Sydney Metro on Wednesday confirmed the start of a three-month on-track testing programme on the Southwest Metro line between Sydenham and Bankstown, the final phase of works before the new automated section opens to passengers later this year.
Test trains will run across selected weekends through May, June and July, with full possessions of the converted Bankstown corridor on multiple Saturdays. Replacement bus services will operate while testing is in progress, the agency said, and station fit-out works will continue weekday evenings.
The Southwest Metro extension converts the heritage Bankstown line into a fully driverless metro and links it through the existing M1 line to the city's north-west and the Tallawong terminus. The project follows the opening of the Sydenham–Chatswood section to Sydenham last year.
Bankstown Station's new transit interchange and community precinct opened to the public on March 22, integrating the metro platforms with new bus stands, cycling facilities and a public plaza. Local councillors said retail leasing in the surrounding precinct had picked up since.
Construction teams continue to mobilise on stations under the next stage of the network — Westmead, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays and Hunter Street — which form the Sydney Metro West project. Tunnelling on the western section is essentially complete; finishing trades on the new stations are expected to peak in the second half of 2026.
Transport for NSW said it would publish a definitive opening date for the Southwest Metro once the testing programme is complete and final regulatory clearances have been received.