Sydney Metro - M1 Chatswood-Sydenham stage opening

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TP

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Aug 18, 2024, 11:31:12 PM8/18/24
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TP

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Aug 19, 2024, 5:35:12 AM8/19/24
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Brian Blunt

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Aug 19, 2024, 5:41:36 AM8/19/24
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 Not being amenable to getting up early, I travelled from Sydenham to Chatswood about 11 am. 
The loading was not more than i would have expected on a normal day. 



On 19 Aug 2024, at 19:35, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder <tramsdo...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


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TP

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Aug 19, 2024, 7:04:39 AM8/19/24
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That's because it was off-peak. Don't forget, what you're seeing on the metro includes passengers who've come across from the T1 services. One news reporter who travelled down the north shore suburban service in the morning peak reported that the suburban trains were almost empty. To a large extent, this north shore to city section of the metro is going to rob Peter to pay Paul (take patronage from suburban trains and buses), but the hope is that its speed, reliability and frequency will attract new commuters who presently drive.

Talking of reliability, coincidentally, half of the city circle went down today because of a signal failure - that would have kicked a lot of people across to the metro, even though Sydney Trains weren't advising passengers that they could change to the metro. There are some mad things coming out now that the metro has started. One commuter noted that if you missed a T1 service on the upper north shore heading to the west, you could catch the next one, change to the metro at Chatswood and catch up with and change to the service you missed at Central. It's fast.

Tony P

TP

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Aug 19, 2024, 9:06:54 AM8/19/24
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I was waiting for somebody to do a good video that includes, not only a summary of the journey, but a look at each station. Here it is:


Tony P

Malcolm Miles

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Aug 19, 2024, 7:29:25 PM8/19/24
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The TDU Web server has fatally crashed and will need to be rebuilt from the ground up. With over 250,000 messages and gigabytes of data, this will take some time, maybe weeks.

More info, once I fully assess the damage.

Best wishes,
Malcolm 

TP

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Aug 20, 2024, 12:31:49 AM8/20/24
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Only ‘minor’ teething issues on first day of Sydney Metro, 190,000 passengers take a ride

Just about every single one of the 425 trains darting across the new Sydney Metro line were on time on its very first day of full operation.

2 min read
August 20, 2024 - 1:26PM
NewsWire
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Over 120,000 used Sydney’s new Metro on its first day
 
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More than 120,000 people have utilised Sydney’s new Metro line which has opened to commuters after seven years of construction.
Breaking News

Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News.

Nearly 200,000 people hopped on the new Metro train line in Sydney on its inaugural day.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen gave a glowing review of the new network’s first day, saying the only issues were minor.

More than 190,000 passengers on Monday took a trip on 425 trains that ran at the “highest level of reliability”, Ms Haylen said, with 99.76 per cent on trains coming on time.

Commuters heading south from Victoria Cross Station get subterranean, as the new line goes under the Sydney Harbour. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-HubersCommuters heading south from Victoria Cross Station get subterranean, as the new line goes under the Sydney Harbour. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

“Metro is a shot in the arm for public transport in Sydney … great cities around the world have great public transport options that people choose as their first option, not as a last resort,” Ms Haylen said.

The busiest time on Monday was from 3pm to 7pm, when 71,000 passengers used the service.

On Monday morning, 40,000 people took a ride, and that grew to 55,000 during the Tuesday rush hour.

“There will of course be some teething problems. Thankfully so far we’re only had some minor issues,” Ms Haylen said.

Staff will remain on hand to help people at the new stations. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers
Staff will remain on hand to help people at the new stations. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

“When you’re on-board, hang on, these trains do accelerate and brake quickly.”

Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan said there were people just coming to check out the new line on Monday, but Tuesday had seen distinctly more commuters on-board.

Mr Regan was clearly enthused at Monday’s results, but tempered expectations.

Though 99.76 per cent of trains were on time “we won’t get that everyday”, Mr Regan said, but the system was off to a strong start.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said she took multiple trips up and down the new line on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said she took multiple trips up and down the new line on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

Train doors on the fully-automated Metro are being held open for 90 seconds to begin with, but over time that will be reduced, as metro systems around the world tend to stay open 30 seconds, he said.

“Sydneysiders have been voting with their feet and Opal cards,” Secretary of Transport for NSW Josh Murray said.

An overheight truck incident slowed down traffic on the Harbour Bridge on Tuesday morning, and Mr Murray encouraged everyone to use public transport.

The government and operators have repeatedly reminded travellers to hand on, ads the new trains stop and takeoff quickly. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers
The government and operators have repeatedly reminded travellers to hand on, ads the new trains stop and takeoff quickly. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The $21.6bn project – developed by the former Liberal government – was scheduled to launch on August 4 but had been pushed back because approvals from the rail safety regulator

Driverless Metro trains are running from Tallawong in the city’s northwest through to Sydenham, via four new Metro stations underneath the Sydney CBD.

A trip between Chatswood and Sydenham takes about 22 minutes with the new metro, while travelling between Sydenham and Tallawong will take just under an hour.

The first north-to-south train leaves Tallawong at 4.38am daily. The first train headed north from Sydenham departs at 4.54am.

Matthew Geier

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Aug 20, 2024, 2:33:40 AM8/20/24
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On 20/8/24 14:31, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder wrote:

Only ‘minor’ teething issues on first day of Sydney Metro, 190,000 passengers take a ride

Just about every single one of the 425 trains darting across the new Sydney Metro line were on time on its very first day of full operation.


They should have been on time. Single line, back and forth with no junctions or interactions with other lines. Only a break down would have messed things up for them and mercifully they had no breakdowns.

They were stopping at city stations for a about twice the dwell time needed.

I was at Sydenham at around 8pm observing the train I just got from Chatswood leave again. Midway down the train some one or something jammed a train or platform door. Two platform staff RAN down the platform to investigate the flashing warning light.

I did find it rather amusing there are departure signals at Sydenham and the train signal cleared before the announcement was made that the train was departing. There are actual human visible signals in advance of all points. So there is a signal at Barangaroo as well, that while it looks and operated like a station departure signal, it's 'protecting' the crossover at that location.

Before I left Sydenham another train came out of the yard, ran into the other platform but the doors did not open. It departed shortly after empty. Presumably it returned to Tallawong as empty cars.

The rail noise between Gadigal - Martin Place and Bangaroo is quite excessive. What is it with rail planners designing routes that promote rail wear ?. Deep tubes, there is no excuse for curves so sharp wheels have to drag.




TP

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Aug 20, 2024, 4:14:54 AM8/20/24
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As Sydney Metro has announced, the dwell time is deliberately extended for a period to allow newcomers to get used to the system. There are large numbers of Sydney Trains passengers accustomed to more protracted boarding transferring across to the metro. Sydney Trains T1 services between Chatswood and the City are currently running quite empty in the peaks.

There is a very tight S curve between Martin Place and Barangaroo necessitated by the positions of those two stations. If you want to hear extreme wheel squeal without protection by enclosed stations, go and wait on Perth underground station as the Bombardiers approach.

Tony P

TP

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Aug 20, 2024, 8:04:07 AM8/20/24
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The article states that a trend that's emerging is that about 20% of metro passengers are changing to the metro from/to Sydney Trains and intercity services at Epping (T9 Northern Line and Central Coast/Newcastle), Chatswood (T1 North Shore Line) and Sydenham (T3 Bankstown Line), rather than staying on the slower Sydney and Intercity Trains services through to the City. About 6% are interchanging to/from buses. The rest are existing + new users along the line and beyond. Park and ride/ Kiss and ride is very busy.

Not mentioned here, but a trend that started with the first stage of M1 (Tallawong-Chatswood) is that a lot of patronage comes from the Hawkesbury region and lower Blue Mountains (Windsor/Richmond/Kurrajong/Glossodia region), making Tallawong with its park and ride quite busy. There are presently almost no direct bus or rail connections to the metro from this region. Some of this patronage has transferred from the Sydney Trains Richmond line. This will only increase with the metro now running through to the city with a far better journey time and frequency than the Richmond line.

The public response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, with calls for more metro lines across Sydney. Among the commentary are wistful comments from people in Brisbane and Melbourne that they wished they could have the same. Melbourne certainly needs it, having now surpassed Sydney's population and in much danger of becoming very short of public transport capacity. Sydney Metro M1 incorporates provision to increase capacity to nearly twice that of the Sydney Trains system.

Tony P

TP

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Aug 22, 2024, 8:54:43 AM8/22/24
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Presumably to distract from the Parramatta light rail announcement, the government is highlighting progress with Metro West.


Tony P

TP

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Aug 22, 2024, 9:18:50 AM8/22/24
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I'll file this here, but covers two metro lines and Parramatta light rail:


Tony P

TP

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Aug 22, 2024, 9:21:09 AM8/22/24
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How did that happen! Wrong video, but hope you enjoyed the performance anyway. Back to transport.


Tony P
(regretting that TDU posts can't be edited)

TP

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Aug 22, 2024, 10:14:11 PM8/22/24
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Coverage of the stations, including the extensive bicycle parking facilities.


Tony P

TP

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Aug 24, 2024, 5:45:57 AM8/24/24
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Greg Sutherland

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Aug 25, 2024, 1:43:49 AM8/25/24
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Edgecliff Station on the Eastern Suburbs Line has a very impressive under cover facility with special exclusive cycleways access for quite a few years, retrofitted at great expense with you the taxpayers footing the bill.  It gets minimal use  by the cycling community and its construction  made permanent reductions on public services route buses operational  capacity and reduced the quality of bus travele rs access for thoseentering and leaving the bus interchange.

Of course we know that in Metro land sunk capital costs are of no concern.

Greg

On 22/08/2024 7:14 pm, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder wrote:
knoww that this is being "better
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TP

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Aug 25, 2024, 6:00:15 PM8/25/24
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It's an accepted standard nowadays to have bicycle racks at railway stations in order to encourage alternative means of getting to a station instead of driving and parking - such means being buses, trams, cycling, walking. This is also planning ahead. If the demand isn't there now, it will doubtless grow in the future as long as it's facilitated and encouraged. With the metro, we're fortunate that these facilities can be planned from the beginning, because retrofitting is inevitably difficult. Providing bicycle facilities is relatively easy compared to retrofitting lifts and ramps to enable accessibility.

I'm not familiar with what's happened at Edgecliff in recent years, but TfNSW's map of the station doesn't show the bicycle facility, nor whether lifts that have presumably been installed extend all the way up to the bus terminus.


Tony P
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TP

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Aug 27, 2024, 10:36:50 AM8/27/24
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Melbourne Metro vs Sydney Metro vs Brisbane Metro - a musical interpretation.


Tony P

Michael Lewis

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Aug 27, 2024, 7:17:48 PM8/27/24
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Edgecliff station bike facility is barely used. The $100,000s wasted could have been used to install just one escalator on the 324/5 bus platform. There is a lift - in the wrong place, carefully fenced so that you won't get run over by the non-existent bikes, making the actual stop difficult to get to, quickly. The stairs are steep and long and you have no idea if a bus is present or approaching, so there is some urgency in climbing - 15-minute frequency during the day. Perfect design for a transit expert - awful for the users.

Greg Sutherland

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Aug 27, 2024, 10:10:33 PM8/27/24
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And the waste does not end there, half the heritage Rose Bay promenade along the waterfront  has been "deeded" at massive expense to a cycleway shared with pedestrians /prams etc who are afforded the protection of a painted line on the ground  and a few signs requesting cyclists to slow down!!!

The majority of the small number of cyclists, especially the lycra louts,  ignore  this purpose built for them infrastructure and continue to use the New South Head Roadway, with bus passengers having to make their way across the cycleway to get on/off the bus services.  Another set back for bus users and further increasing stresses for bus drivers.

Greg

Matthew Geier

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Aug 27, 2024, 10:25:38 PM8/27/24
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On 28/8/24 12:10, 'Greg Sutherland' via TramsDownUnder wrote:


The majority of the small number of cyclists, especially the lycra louts,  ignore  this purpose built for them infrastructure and continue to use the New South Head Roadway, with bus passengers having to make their way across the cycleway to get on/off the bus services.  Another set back for bus users and further increasing stresses for bus drivers.


They are on the road as the actual cycle way is full of obstructions and wayward pedestrians. A some one who uses a bicycle for transport (not hooning or exercise), a lot of so-called 'bicycle infrastructure' is extraordinary badly designed with random obstructions, pointless chicanes, random speed bumps, pointless extra length bypasses that go around places you actually want to go, etc, etc.

It's fairly clear that the council engineers designing these things do not ride bicycles or only ride MTBs on dirt trails in national park on weekends. They never ride a 'city bike' to get from point A to point B an urban area expecting to get there uninjured.


David Batho

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Sep 28, 2025, 8:54:20 PM9/28/25
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Just wondering, Matthew, what’s an “MTB” (other than a Motor Torpedo Boat)?!

David


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Matthew Geier

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Sep 28, 2025, 9:53:41 PM9/28/25
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MTB is an abbreviation for Mountain Bike. (Not Metropolitan Tramway Board in this case!)

You know those things with fat knobbly tires , low gear ratios and overly large suspension.

David Batho

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Sep 28, 2025, 10:55:44 PM9/28/25
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Thanks, Matthew.

David
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