come over the next three days,which are each the busiest on the transport network.
“There will be a test to our network tomorrow morning,Wednesday morning and Thursday morning,” she said. “Inevitably,there will be kinks in the system,but we’re working those things through.”
Minor irritations on the extended metro line on Monday morning included a malfunctioning lift at Victoria Cross station in North Sydney and overly loud public announcements at Chatswood station,which had to be toned down.
Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan said the driverless trains were being held at station platforms for longer while passengers got used to the system.
“As people get more used to it,we’ll shorten those dwell times,so it will actually come a little bit faster again over the coming months,” he said of the travel times between stations.
Passengers on the first regular passenger metro service left Sydenham at 4.54am on Monday.Credit:Dion Georgopoulos
Regan said Martin Place and Barangaroo stations were busy during the morning peak as people used them for the first time to travel to work in nearby offices,and the 40,000 passengers recorded in about the five hours to 10am was greater than expected. “The flows from the north were significant,particularly during peak hour,” he said.
Loading
The first weeks of operation will influence the start of a 12-month closure of the T3 Bankstown line to allow it to be converted to operate metro trains and the launch of a new timetable for Sydney’s rail network.
Haylen said she wanted to ensure the M1 metro extension had a high level of reliability before closing the Bankstown line because it would be a “painful year of inconvenience” for people along the corridor in the south-west. The government has targeted the 12-month closure to start by October.
The 13-kilometre stretch of converted track between Sydenham and Bankstown will form the final part of the new metro line,and is due to open late next year.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.