Metro North West & Bankstown Line

(Redirected from North West & Bankstown Line)

The Metro North West & Bankstown Line (numbered M1) is a rapid transit rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The first and currently only line on the Sydney Metro network, it commenced operation on 26 May 2019, originally running between Tallawong and Chatswood, before the line was extended on 19 August 2024 to Sydenham.

Metro North West & Bankstown Line
An Alstom Metropolis Stock train departing Kellyville, June 2019
Overview
Service typeRapid transit
LocaleSydney, Australia
First service26 May 2019 (Chatswood to Tallawong)
19 August 2024 (Sydenham to Tallawong)
2025 (Bankstown to Tallawong)
Current operator(s)Metro Trains Sydney
Route
TerminiTallawong
Sydenham
Stops21
Distance travelled51.5 km (32.0 mi)
Average journey time60 minutes[1]
Service frequency4 minutes (peak)
5–7 minutes (intra-peak)
10 minutes (off-peak)[1]
Technical
Rolling stockMetropolis Stock fully automated trains, 6 carriages per train
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification1,500 V DC from overhead catenary
Operating speedLimit of 100 km/h (62 mph)
Track owner(s)Transport Asset Holding Entity

Construction

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The current section completed in May 2019 under the Sydney Metro Northwest project was opened with the name Metro North West Line, and involved the construction of an entirely new line between Tallawong and Epping, along with the conversion of the Epping to Chatswood railway line which previously operated under suburban Sydney Trains services. The second stage, the Sydney Metro City & Southwest, is under construction and involves extending the line from Chatswood to Bankstown, similarly involving a combination of constructing a new line from Chatswood to Sydenham and converting a section of the Bankstown railway line from Sydenham to Bankstown, which currently operates as part of the suburban T3 Bankstown Line under Sydney Trains. Upon the opening of the Chatswood to Sydenham section and the upcoming closure of the T3 Bankstown Line for conversion, the line was rebranded in August 2024 as the Metro North West & Bankstown Line.[2]

Service

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An Alstom Sydney Metro Metropolis Stock at Macquarie Park station, July 2019

Services on the line are operated by Metro Trains Sydney, a joint venture between the MTR Corporation, John Holland and UGL Rail. Services take 37 minutes to traverse the current 13 stations from end to end, at a frequency at each station of every four minutes during peak hours, every ten minutes in the off peak and every thirty minutes on Sunday to Thursday nights.[1][3] Upon initial opening, the line previously operated at a frequency at each station of every five minutes during peak hours.[4][5]

North West Night Bus

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In the first six months of operations, regular metro services on the line were supplemented by a late night bus service known as the North West Night Bus, with 13 stops in close proximity to these stations. The bus service operated from Sunday to Wednesday nights after about 9.30 pm in both directions, filling in for final metro services at 10.05 pm from Chatswood and 9.25 pm from Tallawong, charging metro fares and operating at a frequency of every ten minutes.[5][6][7] This service was temporary and was withdrawn six months later on 5 November 2019,[6] when the metro reached full operations.[5] The bus service was jointly operated by Transdev NSW and Hillsbus, both of whom previously jointly operated the Station Link services between September 2018 and May 2019.[8][9]

Stations

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Name Location Interchanges Status
Tallawong Rouse Hill Constructed as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project.
Rouse Hill
Kellyville Kellyville
Bella Vista Bella Vista
Norwest Norwest
Hills Showground Castle Hill
Castle Hill
Cherrybrook Cherrybrook
Epping Epping Underground platforms constructed as part of the Epping to Chatswood railway line; converted to metro as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project.
Macquarie University Macquarie Park Constructed as part of the Epping to Chatswood railway line; converted to metro as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project.
Macquarie Park
North Ryde North Ryde
Chatswood Chatswood
(CCN peak hours only)
Rebuilt during construction of the Epping to Chatswood railway line; centre platforms converted to metro as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project.
Crows Nest Crows Nest Constructed as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.
Victoria Cross North Sydney
Barangaroo Barangaroo
Martin Place Sydney CBD
Gadigal
Central
(SHL peak hours only)
Waterloo Waterloo
Sydenham Sydenham Constructed as part of the Illawarra railway line; western two platforms converted to metro as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "M1: Metro North West line timetable". Transport for NSW.
  2. ^ O'Sullivan, Matt (1 May 2024). "New name revealed for Sydney's metro line beneath harbour and CBD". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Metro North West Line timetable – 1 July 2019". Transport for NSW. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Metro North West Line timetable – 27 May 2019" (PDF). Transport for NSW. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "North West opening date announced". Sydney Metro. 5 May 2019. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b "North West Night Bus". Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Metro North West Line timetable – May 2019" (PDF). Transport Info NSW. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. ^ "NW1 Timetable – May 2019" (PDF). Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  9. ^ "NW2 Timetable – May 2019" (PDF). Transport Info NSW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
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