All ten historic stations along the 130-year-old rail corridor between Sydenham and Bankstown have now completed their transformation, bringing the Southwest Metro another step closer to welcoming passengers.
While preserving the heritage and character of the stations, Sydney Metro has upgraded the corridor to support the safe and efficient operation of high-speed, driverless and turn-up-and-go metro services.
As part of the conversion, 360 automated platform screen doors have been installed across the stations. Due to the curved platforms at several locations, more than 1,300 gap fillers have also been installed to reduce the space between trains and platforms and improve passenger safety.
The stations have undergone extensive upgrades beyond the technical requirements of metro operations. Works include refurbished station buildings, resurfaced platforms and upgraded toilet facilities, as well as the installation of:
- 790 CCTV cameras
- More than 2,000 new wayfinding signs
- 145 passenger information displays
The upgrades have been designed to retain the individual identity and heritage of each local community. At Canterbury Station, for example, historic platform chimneys have been preserved and restored as part of the works.
New Public Spaces and Improved Accessibility
Areas surrounding several stations have also been upgraded, with new shared paths, landscaping and public plazas now open alongside Campsie, Bankstown, Dulwich Hill and Punchbowl stations.
The new plazas are designed to create more welcoming public spaces, with safer pedestrian connections, modern landscaping and additional seating areas.
Accessibility has also been significantly improved. New lifts have been installed at Wiley Park, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Punchbowl and Canterbury stations, meaning every station along the Southwest Metro corridor will now be accessible by lift.
Transport connections around the stations have also been improved.
New passenger drop-off zones have been provided at Sydenham, Dulwich Hill, Hurlstone Park, Canterbury, Campsie, Belmore, Lakemba, Wiley Park and Punchbowl, while 379 bicycle parking spaces have been installed across the corridor.
Campsie Community Gets First Look
More than 1,000 community members are expected to be among the first people to step inside the completed Campsie Metro Station during a community open day.
Visitors will be able to see the station’s new open-air plaza as well as public artwork inspired by children from the local Campsie community.
The event comes as the Southwest Metro project enters its final operational readiness phase.
Metro trains are expected to begin full-line daytime journeys from Tuesday. During this stage, passengers will still be required to leave services at Sydenham before trains continue towards Bankstown.
Testing and Commissioning Nearing Completion
Testing and commissioning of the Southwest Metro has been underway since the first metro train entered the converted line in April 2025.
More than 6,150 of the required 9,000 testing hours have now been completed.
Metro trains have also travelled approximately 24,750 kilometres of the required 30,000 kilometres as part of the testing program.
The broader project involves converting the approximately 13.5-kilometre Sydenham-to-Bankstown section of the former T3 Bankstown Line to fully automated metro standards, including upgrades to ten stations and the installation of platform screen doors.
Faster Journey Times
Once the Southwest Metro opens to passengers, commuters are expected to benefit from faster, more frequent and more reliable services.
Indicative journey times include:
- Marrickville to Gadigal: 12 minutes — 12 minutes faster
- Bankstown to Central: 28 minutes — 6 minutes faster
- Campsie to Macquarie University: 44 minutes — 17 minutes faster
- Lakemba to Victoria Cross: 37 minutes — 24 minutes faster
During peak periods, the Southwest Metro is expected to provide an air-conditioned metro service approximately every four minutes, or around 15 trains per hour, compared with eight trains per hour previously on parts of the corridor.
The completion of all ten stations marks another major milestone for the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, as preparations continue for passenger services between Sydenham and Bankstown.
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