Millions of passengers are set to enjoy more metro services, with trains running later into the night and more frequently during the day.
The timetable uplift comes as five million passenger journeys, spanning more than 8,500 services, were recorded on the new Metro between Chatswood and Sydenham since the railway opened on 19 August.
The interpeak period, defined as 10am to 3pm, will see services run every five minutes – up from seven minutes – to make wait times shorter and lunchtime travel even easier.
Services will also now run past midnight every night except Sunday. During the first four weeks, trains under the CBD stopped at 10:30pm to allow operator Metro Trains Sydney time to carry out any maintenance or additional works required during the initial integration period.
With the new changes, an extra 49 services will now be running every weekday, taking the total to 434 services ever Monday to Thursday, with 446 services every Friday.
Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said around one million people are tapping on and off the new metro every five days, with services running seamlessly.
“The data tells us many workers are using the metro for lunchtime adventures, so think of these extra services as your meal ticket,” she said.
“A train every 5 minutes during the day and services running until after midnight almost every night means more people can jump on the metro to enjoy everything Sydney has to offer, from the north to the inner west.
“The possibilities are endless – whether you’re meeting mates in the CBD, grabbing noodles in North Sydney, or moseying for a meal in Marrickville – metro has you covered through the day and night.
“We expect this boost in services will see even more people using the metro to commute, explore, and keep our great city thriving well after the sun goes down.”
The new M1 timetable means:
- the first service will depart Tallawong Station at 4:08am and Sydenham Station at 4:54am, seven days a week.
- Monday to Thursday, the last train departs Tallawong at 11:50 pm and Sydenham at 12:24 am.
- Friday, the last train departs Tallawong at 12:50 am and Sydenham at 1:24 am
- Saturday, the last train departs Tallawong at 12:48 am and Sydenham at 1:24 am
- Sunday, the last train departs Tallawong at 10:18 pm and Sydenham 10:54 pm
During off peak periods and on weekends, passengers can turn up at any one of the 21 metro stations across the M1 alignment and board a train every 10 minutes.
Data reveals passengers have embraced their new public transport service, with busy stations and high patronage numbers, including on average a consistent 200,000 metro trips taken each day.
Sydney Metro will continue to monitor patronage and patterns to ensure the new railway’s service frequencies are meeting demand.
The post Extra Metro services announced appeared first on Rail Express.