Conversion of T3 Bankstown Line in Sydney is forging ahead

The 130-year-old T3 Bankstown Line in New South Wales is being converted into a modern metro line as part of the Sydney Metro Southwest project, and major works are now well underway. 

Not only will the T3 Bankstown Line be transformed, but it will also provide opportunities for more housing to be delivered to Sydney. 

The progress being made on the project includes works at Canterbury Station where the first full set of Sydney Metro platform screen doors have been installed, creating a 180-metre-long barrier along the station’s platforms. 

Each state-of-the-art glass door takes about six hours to prepare and install before being connected with electrical cables, powered on and prepared for testing and commissioning. 

Between 400 and 800 people have been working on the Southwest conversion project on T3 Bankstown Line since it was closed in September of this year and major construction commenced. 

“Platform screen doors are an essential part of delivering a modern new transport system and it is fantastic to see them standing proudly at Canterbury, where passengers will soon be able to jump on board a metro train with ease. 

“We are making every second of this closure count so that people living in Sydney’s southwest will have access to game-changing fast, reliable and safe metro services. 

“We have hit the ground running to ensure safe and reliable metro services are a reality for hundreds of thousands of people in Sydney’s inner west and southwest sooner rather than later,” Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said. 

To date, works completed as part of the Southwest conversion include: 

• Track adjustments, overhead wiring and signalling work at Sydenham to disconnect the future Sydney Metro tracks from the adjacent Sydney Trains and ARTC networks 

• Commissioning of the new T6 line to provide a four-car shuttle service from Bankstown to Lidcombe 

• 20.21 kilometres of 21.34 kilometres of security and rail segregation fencing installed 

• 160 of 360 platform screen doors installed at Bankstown, Canterbury, Campsie, Marrickville and Dulwich Hills stations 

• 105 of 170 mechanical gap fillers installed at Marrickville, Canterbury, Hurlstone Park, Campsie, Dulwich Hills stations, with installation works underway at Belmore, Punchbowl and Lakemba stations 

Screen doors installed at Canterury Station (source: Sydney Metro)

The New South Wales Government is also turbocharging the delivery of new housing along the Southwest Metro line by supporting transport-oriented development at majority of the stations on the line including the accelerated precinct at Bankstown Station. 

The State Government is investing in more well-located homes near well-connected transport infrastructure to provide people with a place to call their home, where they can easily move around the city – and Southwest Metro is a critical part of this. 

“This new Metro will completely reshape how people across South Western Sydney travel around our city, providing world class public transport options that have been missing for far too long. 

“NSW is losing twice as many young people as we’re gaining, and building new homes near public transport with major projects like this is a critical part of the solution to making housing more affordable. 

“I want to thank the thousands of workers who have worked around the clock on this conversion and the many more who will deliver this converted line,” Premier Chris Minns said. 

The new metro will enable thousands of people to live next to a high-frequency metro line that provides a train every four minutes at peak times. 

In addition, a new 17-kilometre walking and cycling path will be constructed along the Sydenham to Bankstown alignment to give people even more travel options. 

Sydney will soon have a 30-kilometre fast and reliable metro network from Sydney’s North West, under the harbour and below the Sydney CBD and out to Bankstown in the South West once the final section of the Southwest Metro line opens. 

This development is part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to build more housing close to infrastructure such as metros, jobs and essential services – ultimately creating well-connected communities for the State. 

While works are being carried out to convert the T3 Bankstown Line, free and frequent pink Southwest Link buses will carry over a million passengers affected by the closure of the line. More information on the T3 replacement services can be found on the Southwest Link webpage. 

“This is a transformational project and one that will leave an inportant legacy in the area. 

“The Minns Labor Government invested $1 billion to ensure that this long-promised project became a reality. 

“When the conversion is complete, passengers will have access to a 21st century high-tech metro line with atrain every four minutes during the peak, along with fully accessible stations and services. 

“This is a huge win for commuters in the southwest who can expect faster travel times to destinations around Sydney, including Canterbury to Central in just 16 minutes,” Member for Canterbury Sophie Cotsis said. 

Source: NSW Government – Media Releases; Sydney Metro (1, 2); Infrastructure Magazine