A New South Wales metro train’s inaugural journey has just made history after recently completing the entire length of the M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line from Tallawong to Bankstown.
This ride included stops at all 31 stations over the 66-kilometre route, clocking speeds of 100 kilometres per hour on the new sections of the track.
The train’s speed capabilities are the result of over 500 hours of high speed testing which commenced late last year, and is part of a greater 9000 hours of allocated testing time.
For the remainder of this high-speed testing phase, more than 70 key integration tests will be completed to verify the performance, functionality and safety of the trains and new infrastructure.
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With this train ride, commuters were given a first look at what their own journeys will look like when the Southwest extension of the M1 opens in the second half of 2026.
As part of this project, crews will complete work to integrate the Southwest Metro with the existing metro line – requiring a series of full and partial closures of the M1 Line in the lead up to opening.
For the rest of this month, Metro services will not run on the weekend of 24-25 January to allow conversion work to take place.
Over this period, Metro services will not run between Tallawong and Sydenham, with buses replacing this service between Tallawong and Chatswood only.
Travel to and from Waterloo will require local buses or trains from Redfern.
For travel between Epping or Chatswood and Sydenham, passengers will need to use T9 trains between Epping and Central, or T1 trains between Chatswood and Wynyard.
L2 or L3 light rail services between Wynyard and Central will also be available at this time, as well as T4 trains between Martin Place and Sydenham.
