Sydney Metro Southwest Completes Comprehensive Trial Running Across 10 Upgraded Stations Ahead of October Launch

Full Operational Readiness Reached on 13-Kilometre Southwest Corridor

SYDNEY, New South Wales — Transport for NSW and Sydney Metro have officially confirmed the successful completion of the intensive 'Trial Running' phase on the landmark 13-kilometre Sydenham to Bankstown extension. Over recent weeks, automated, driverless Alstom metro trainsets operated under rigorous simulated peak-period scheduling, emergency fault scenarios, and high-frequency turnaround trials, satisfying essential performance requirements and entering final regulatory review ahead of projected passenger launch in October 2026.

The milestone represents the final critical preparatory step before the independent National Rail Safety Regulator provides statutory revenue sign-off to open the transformed corridor to millions of annual riders.

Century-Old T3 Heavy Rail Transformed into Next-Gen Metro Spine

The generational project has accomplished one of the most intricate engineering retrofits in Australian railway history, converting the century-old T3 Bankstown suburban line into a high-technology, fully automated metro standard. All 10 historic stations—Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury, Campsie, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park, Punchbowl, and Bankstown—have been thoroughly modernized.

Upgrades encompass the installation of full-height glass platform screen doors, precision level-boarding platform edges that eliminate gaps for wheelchairs and strollers, high-speed accessible lifts, modern wayfinding graphics, and revitalized pedestrian public plazas surrounding station entrances.

Phasing Out Replacement Buses with 4-Minute Turn-Up-and-Go Frequencies

The impending launch will bring welcome relief to local residents, marking the permanent phase-out of the extensive 'Southwest Link' rail replacement bus networks that operated throughout the conversion period. When revenue service begins in October, commuters will enjoy turn-up-and-go metro frequencies of a train every four minutes during morning and evening rush hours.

The high-throughput service slashes travel times dramatically, allowing Bankstown passengers to reach Central Station in just 25 minutes and Martin Place in under 29 minutes without changing trains.

Unbroken 66-Kilometre Automated Corridor Across Greater Sydney

The opening of the Sydenham to Bankstown section completes the unified Sydney Metro City & Southwest line, establishing an unbroken 66-kilometre driverless transit corridor stretching from Tallawong in the North West, through Chatswood, beneath Sydney Harbour, through Barangaroo, Central, and Sydenham, and out to Bankstown.

New South Wales transport leaders highlighted that the transformational rapid transit spine permanently elevates Sydney’s global liveability, directly supporting thousands of transit-oriented new homes and delivering a reliable, zero-emission mass transit backbone for decades to come.