The extension of Sydney Metro services from Sydenham to Bankstown has been delayed until 2026.
The New South Wales Government said the conversion of the 100-year-old train line into a state-of-the-art metro is “very complex and difficult” and they had previously warned that it could take more than a year to complete.
The government said the project’s complexity has been “compounded” by industrial action from rail workers, which has placed increased pressure on the construction and testing programs.
“Industrial action limited access to work sites and restricted the provision of crucial work permits, which are required for contractors to safely complete work in a live electrical network environment.
“This has required significant reprogramming of vital construction activities including overhead wiring upgrades, electrification changes, disconnection from adjoining rail networks, track improvements, and platform extensions at Bankstown Station.
“This resulted in a delay to the commencement of dynamic train testing, a crucial component of safely testing and commissioning the new railway.”
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary Toby Warnes refuted these claims, saying there was no protected industrial action that would have caused any impacts to the project.
“The government and the agency responsible for delivering the Bankstown Metro are using rail workers as the scapegoat for the blow-out in delivery time,” he said.
Passengers on the M1 Line will experience disruption to their commutes, with partial closures of the service to allow for work to progress when possible.
These disruptions will continue as the testing program commences.
“We acknowledge passengers will be frustrated and apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the New South Wales Government said.
Since the project began, works completed include new lifts installed at Wiley Park, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Punchbowl and Canterbury Stations, as well as new kiss and ride zones and refurbishing of station buildings and platform surfaces.
Platform screen doors and mechanical gap fillers along the line from Marrickville to Bankstown have been installed, taking teams approximately 500 hours to fit out each station.
A total of 28.3 kilometres of high-tech railway fencing has been installed along the alignment, which is made up of 5.8km of segregation fencing to separate the existing freight line and the metro corridor and 22.5km of security fencing.
Southwest Link buses will continue to operate and will continue to be free for passengers until the new Southwest Metro opens.
Minister for Transport John Graham said: “We are very sorry that passengers will have to wait a bit longer to jump on the metro from Bankstown to the Sydney CBD.
“We promise it will be worth the wait – passengers can look forward to fast, safe and reliable trips, with a train arriving every four minutes in the peak.
“When the extension to Bankstown opens in 2026, a trip from Bankstown to Central will take just 28 minutes, Marrickville to Macquarie University will take just 36 minutes and Dulwich Hill to Victoria Cross will take 21 minutes.”
