The newly inaugurated multi-billion-dollar driverless metro line in Sydney commenced operations for commuters today.
Hundreds of the city residents began lining up as early as 1 am local time on Monday to experience the inaugural journey on the extension of the current driverless metro line. This extension was originally set to launch on August 4 but faced delays pending the necessary approvals from safety regulators.
The project commenced construction in 2017, with a total expenditure of 21.6 billion Australian dollars (approximately $14.4 US), establishing it as the most significant public transport initiative in the history of Australia.
The inaugural passenger service on the Sydney Metro City Line left Sydenham station, located in Sydney’s inner western suburbs, at 4:54 am on Monday. It traversed the 9.6 mi (15.5 km) tunnel beneath the central business district and Sydney Harbor, reaching Chatswood on the city’s north shore at 5:16 am.
During the morning and evening peak hours, trains will operate every four minutes on the line, with a frequency of every five minutes during the midweek period and every ten minutes at night and on weekends. The New South Wales (NSW) state government anticipates that this service will accommodate as many as 250,000 passengers on an average weekday, providing a time savings of 27 minutes for commuters traveling from Sydenham to Barangaroo in central Sydney.
As part of the project, five new stations have been constructed, and additional platforms and entrances have been incorporated into the existing Central and Martin Place stations. The current segment of the driverless metro line, which commenced operations in 2019, spans 22.4 miles (36 kilometers) from Tallawong in north-western Sydney to Chatswood. Upon the completion of the final section in 2025, the line will further extend from Sydenham to Bankstown in the south-western part of the city.
