Sydney Metro City: The Complete Rundown

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Get a free business consultation with the Sydney-based Mint Consulting by filling out this form and using the promo code "Building Beautifully"! wkf.ms/3TZSPdp And learn more about Mint Consulting here! mintconsulting.org/ If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out the rest of my Sydney Metro series here! kzbin.info/aero/PLuqkgdTuh-yPa5poxKFElSBNfPyKysC39&si=jIkFiPl02iKc5Zzs Thanks for watching everyone! This was my longest video yet, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Hope you’re all just as keen as I am for the Sydney Metro extension to finally open!

[@tasmaniantaswegian]

Yaaayyy i cant wait for the ad break straight after the youtube ad break midway through the video, and when i try to skip sharaths ad then youtube gives me another ad.......... KZbin FIX YOUR ALGORITHM

[@HansenTheGreat-qo9mj]

NOOO

[@HansenTheGreat-qo9mj]

Chats over

[@ozdebris2031]

One thing you forgot to mention is how much of that capacity is seated. My understanding is that the seating on the new trains is limited, also limiting what you can do while on the train. The new metros are great but, given the choice, I would much prefer catching the heavy rail for any trip over about 15 minutes.

[@DouglasDC10.30]

Who… asked?

[@Matthew-zv8qe]

That voted for map seems more like a map for transit fans than an actually legible clear easy on the eyes map.

[@yesand5536]

Have to say it looked quite complicated at first, too many dark colours. For a design itself though, it is beautiful.

[@Soundmaster91]

Got to say the map voted by these people is so horrible to read and follow. Everyday people can't follow it

[@k.vn.k]

@@yesand5536Agree though the fact that it also includes light rail map already a plus for me.

[@Randomgarbagegamer]

True but its more to scale as this artist splits the metro and the T1 and T9 at Chatswood and North Sydney but tourists or people who are new to the network would probably have a hard time reading it.

[@k.vn.k]

@@Randomgarbagegamer Imagine a tourist tried to decipher the mystery of Sydney train map for the first time when they landed in airport. You know it’s like a treasure map! “Your adventure starts here.” Big arrow pointed at International Airport.

[@andrewnguyen1034]

I just stumbled across this channel. Being a Sydney bloke I just found out I barely knew my city. I discovered so much watching this channel. Keep it up!

[@davidpickford.]

You're lucky you get to watch all of Building Beautifully's old content and it will all be new for you

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you! I definitely will be making more videos, don't you worry!

[@alimfuzzy]

So much for the guy in comments who said he worked nsw transport and saying it would open before June.

[@DMfan1994]

I know a guy who works for Sydney Trains whose division is doing the safety checks on the Metro, he said he'd be surprised if it opened before the end of July given the issues his group has found.

[@jamesfav9roblox164]

My mates in charge of the lighting in the tunnels… he was telling me that it won’t be ready until August/September

[@reez1728]

@@jamesfav9roblox164Tell your mate to stop bludging and get to work.

[@jamesfav9roblox164]

@@reez1728 😂😂🎈

[@EliteTR00P3R]

I'm working directly on this project with Sydeny Metro, opening date we were given was the 23rd of August which would be the same time we close the Bankstown-Sydenham portion. However, a lot of talk is going on about it being delayed to September and it was requested. So expect September at this point basically 🤣

[@lacanm1554]

As an american who moved to Sydney in January i really came at the perfect time. I was at the crows nest community day and the entire station was really well made from the entrance to the platforms, really going to help commutes down

[@reez1728]

Not good! Need a 15 way highway instead!

[@lacanm1554]

@@reez1728 This might be western sydney in a nutshell lol it reminds me of the states sometimes, hope the airport line changes things

[@BuildingBeautifully]

It's going to be game-changing for Sydney for sure

[@greaterglider]

Yep it's open now

[@johnlatham7092]

Glad you credited/cross referenced Paul's vlog on Martin Place. Both you guys do a fantastic job keeping Sydney (and the world !) updated on how our public transport system is growing exponentially. Well done !

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you so much! Paul's channel is amazing, so in-depth and detailed.

[@irreyas]

im a greater sydney local and hearing that chatswood to the city is going to be just 13 minutes had my jaw dropped. DAMN

[@ygoh1503]

Well done, Sharath! That is a very comprehensive video on the Sydney Metro update station by station. Looking forward to the grand opening of this new section between Chatswood and Sydenham.

[@nomadMik]

Indeed. Definitely one of Sharath's best videos-I hope it gets widely shared.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you! Likewise, very hyped

[@BobJnekins]

At 3:44, the first driverless railway was actually in Melbourne in 2003, as they used this quirky method known as ‘forgetting to apply the brakes’. However, the service was found to be quite rough, and after its first try-out, it was labelled ‘unreliable’ and ‘dangerous’ so they had to stop using it.

[@peterbreis5407]

Another Melbourne FIRST!!!!

[@vintageradio3404]

Next you'll be saying that Melbourne invented the train crash - which it probably did. The bottom line is though, the first and only permanent and reliable driverless railway is in Sydney.

[@peterbreis5407]

@@vintageradio3404 Catch up, Bob was making a very good joke. On Mon, 3 Feb 2003 a train driver ran to the toilet at Broadmeadows station and forgot to put the brake on. The train rolled for 17km before crashing into another train in Spencer Street Station. It is cited as an example of the low friction advantage of steel wheels on steel rails.

[@vintageradio3404]

@@peterbreis5407 I wasn't joking, I was serious.

[@exploringsydneysrailways]

The first driverless railway in Australia was a freight railway, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. That's why the video specifies "passenger railway".

[@_helmi]

Congratulations Sydney! The stations looked amazing. I’m from Kuala Lumpur and they definitely have some resemblances to our MRT lines ie. deep, high-ceiling underground stations, wide walkways and brightly lit.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

They're very well-engineered. We're learning from our mistakes in the past cough cough the Airport Line

[@buchinsku]

Thanks for the video. I've been riding the trains since the red rattlers. It's been great to see every upgrade come online. This is the best network yet. Now, link all the metro sections to each other!

[@BigBlueMan118]

What do you mean by linking metro sections to one another? There is a short (

[@BuildingBeautifully]

It's an amazing network, I'm so excited for it to open!

[@peterg1978]

I love our double decker trains!

[@thetflthree]

Amazing stuff. As someone who was born in Sydney, but hasn’t been back for many years, it’s great to have coverage of how Sydney’s transport network is evolving, hopefully to allow for easier and more comfortable journeys in the future. Keep it up! ~ Daniel

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Things are changing fast in Sydney! Our transport network is slowly becoming the envy of the rest of Austraila. (Dw I'm not saying we're perfect...our housing situation is not one anyone should envy)

[@juliarichart]

I'm so excited for this video! I've been truly obsessed with this channel.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you!

[@espkev]

I cant wait. I am super excited. Genuinely the best transport project ever in NSW. Cant wait to see all the areas around the metro now get developed further because they'll have a direct link to the CBD.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Precisely. It's going to change Sydney forever.

[@Gribbo9999]

The new sets are already running. The electronic destination screens above the doors already show the full route from Sydenham when you are travelling towards Tallawong but currently blank off at Chatswood when that is the destination to avoid confusion I guess.

[@BigBlueMan118]

Yeah they are doing operations testing with through-running, currently getting all passengers to debark at Chatswood before the train continues into the new section empty just as it would when the line opens; trains then come back from Sydenham empty and pick up their first passengers at Chatswood to resume their run to Tallawong.

[@damienberry7679]

This is both a most impressive project for Sydney, but an thoroughly informative video. Your hard work is much appreciated by all here, I’m sure!

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you so much!

[@tdb7992]

I was in Sydney last weekend and I was surprised at how the large the gap between platform and the train is at some stations. I also rode the metro out to Kellyville to have a look around. The metro is really impressive! Does anyone know why the ride is so bumpy around Castle Hill/Cherrybrook though? You Sydneysiders are lucky to have the new metro. We are spoiled in Perth with our system but holy moly I wish we had this metro line. Bravo Sydney!

[@flamingfrancis]

There is no way this Sydney regional person would EVER compare to Perth's great public transport set up.

[@doggowhisperer6844]

Great video Sharath. As a former student many years ago of that school that ranked above Ruse, and having lived in Epping at the time, Victoria Cross station would have been amazing to have back then.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Oh I can imagine! Future students of that school that ranked above Ruse are going to love it.

[@stevenkeller3047]

We just visited Sydney this past Feb. and LOVED the transit system and LOVED Central Station. We stayed in Bondi Junction and used the trains for most of our transportation. We hope to come back in Feb. 2025, and now I can't wait to ride the new Metro.

[@TransitSydney]

What a great video! Felt like watching a Sydney Metro movie, great job Sharath. I share your excitement when it comes to seeing the metro open, and it is great to see a line that serves a purpose other than funnelling people into the city, and as you said, make all stations look like destinations! Truely a marvel of success, I sure look forward to seeing more and more videos about the metro!

[@BuildingBeautifully]

Thank you! The metro is going to be game-changing for Sydney, I can't wait for it to open

[@tony41231]

Crows Nest station will be a bit more important than suggested in this video. The area between the new Metro station & St Leonard’s station is a sizeable commercial centre with numerous offices buildings. On the other side of the Metro station is Crows Nest shopping centre which is a busy centre with lots of restaurants.

[@flamingfrancis]

Is Crows Nest station closer to places like the Mater Hospital and the Melanoma Institute (across the road) than what Victoria Cross will be. While the bus service from North Sydney is very good both of those stations will be closer.

[@Redwin02]

It’s right in front of pacific highway where the buses run…

[@jayzo]

19:52 They've clearly looked at some of the design of the Elizabeth line in London and gone "I like that" and I don't blame them. Also I love the design of these stations. As much as I love the Elizabeth line's architecture I love the design of the new metro stations more. More of a reason to come and visit someday.

[@XTheFruit]

I THINK the Elizabeth line was the basis of inspiration for the Sydney metro. Also Londons former head of railway transport is now the head of Sydney’s railway transports so yes we have proudly taken a leaf from Londons page! And why not, the Brit’s are renowned for transportation!

[@TobyStewart-dy4qq]

It is kind of disappointing that no development has been completed around stations like Kellyville and Tallawong, even though the line has been open for years

[@timtam53191]

If you've been to Tallawong recently there's like a dozen new apartment blocks built and going up already. Kellyville true, but that's Sydney's laggard planning system for you.

[@espkev]

Check out 'Tallawong Village' Huge 17 building residential development directly next to Tallawong station with retail underneath it opening up in a few months. The other side of the station has also just started being developed into some apartments with another big set of shops there due for completion in late 2025. The area around Tallawong station is going to be a happening area very soon with lots of retail (about 60 shops) + residential directly next to the station 😊

[@BigBlueMan118]

@@espkev If only the line ran further down to Schofields and Marsden Park, I had to make the unfortunate trip recently where I had to exit the station at Tallawong and wait 20 min for a connecting bus to get to Schofields.

[@BuildingBeautifully]

It is very disappointing. Hopefully, with Chris Minns' TOD program, things start moving in the right direction.

[@rocketrods]

Development around kellyville and Bella vista is coming very soon. Announcements will be in the near future.

[@GiuseppeBasile]

I live in Kellyville, can’t wait to get directly into the city with the Metro

[@batterysurf]

same, neighbour

[@GiuseppeBasile]

@@batterysurf cool, nice part of Sydney

[@autinming9986]

How long to city.....time

[@batterysurf]

@@autinming9986 50 min

[@GiuseppeBasile]

@@autinming998645 minutes

[@sik249]

Top effort Sharath. As usual, your videos are highly informative and entertaining Now, let’s get on with opening the new section of the Metro and build some more lines.

[@peterelvery]

Great work Sharath. Comprehensive yet easily digestible for Metro newbies. Nothing here I didn't already know myself but I still watched the whole thing.

[@josiahhosking3211]

Can’t wait for Sydney Metro to Open. So exciting!

[@lakeline6317]

This is a great video. I have been living in Sydney for more than 14 years and this project is finally what a city like Sydney needs in terms of Public Transportation. Now, you should do a video about the Sydney Metro West. In my opinion, is a good project too but it is missing at least 1 station between the Sydney Olympic Park and Parramatta, the distance is 9km! A station between Newington and Silverwater could be really beneficial for the residents of both suburbs.

[@orionshek]

Thanks

[@aviation_747]

huge W

[@sahanamurali4028]

Absolutely awesome video!! Thank you for making this fun & informative. Great to watch this from overseas to stay in touch with what's happening back home.

[@rebeccawinter472]

20:34 I want to get this kids take on everything, he seems so keen and earnest, what a cutie, great video. And the transit map that Xing made was amazing!!!

[@mark123655]

Great video.. youve definitely upped the editing and music game.

[@akashkonduru2138]

It must have been painful for Sharath to say that North Sydney boys is the top school in nsw knowing he went to James ruse

[@sammoon7897]

Ahhh give us one year then Ruse can have it back! Sincerely, an NSB Oldboy 😘

[@kcobley]

@@sammoon7897 I went to North Sydney Boys in the late 60's, Alan Border was in my year.

[@sammoon7897]

@@kcobley How good! I bet it was a very different school back then

[@sammoon7897]

I graduated 2008

[@kcobley]

@@sammoon7897 My year was the first year to use the new science block, we built the bottle yard grassed area in 4th form. It was previously a beer bottle recycling yard. Saw the school recently nothing on the exterior has changed.

[@ktipuss]

10:55 Sydney Trains have a permanent speed limit as they pass under the Goulburn Street Parking Station because of (justified) fears that a faster train derailing and hitting the supporting columns of the parking station would cause a collapse worse than the Granville Accident. That parking station was a product of 1960's thinking of allowing more cars into the CBD, something which is certainly not desirable at all nowadays.

[@MrBfeboi]

Awesome and informative video. FYI sydenham station is VERY important station to access the BREWERIES AND coffee ROASTERs

[@biosparkles9442]

I was on the T1 from Chatswood to the city on Saturday and saw a metro train with "Sydenham" as the destination disappear into the tunnel, was pretty exciting tbh

[@alanjohnston3936]

Soon, with more presentations, you will be Logie nominated, Shanath! Appreciate your productions greatly. Keep up the good work!

[@julianfoster3443]

Best public transport project since the harbour bridge was built. Phenomenal scale and vision. The previous government should take enormous pride in this total transformation. Hopefully just the start of a genuinely modern system - like something that has existed in many other world cities for decades. The contrast to the existing outdated slow lumbering double deckers will be stark.

[@julianfoster3443]

@JohnH1 Per train they carry fewer. But their frequency is higher so overall they end up carrying more people in the same time period. With far greater reliability and at much less cost to the taxpayer (not paying for 2 staff on every train).

[@SpektrikMusic]

@JohnH1 "they don’t have the ability to carry very large numbers of passengers safely and efficiently." Literally every metro system in east/south east asia would like to disagree.

[@SpektrikMusic]

@JohnH1 Metro style trains were chosen because they fit the job of moving people around a dense urban city better than heavy rail, like what you see in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore etc. Heavy rail is a waste of time and space in a city.

[@BigBlueMan118]

@JohnH1 What on earth are you talking about? The London underground is a victim of its own success and many lines are extremely old. Many London Underground lines run 36 trains per hour in each direction, Sydney double deckers struggle to reliably run 18 trains per hour on the busier lines. "Sydney has the best signalling system in the world" give me a break - Munich can reliably get 30 trains per hour in each direction through their rail network, Sydney is currently implementing a new signalling system on portions of the network to increase the number of trains to up to 24 per hour. When Sydney Trains ran the Epping-Chatswood Line they were more than a minute slower, and if the line had been built for Metro trains originally it would not have needed the ridiculously long curve between North Ryde and Chatswood as the Metro trains can handle more challenging grades so the line would be another minute or two faster which starts to add up. If the Metro line under the Harbour had been built for Sydney Trains double deckers then it would have been slower again, and Barrangaroo + Vic Cross stations would have been way deeper. Your points about costs are just misinformed or I would like to see your source, all the info I have is that automated rapid transit lines like the Sydney Metro program are absolutely the way forward and dozens of cities around the world have recognised this too (Paris, London, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Copenhagen, Santiago, Madrid, Prague, Vancouver, Seoul, and on and on it goes).

[@SpektrikMusic]

@JohnH1 you have no numbed to back up your claim, the world if moving forward with metro rail because it's the right solution for dense urban areas, heavy rails would only be suitable for long distance travel between cities but east Asian countries have already moved on to high speed rail. Heavy rail doesn't belong in the 21st century. "They are built to a price" literally every infrastructure project was built to a price including the Sydney heavy rail network. Typical RTBU reader.

[@kcobley]

The naming of Victoria Cross was the result of a contest staged by the North Sydney Council, nobody suggested "McTraffic Face"

[@peterjohn5834]

Great presentation with real people providing their reviews. Outstanding.

[@annabelapurva-madhuri4861]

Yay for public transport and yay for your channel getting bigger and bigger 🙌🏽

[@CharlesTyler]

This is such a good video. So informative and well shot. And entertaining too! Kudos to all you guys who put it together.

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

I left Sydney for the UK in 1991, and when I watch these videos I'm amazed at how much Sydney's transport infrastructure has changed in just over 30 years.

[@BigBlueMan118]

You left the year before the last single-deck trains ran in Sydney. The network got MUCH busier in peak hours after you left too which pushed the system right to its limits in the 2010s, crowding was sometimes absolutely insane before Covid. They also slowed the entire network down in the 2000s after a few incidents. It was a terrible decision to move the whole network to double-deckers, the way they built the Airport line was horrendous, and then they mucked around for years without adding any capacity to the city core.

[@JonathanMaddox]

@@BigBlueMan118 agreed on most points, but I do love the double deckers with reversible seats for comfort and aesthetic reasons (eg. better view from upstairs) and will miss them when both my regular lines (I travel between Bankstown and Chatswood) are replaced with the metro running largely underground with sideways-only seating.

[@BigBlueMan118]

@@JonathanMaddox dont get me wrong I like the double deckers too in some ways, they are quite uniquely Sydney; I recently took my German wife on her first trip to Aus and she loved the flip seats and big upstairs windows. But the negatives are pretty overwhelming: -worse air conditioning & air quality due to the larger volume needed to heat/cool (underground Stations will be air conditioned too so no hot summer arvo at stuffy Town Hall & Wynyard breathing in high levels of particles) -slower overall -prone to human error or incidents with no screen doors and multiple lines sharing tracks -less reliable trip times -uncomfortable standing area for peak hour crowding -less accessible space for the disabled -crowding near doors and stairs -worse level boarding and larger gap to platform Some of these could be fixable to some extent but the overall experience is a worse one especially for short and mid-range trips

[@JonathanMaddox]

​@@BigBlueMan118 The benefits of platform barriers, screen doors, an exclusive corridor for a single route, and the higher acceleration and speeds between stations which those afford, don't have a lot to do with single deck trains and transverse seating. I'm pretty sure we could have had them and kept the double deck configuration. Indeed, I think we could have achieved them with no change to the rolling stock. Although now we have platform doors for the metros with their different carriage lengths and door positions, we can't usefully run our double decker trains on those tracks any more. I am really ambivalent about this "removing the human element" thing. Yes I know trains are basically horizontal lifts and don't really require human operators especially if the corridor is dedicated to a single route and the risk of track incursions is greatly reduced, but I absolutely prefer skilled workers to be in charge and on site at all times, for the sake of system integrity and public safety. There are a bunch of nice double-decker trains in parts of Germany too. Sydney certainly wasn't the first place in the world to have them (I believe Long Island, New York was) but we went all-in. All that said though, when the metro finally comes to my station sometime in 2025 after a year of having only the bus as an option, I'm sure I will appreciate the quicker ride to the city and through to Chatswood, even as I miss the view from the Bridge which was one of the pleasures that made the commute worthwhile.

[@jack2453]

I am also a ex Sydney - and easy to see so much has improved. 15 min frequency or better on all lines at all times is a real achievement! (Stahe about wesconnex)

[@CaseysTrains]

As an American who lives in a city where our Suburban Trains (we call it Regional Rail here), run BI-HOURLY at certain times of the day and weekends......I'm jealous you even have half-hour service as the "low-end" of frequencies. I'd rob Fort Knox for AT LEAST half-hourly service on my local regional rail line because Our "Metro" Line (we call it The El or L) is kind of far away. You have to take a bus to it, it runs every 10-12 minutes all day, even during peak hour, with aging equipment that often fails, and the trains are usually filled with drug addicts and people smoking narcotics out in the open.....God bless Philadelphia. Lol

[@qjtvaddict]

USA hates cities and is too dumb to invest like the rest of the world

[@richardwright1673]

Reminds of Singapore's station modern with doors prevent people and prams falling onto the tracks making it a lot safer. Projects like will reduce the reliance on driving. Making city more modern. Duplication allowed the of existing rail corridors.

[@the_black_douglas9041]

I live in Belmore. For once it feels like we are getting the Rolls Royce treatment. This will truly be transformative. It is so beautiful, fast and efficient that I believe people will have the incentive to eschew their cars.

[@BigBlueMan118]

Needs to be combined with bus reform though with more buses running every 10min on shorter trips cross-country picking up passengers and distributing them to Metro stations. Currently not enough services do this in the SW even though there are 4 busy rail lines to link in an orbital pattern (T4 Illawarra, T8 South, , future Bankstown Metro and T2 Inner West)

[@RGC198]

Thanks for an interesting and informative video. Sydney has certainly changed quite a lot since I was living there prior to mid 1981. I actually used to live at Marrickville, which is one location that will soon have access to the Sydney Metro. Anyway, thanks again for all the excellent information.

[@WoollyMittens]

Nice work! Hopefully this will have half of Sydney checking out your channel.

[@CanDBawa]

The limited passenger services are starting on the 5th of July with a full opening scheduled for early August.

[@CanDBawa]

MTR handed over the metro last week.

[@patrickobrian9669]

26:43 I remember a nine news interview where the pollie spruiking the new station thought the blue meant you were going to the harbour and the "red" meant you were headed towards the city. Good to see the people in charge know what they're talking about.

[@magnetictheory]

That CrossingLights redesign map looks awesome! It makes Sydney look infinitely better. This is a vastly superior map and the dark background is absolute tits. This needs to be the official map. I now reject the new current map outright. I don't even wanna look at it again. The CrossingLights map needs to go into full circulation as the new standard map immediately.

[@bobmcguire8272]

What a great informative video, cant wait to visit these stations just as a tourist. Well done

[@damaster98]

1:44 nice to see the network map I drew (and put on Wikipedia) more than 10 years ago used in this video!

[@IanWaters-nn6il]

The Barangaroo station is also close to the Arts and theatre district of Walsh Bay (Sydney Theatre Company; Bangarra Dance; Sydney Dance; Australian Youth Theatre; and more) - so it will be used by the many patrons attending theatre in that area! I sooooo looking forward to this area being served by the Metro! - it’s going to make that area so much more accessible!

[@Scott-fi6ml]

Thank you for the walk trough of all the stations

[@goodplanmadcity]

Awesome video! super informative and entertaining. I'm keen to ride the new section of the metro when it opens.

[@peterfmodel]

As someone who used the Seoul, Tokyo and post 2008 Beijing metro, there is a big difference between a metro and a standard surface rail system. This provided a good analysis of the difference. Note: The pre-2008 Beijing metro was pathetic.

[@BM-ut5hf]

Where I live, it is a 30-minute bus ride to both Mount Druitt station and St Marys station, both of which are terrible lines for getting into the city and getting home. I wish there was better and safer access out here. Tallawong is a 90-minute bus ride and a 30-minute drive from where I live.

[@tylerdavidson2400]

They should have extended Metro to Schofields instead of stopping that at Talawong which is some 2-3 kms away from Schofields anyway.🤦‍♂️

[@tsguy-h3q]

From what I can see here the sydney metro is being built more like a suburban train than a metro service. Most metros top out at 80km/h and have a station every kilometer (makes sense whem you're in a dense city), but the Sydney metro seems to hop 2-3kms between stations, that explains why it's faster than the current suburban trains. I think a metro line like this should've been built with more stations to better serve the areas it passes through. Or as another option, they could be used as the new express service for the T9, so you can scrap the existing T9 express service and let people transfer to the metro instead. This will also let them run higher frequencies on the T9 and free up space at the existing central station.

[@alexkuklik6100]

Nicelt done. But I don't know that comparing Gadigal with Victoria Cross is correct, in terms of lack of geographical specificity. Gadigal does not refer to any geographiocal location at all, where as Victoria Cross is a locality - it describes the intersection underwhich the station is built (like Martin Place).

[@Coastal603]

Exactly!

[@karinabrampt1556]

This video has an amazing content. I've grown up in Sydney, rode the red rattler trains with those iconic slat open/shut windows, and have yet to visit all that was included in this well thought out and photographed, plus aerial shots video. Well done!😊

[@mikeellis4345]

Good to know ! I’m at Waterloo so this will be extremely convenient for me.

[@bbjislegend2606]

gadigal station should be connected to Townhall Station by underground walkway just if people have to go to Wyndard / Circular Quay Lightrail is the only option.. except walking a bit of poor planning tbh I am from hk but living in sydney for 5 years

[@thomasp5779]

If the capacity of metro trains is half of Sydney trains then you need double the frequency just to maintain capacity. Doesn't seem like a great benefit for the Bankstown line - granted it'll be more reliable and "express" services for all stops. Congestion relief at the city circle seems like the best reason for it which will be a big boost to the other train lines. Potentially there is more benefit for other train lines than the Bankstown line from this conversion.

[@qjtvaddict]

Driverless go brrr

[@cameronfahey5122]

Brilliant video with incredible footage. I'm so much more excited about the metro than i was before, and can't wait to see and use it myself! Thanks 🙏😊

[@chrisminers77]

The new stations look great. They have a similar look to the stations on the central section of the Elizabeth line in London.

[@ktipuss]

12:25 Quite right. The Metro will be a much better alternative alternative than catching CCN trains to Epping, even for (passengers) er, sorry, "customers" getting on at Central. This is because of the Metro's 4 minute frequency in peak periods compared to the CCN's 15 minute frequency. And if getting on at Gadigal, Martin Place or Barangaroo, the Metro is definitely better for them, no contest.

[@flamingfrancis]

It will also provide a very good option for those travelling from South coast to north of Hornsby. Many yeaars ago I was a regular for Wollongong to Gosford area so that journey will now avoid going into Central and using Sydenham as interchange to say Epping. Mind you Central will still have the advantage of getting a seat.

[@beatmueller6490]

Great Video & very informative!

[@kcobley]

There are a few issues with opening it's only a few weeks before Crows Nest, Barangaroo exterior paving is completed, Waterloo has been completed, Central is complete, Sydenham is complete. However large cranes are still unloading from trucks in Miller St North Sydney, this work will not be completed until Christmas still another 12 floors to complete. I spoke to a construction guy in Denison St and determined that the scaffolding would be removed from the 2 buildings at the Metro entrance in Denison St, paving would complete by the end of June. It's possible for Victoria Cross to open in July with the McLaren and Denison St entrances opening, some safety issues in Miller St would need to be rectified to open the Miller St entrance. Similar issues with Gadigal, it's hard to see the Park St entrances opening with cranes lifting from Park St with work possibly not completing before September. However Bathurst St entrance could be ready some time in late June. I'm predicting opening date to be early to mid July, with the Miller St entrance in Victoria Cross and Park St entrance of Gadigal opening at a later date. The MLC Building in Miller St appears to be deoccupied not sure what's happening to it, hoping for a knockdown, rebuild on a slightly smaller land area and taller footprint.

[@twonoisylorrikeets1963]

MLC building was reinstated to State Heritage Register December 2023. There won't be any knockdown any time soon. There is an application to convert it to build-to-rent residential. Mayor is opposed saying it would turn North Sydney into "luxury dormitory suburb" I am a local and support having more residents to support services for residents such as restaurants, entertainment that open out of business hours.

[@techno_1007]

As a Melbournian, I'm so jealous this is cool as hell

[@shakeelali20]

As great as the Metro will hopefully be once (if?) it's completed, I still can't understand the logic in having so many potential interchange points left unplanned or unfinished. No line from the Aerotropolis to Leppington, no connection between Punchbowl and Bankstown, Tallawong to Schofield's etc. I fail to see why we're bothering with this network when it's just making things more patchwork and less interconnected if anything. It's great if you live and travel along the lines, but try and go across the city or against peak flows and your journey is confusing as heck. Nerfing the heavy rail network in the way they have makes little to no sense.

[@mgp1203]

I agree with this, it’s great if you want to go East and West, but otherwise it puts people in the west at a greater disadvantage travelling elsewhere. Not having Bankstown and Liverpool connected (+Cabra) is sort of terrible. As someone that previously lived in the South West, those LGAs are very often entwined. Plenty of travellers go between them. E.g If you in live in Punchbowl, there’s a high chance you have family somewhere like Chester Hill. Or if you live in Canterbury and want to go eat out somewhere in Sefton. If you need to go to and from school etc. the South West Metro line will make it more difficult to get in between these places. Saving a few extra minutes to get in the city from the SW, but adding an additional 30mins to go the opposite way. It's just bad. I understand the main objective was to free up space in the city circle, but surely they could’ve found a way to do it without affecting the greater West. Sure we’re getting better frequencies, but it’s at the cost of interconnectivity.

[@shakeelali20]

@@mgp1203 Spot on. And the better frequencies are only really down to extra doors on carriages allowing faster load and unload times, but the biggest kicker is missing half the bloody stations on the Sydney Trains network. As Sharath showed, the Norwest Metro is quicker than the all stops line it goes up against, but that's only by 8mins, and even then by missing nearly 10 stops.

[@vintageradio3404]

If you look at the overarching plan for Sydney Metro, you will see that much of what you think needs adding will be done. It's like anything however, big things take time to build even though Sydney Metro is being built at many times the pace of any other rail infrastructure built before it. The heavy rail network took more than 150 years to build when taking into account that the last station added was around 2013.

[@Dobuan75]

Your exasperation at mentioning my old school (North Sydney Boys) makes me appreciate you more. 😂 Love your channel! Keep up the great work!

[@kenoliver8913]

One key thing about Sydney Metro is that it does NOT cover the sort of commutes Sydney Rail does. That is why it gets away with longitudinal seating - in peak hours most people will stand for their whole trip, which is perfectly acceptable for a 20 minute commute but unacceptable for the 1-2 hour commutes a lot of Sydney Rail customers endure. My point is Sydney Metro and Sydney Rail are complementary, filling different roles. They are not competitors. It is, though, a pity they do not always link so well with each other - as you say. The other point that is historically important in the choice of a metro rather than redevelopment and extension of the heavy rail network is no drivers or guards hence no union. This was a crude political calculation by the then Liberal government as the railway union is a major funder of NSW Labor.

[@astridparker8544]

Great comment.

[@torquemada2]

Its a shame that some of these metros have to be so far underground. Relying on escalators and elevators is not great when they can break down. Plus they aren't all that fast. Green Square station is an absolute nightmare example of this.

[@tylerdavidson2400]

They are deep because trains cant clim steep gradients like vehicles on roads.

[@DragonPhlegm]

Finally, people from The Hills will have another reason to feel superior to the rest of Sydney when the city extension opens and the confusion over the differences between Metro and Trains begins all over again

[@BigBlueMan118]

If people from The Hills think they are superior they can do one, I lived in the area for >20 years and there is nothing that desirable about the horrendous sprawl, awful roads, lack of greenspace, boring crappy shops and restaurants etc.

[@mgp1203]

​@@BigBlueMan118 Agree as someone the spent their childhood in the Hills. Love the people there but It's very boring and cookie cutter.

[@tylerdavidson2400]

@Kyle: Mate, did you really live in Hills where there are plenty of parks and lush green trees all over? As for boring, its a matter of perspective. I lived in US for a decade and the whole of Sydney is a boring geriatric ward compared to what American cities are, even tier-2 ones like Milwaukee.

[@ezie_ex_machina]

So good, Brisbane has a lot to learn. The quality of the stations is next level compared to Brisbane's cross rail project with only a handful of stations in comparison, but so underwhelming in design, and they include city based stations...

[@hamishmacintyre4600]

Put this man on a transport planning and construction committee NOW

[@danielmendes2162]

WHEN IS IT GOING TO OPEN?! That’s all I want to know!

[@williamwalker8106]

When they are ready.

[@danielmendes2162]

@@williamwalker8106 That means nothing to me! I need a date and time!

[@tsetstransport]

They don’t know yet. Be patient and calm down.

[@alexhan9573]

My guess is probably late June to mid July- I don’t know exactly when it will first serve passenger services…

[@BlokeBloking]

July-October one of those days

[@LetsJamFunk]

26:33 bruh you could already have gotten from Sydenham to Bondi Junction in one ride on the T4. Then again, the T4 and St George/Sutherland Shire in general still feel so underinvested that I wouldn't blame him for not knowing ...

[@mildlydispleased3221]

Australian place names: 65% British, 25% Aboriginal, 10% made up.

[@AlphaGeekgirl]

Just two days ago, my friend and I said exactly that LOL

[@jazepstein]

Dad reckons Australian place names are 10% Aboriginal and 95% British, the rest is just good luck

[@kdegraa]

My farm is accessed on a road with an Aboriginal name. The locality has this name too. The shire has an Aboriginal name too. Both names are very beautiful and mean something.

[@flamingfrancis]

You need to do a recount considering MANY country towns with stations have always had Aboriginal names. Without trying there are 15 on the Newcastle and 13 on the South Coast lines alone.

[@mildlydispleased3221]

@@DJ99777 Named after Sydenham, South London.

[@dracorex6876]

It's great that the Metro City line is almost about to open, but I feel they should consider leaving the corridor between Sydenham and Bankstown alone and do an alternative route for the Sydney Metro to continue beyond Sydenham, since the T3 is already a good functioning railway line as it already is and does not need to be replaced. Considering how the metro trains will be terminating at Sydenham before completion of the Metro Southwest, it means it is not a top priority to convert the line between Sydenham and Bankstown. It never occurred to the government and TfNSW that a better route will be going from Sydenham to Miranda via the Airport and the Botany Bay area, which would benefit suburbs like Brighton Le Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate, Sans Souci and Sylvania, and it would also connect the metro with the T8 at International Airport. So many missed opportunities with the metro. Of course, the biggest concern I have is if the conversion can be reversed if it proved to be infeasible and unsuccessful.

[@janesk1]

Honestly I prefer the 607x to the metro most of the time, it usually gets me where I need to go faster. I've only had one or two hiccups with it in the few years I've been using it.

[@banjopiggottwright1802]

As a proud Sydney Sider, I'm so hyped for the opening of both the Sydney Metro City Expansion and the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 respectively.

[@rippy5754]

Great video, the best part is you actually caught in the background the ex-CEO of NSW metro, and the current CEO of the High Speed Rail Authority, Tim Parker without even realizing. 😂 I saw you recoding on the site visit for Crows Nest, but didn't want to bother you. In hindsite I should have introduce you to him.😅

[@repique10]

What’s really required is Leppington extended to Aerotropolis then Aerotropolis down to Oran park, and link back to MacArthur square. While we’re at it explain to me how we’re still not Electrified to our Capital city!.

[@RobertMurphy-ln6fc]

The ides of cross-platform transfers would also be perfect for the new station at Bankstown. Heard anything about the plans?

[@jack2453]

Cross platform interchange at Chatswood but inconvenient 100m walk at Bankstown and even worse at Parranatta. Was the Metro planned by a Liberal government or something?😊

[@ktipuss]

35:26 Note the tell-tale bitumen strip in the middle of the concrete edges of Gleeson Avenue where it crosses Sydenham Station, showing where the trams once ran. Speaking of trams, Sydney Uni might eventually be served by rail if a future NSW government finds the guts to overcome the car-centric interests within Transport4 NSW and restore the trams down Parramatta Road. Meanwhile, the greatly improved access to Redfern Station is a trade off for not getting the Metro servicing Sydney Uni (Paul's Transport Vlog has a good video about this).

[@airlineshow]

I’m curious about who specifically came up with the idea the convert ECRL to metro, and continue to Rouse Hill.. pretty out of the box idea

[@weddingphotocinema2001]

Excellent video, I thing you should do one more video like this when it opens because just in case you missed anything on this video

[@markspublictransportvideos8429]

Me and my friend are visiting Sydney at the end of July until 5th of August hopefully its open by then

[@aaravyadav3748]

When was Pitt Street station renamed to Gadigal and why so???? It is confusing me sooo much

[@aaravyadav3748]

@@Coastal603 Thanks sooo much for the information that you gave. And also yes, the name Pitt Street is vague since the street is so long. Gadigal also as a name is really cute

[@NathanMichael-do7sw]

Wokeness

[@mjcats2011]

@@NathanMichael-do7sw Oh f..k off. Do you know what woke means?

[@SoulpowerMSRS]

Regarding the silly choice of 'Victoria Cross' as the station name, you said no one was complaining. In fact Metro asked for public feedback on this idea four years ago. Here's the submission I sent: "I've never heard of Victoria Cross, so if you use that for a station name, then you will mystify locals as well as tourists visiting Sydney. On the other hand, if you think it's a good idea to give stations random names, then I suggest 'Piccadilly' as the name for the new Metro station to be built at Parramatta." They've managed to outdo themselves with 'Gadigal'. 🙃

[@peterbreis5407]

Simple fix for Gadigal and Victoria Square is to call the areas above after the stations. The reverse of what is usually done but what the heck...

[@peterbreis5407]

Could sell the naming rights. I'm for *Schmackos* and *Splashdown.*

[@gdawwg1125]

People will get used to the name Gadigal very quickly and pitt street is a very long street , if it was called pitt street that could catch people out as well

[@Coastal603]

It begs the question, why did they even consider Pitt Street to begin with? As this change was made fairly recently. And what about hunter Street? Will that be changed too in the future??

[@jzmmm]

the problem with the metro is not the system itself, but the trains. They're loud, rattly, cold, and uncomfortable. Waratahs are way nicer to sit on especially for a long work commute (~60mins). You can also look out the window where as on the metro, you don't really have that option besides tallawong-bella vista

[@Vtwin_Superbikes]

Can you do a NSW rail points of interest/day trips/weekend breaks series. It’s so cheap its a great way for people to explore.

[@sz8558]

Would love to see a comparison of how long it took to complete similar projects overseas..Id bet everything I own Australia would be deep into the bottom of that list.

[@fjeoijweiojfweio8212]

you'll actually be surprised to see similar projects overseas have taken longer or just as long to construct. For example, stage 1 of Sydney metro took 6 years to construct, 7 years for the city extension. UKs Elizabeth line took 13 years to construct. Copenhagen metro took 8 years to construct Amsterdams north south metro line took 15 years to construct,. Berlins u5 extension took 8 years to construct. United States Second Avenue Subway in New York City took 10 years Torontos Eglinton Crosstown LRT has taken 12(?) years. Other countries such as Sweden, Finland, Korea, China, and Japan all generally have 5-7 years for construction. although, on average Australian transport projects are FAR more expensive than those overseas, especially those in European and Asian countries.

[@danieleyre8913]

Sydney should have had one of these built after the war, and needs about 4-5 more lines like this.

[@BigBlueMan118]

We basically did - the Eastern Suburbs line was built post-War and originally meant to be a Metro-style line running from Kingsford and Randwick through Bondi Junction to Kings Cross and the City with future extensions to the south. It was meant to be unlinked from all the problems of the original system. using single-deck trains and running every 5min most of the day, with cross-platform transfer to the rest of the network at Town Hall. It then got cut back to Bondi Junction, and was re-envisioned as a through-running line for Sydney Trains services at the same time the network began moving to double-deckers.

[@danieleyre8913]

@@BigBlueMan118 So in other words… …you didn’t. To be honest; I think the inner western line is being done all wrong. It skips a lot of suburbs that could do with a station. And I don’t think the stations need to be gold-plated; they just need to be functional enough.

[@BigBlueMan118]

@@danieleyre8913 That reads as an incredibly cynical, nasty response. The "inner western line" you mean Metro West? Which stations would you have added whilst also remembering that in order to relieve the heavily-congested Western Line it needed to be fast (about 20min target journey time necessary from Parramatta to Sydney CBD if you read the planning documents)

[@danieleyre8913]

@@BigBlueMan118 Nasty & cynical? Huh? Okay. No point in me continuing communication with someone so much of a sook that they get their panties bunched up over me telling them the fact that a railway line that is built to mainline standard and connected to a mainline and runs mainline operating pattern is not a metro line…

[@BigBlueMan118]

@@danieleyre8913 Now who's sooking? Sydney Metro is a rapid transit line yes. Some Sydney lines have characters reminiscent of Metro lines (the Eastern Suburbs to Hurstville section of the T4; the City Circle to Revesby section of T8; the City Circle to Homebush section of T2; the entire T3) but also share features of regional rail too. Terminology and delineation is not what is important, what is important is how rapid transit corridors serve populations and destinations along their route.

[@Topher5035]

Town Hall Station to Gadigal Station can vary quite a bit depending on which exit and end you use, but generally within 100-250m of each other. The hypothetical Epping commuter can rest easy, knowing the choice wont radically impact their step count.