View source for Metro North West Line

{{Infobox public transit
|name = Metro North West Line
|image = 
|alt =
|imagesize = 
|image2 = 
|alt2 =
|caption2 = 
|authority = [[Transport for NSW]] & Sydney Metro Authority
|mode = [[Rapid transit]]
|annual_patronage = 
|began_operation = 26 May 2019 
|operator = Metro Trains Sydney
|numstops = 13
|numvehicles = 22 trains
|system_length = <!--{{convert|66|km|mi|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sydneymetro.info/about|title=About Sydney Metro|publisher=Sydney Metro|format=website}}</ref>-->
|track_gauge = <!--{{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}-->
|el = Overhead line
|website = 
}}
The '''Metro North West Line''' is a metro rail line serving the north west suburbs in [[Sydney]], New South Wales, Australia. The line is coloured teal on maps and informational material. It is the first line of the [[Sydney Metro]] network and is also Australia's first metro line. The line entered service on 26 May 2019.

==History==
{{Sydney public transport services|metro=}}
[[File:Macquarie University station 20190527.jpg|thumb|The converted Macquarie University station]]
[[File:Norwest station 20190529 03.jpg|thumb|The newly built Norwest station]]
A railway line serving the car-dependant north west suburbs had been proposed for many years. The North West Rail Link was announced in the New South Wales Government's 1998 long-term transport plan ''Action for Transport 2010''. Plans to construct the line were repeatedly announced but then cancelled. While most plans envisaged the line as a conventional railway using Sydney's standard double-deck trains, the line was eventually created as single-deck metro line. The project to construct the line, known as [[Sydney Metro Northwest]], converted the [[Epping to Chatswood railway line]] to metro standards and extended it through the north west suburbs to Rouse Hill.

Sydney Metro Northwest opened on 26 May 2019. Services were branded as the Metro North West Line.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Metro is open |url=https://transportnsw.info/news/2019/sydney-metro-open |work=transportnsw.info |publisher=Transport for NSW |accessdate=26 May 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526025044/https://transportnsw.info/news/2019/sydney-metro-open |archivedate=26 May 2019}}</ref> Trains were to run every five minutes during peak hours for first six weeks of operation, before expanding to run every four minutes; however, this change actually came into effect on 1 July.<ref name="abc 2019-05-05" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Metro North West Timetable |url=https://transportnsw.info/documents/timetables/93-M-Sydney-Metro-North-West-20190701.pdf |publisher=Transport for NSW |date=14 June 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618035822/https://transportnsw.info/documents/timetables/93-M-Sydney-Metro-North-West-20190701.pdf |archivedate=18 June 2019 |deadlink=y}}</ref> Until late 2019, a replacement bus service will run every night from around 9.30pm between Sunday to Wednesday to allow additional works to be completed.<ref name="abc 2019-05-05">{{cite news |last1=Kontominas |first1=Bellinda |title='Game-changer': Sydney's new driverless train to open to the public on May 26 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-05/sydney-metro-driverless-trains-to-open-on-may-26/11081490 |work=ABC News |date=5 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Metro to open in three weeks |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/media-releases/sydney-metro-to-open-three-weeks |publisher=Transport for NSW |date=5 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=North West Night Bus |url=https://transportnsw.info/plan/north-west-night-bus |website=transportnsw.info |publisher=Transport for NSW |accessdate=7 May 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505052711/https://transportnsw.info/plan/north-west-night-bus |archivedate=5 May 2019}}</ref> There were more than 1.8 million journeys on the line during the first month of operation. The government stated that 20,000 fewer cars had used the M2 motorway compared to the same time in 2018 and there had been up to a 20 percent fall in usage at key stations on the T1 Western Line. It attributed these changes to the opening of the metro.<ref>{{cite web |title=North West Metro marks one month as TBM prepares to go under the harbour |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/media-releases/north-west-metro-marks-one-month-as-tbm-prepares-to-go-under-harbour |publisher=Transport for NSW |date=26 June 2019}}</ref>

The eastern terminus of the line is at Chatswood. This means passengers travelling to the city are presently required to change to a [[T1 North Shore & Western Line]] or [[T9 Northern Line]] service to complete their journey. [[Sydney Metro City & Southwest]] is a project to construct a new tunnel to extend the metro line under Sydney Harbour, through the city and on to Sydenham. From there the metro will head west to Bankstown, taking over most of the [[Bankstown railway line]]. This extension is under construction and is due to open in 2024.

===Line operation===
As of December 2011, the New South Wales Government had not ruled out the possibility of contracting the operation and management of the North West Rail Link to private enterprise as part of a public-private partnership. Les Wielinga, the Director-General of Transport for NSW, stated "We are focused on the longer term rail options. It's got to work as a single network, the whole network, but we are looking at private sector involvement in those as well. And we've got an open mind.".<ref>{{cite news |last=Saulwick |first=Jacob |title=Private operators in the mix for north-west rail link |url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/private-operators-in-the-mix-for-northwest-rail-link-20111202-1obfu.html |accessdate=2 December 2011 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 December 2011}}</ref>

In May 2013 it was announced that two consortia had been shortlisted to operate the line:<ref>{{cite news |title=Detention company could run new rail link |url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/detention-company-could-run-new-rail-link-20130501-2it9w.html |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2 May 2013 |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}</ref>
*Northwest Rapid Transit consisting of John Holland, Leighton Contractors, MTR Corporation, Plenary Group and UGL Rail
*TransForm consisting of Bombardier Transportation, John Laing Investments, Macquarie Capital, McConnell Dowell, Serco and SNC-Lavalin Capital

The Northwest Rapid Transit consortium was awarded the contract in June 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Major milestones reached on North West Rail Link as preferred operator selected |url=http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/major-milestones-reached-north-west-rail-link-preferred-operator-selected |publisher=Transport for NSW |accessdate=24 June 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006103450/http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/major-milestones-reached-north-west-rail-link-preferred-operator-selected |archivedate=6 October 2014}}</ref> The operator itself is known as Metro Trains Sydney.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Metro North West |url=https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/consultancy/sydneynorthwest.html |accessdate=8 April 2019 |publisher=MTR Corporation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fact Sheet: Metro North West Line operations |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/media-releases/fact-sheet-metro-north-west-line-operations |publisher=Transport for NSW |date=5 May 2019}}</ref>

===Hurstville branch===
Early plans for the City & Southwest project envisaged a second phase of the southern sector conversion of existing railway lines. This would see two of the four [[Illawarra railway line]] tracks between Sydenham and Hurstville converted to rapid transit and added to the Sydney Metro network. This would increase rail capacity between Hurstville and the city by 10 trains per hour. Though a precise construction timeframe was not provided, the plan was for all work being completed by 2031. The Hurstville conversion would add eight stations and <!--{{convert|-->9<!--|-->km<!--|abbr=on}}--> to the metro network.<ref name="srf">{{cite book |title=Sydney's rail future: modernising Sydney's trains |date=June 2012 |author=Transport for NSW |url=http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/b2b/publications/sydneys-rail-future.pdf}}</ref> Developing plans for this extension proved difficult, and the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' reported in February 2016 that the project may have been dropped.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Matt |last2=Saulwick |first2=Jacob |title=Plan to extend Sydney metro line south hits growing list of hurdles |url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/plan-to-extend-sydney-metro-line-south-hits-growing-list-of-hurdles-20160201-gmj9dz.html |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 February 2016}}</ref> It was absent from the New South Wales Government's 2018 ''Greater Sydney Services and Infrastructure Plan'' which set out potential transport projects to be built through to 2056.

==Stations==
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|+North West Line stations
!Name
!Opened**
<!--!Sydney Metro interchanges-->
!<!--Other i-->Interchanges*
|-
|'''[[Tallawong station (Sydney)|Tallawong]]'''
|26 May 2019
| rowspan="8"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Rouse Hill station (Sydney)|Rouse Hill]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Kellyville station (Sydney)|Kellyville]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Bella Vista station (Sydney)|Bella Vista]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Norwest station (Sydney)|Norwest]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Hills Showground station (Sydney)|Hills Showground]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Castle Hill station (Sydney)|Castle Hill]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Cherrybrook station (Sydney)|Cherrybrook]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Epping station (Sydney)|Epping]]'''
|26 May 2019
|
*{{Link:Sydney suburban trains}}
*{{Link:NSW intercity trains}}
|-
|'''[[Macquarie University station (Sydney)|Macquarie University]]'''
|26 May 2019
| rowspan="3"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Macquarie Park station (Sydney)|Macquarie Park]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[North Ryde station (Sydney)|North Ryde]]'''
|26 May 2019
|-
|'''[[Chatswood station (Sydney)|Chatswood]]'''
|26 May 2019
|
*{{Link:Sydney suburban trains}}
|-
|colspan="3"|''City and Southwest extension''
|-
|'''[[Crows Nest station (Sydney)|Crows Nest]]'''
|2024
| rowspan="3"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Victoria Cross station (Sydney)|Victoria Cross]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Barangaroo station (Sydney)|Barangaroo]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Martin Place station (Sydney)|Martin Place]]'''
|2024
|
*{{Link:Sydney suburban trains}}
|-
|'''[[Pitt Street station (Sydney)|Pitt Street]]'''
|2024
|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Central station (Sydney)|Central]]'''
|2024
|
*{{Link:Sydney suburban trains}}
*{{Link:NSW intercity trains}}
*{{Link:NSW regional trains}}
*{{Link:Sydney light rail}}
|-
|'''[[Waterloo station (Sydney)|Waterloo]]'''
|2024
|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Sydenham station (Sydney)|Sydenham]]'''
|2024
|
*{{Link:Sydney suburban trains}}
|-
|'''[[Marrickville station (Sydney)|Marrickville]]'''
|2024
|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Dulwich Hill station (Sydney)|Dulwich Hill]]'''
|2024
|
*{{Link:Sydney light rail}}
|-
|'''[[Hurlstone Park station (Sydney)|Hurlstone Park]]'''
|2024
| rowspan=7|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Canterbury station (Sydney)|Canterbury]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Campsie station (Sydney)|Campsie]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Belmore station (Sydney)|Belmore]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Lakemba station (Sydney)|Lakemba]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Wiley Park station (Sydney)|Wiley Park]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Punchbowl station (Sydney)|Punchbowl]]'''
|2024
|-
|'''[[Bankstown station (Sydney)|Bankstown]]'''
|2024
|
*{{Link:Sydney suburban trains}}
|}
<nowiki>**</nowiki> As a metro station.
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Most stations are served by connecting bus services. Some Sydney Trains stations may also be served by intercity trains at certain times.

==Capacity==
Stage 1 operates with 6-car trains running on 4 minute headways. After the addition of the Stage 2 extension to Bankstown, the system will require at least 59 six-car trains to run every four minutes during peak periods. Station platforms are configured to allow for future use of 8-car trains and the signalling system designed to allow for 2 minute headways, both of which are planned to be introduced once sufficient patronage demands it. Eight-car trains have a design capacity of 1,539 passengers, and increasing the running frequency to ultimately 30 trains per hour (2 minute headway) would provide a maximum capacity of 46,170 passengers per hour per direction.<ref>{{cite web |title=SYDNEY METRO CITY & SOUTHWEST &#124; BUSINESS CASE SUMMARY |url=http://www.sydneymetro.info/sites/default/files/Sydney%20Metro%20CSW%20Business%20Case%20Summary.pdf |publisher=Transport for NSW |accessdate=28 February 2017}}</ref>

==Potential extensions==
===To Schofields===
There were long term plans to extend the proposed heavy-rail North West Rail Link to meet the existing [[Richmond railway line]] near Vineyard.<ref>{{cite web |title=Outcomes Report |url=http://www.sydlink.com.au/webdata/resources/files/Outcomes_report_(locked).pdf |publisher= |date=15 August 2008 |archiveurl= |archivedate=}}North West Metro Stakeholder Engagement Briefing and Consultation Forum</ref> However, the location of the alignments were never finalised and further investigation and studies would have been required. The design of the line was subsequently extended south west to Tallawong, making an extension to Vineyard impractical.

State government documents from May 2011 suggested an intention to eventually extend the line to meet the Richmond line near Schofields, two stations south of Vineyard.<ref>{{cite news |title=Let's go forth by North West rail |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/lets-go-forth-by-north-west-rail/story-e6freuzi-1226063709238 |accessdate=26 May 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=27 May 2011 |author=Rhys Haynes |author2=Andrew Clennell}}</ref> A government report from June of that year suggested an extension of the North West Rail Link beyond Rouse Hill to meet the Richmond line at Schofields, Riverstone, or beyond.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haynes |first=Rhys |title=Plans to extend North West rail link |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/plans-to-extend-north-west-rail-link/story-e6freuy9-1226078050184 |accessdate=7 July 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=20 June 2011}}</ref>

A scoping study into rail investment to service [[wikipedia:Western Sydney|Western Sydney]] and the proposed [[wikipedia:Western Sydney Airport|Western Sydney Airport]] was announced by the New South Wales and Australian governments in November 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Sydney Airport |url=http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects-western-sydney-airport |publisher=Transport for NSW |accessdate=18 February 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302024021/http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects-western-sydney-airport |archivedate=2 March 2016}}</ref> The study's final report was released in March 2018 and included a proposal to extend the Sydney Metro Northwest from Tallawong to Schofields, where it would connect with a proposed "North-South Link" (now known as [[Sydney Metro Greater West]]) serving the airport and continuing on to Macarthur.<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Sydney Rail Needs Scoping Study Outcomes Report |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2018/wsrnsoutcome-report.pdf |publisher=Australian Government and New South Wales Government |accessdate=7 March 2018 |page=59 |date=March 2018}}</ref> An announcement by the governing Liberal Party during the 2019 New South Wales election campaign suggested the route would instead form part of Sydney Metro Greater West, meaning the two metros would meet at Rouse Hill rather than Schofields.<ref name="Liberal announcement 2019" />

===To Liverpool===
The same scoping study that investigated the extension to Schofields also investigated an extension from Bankstown to Liverpool. The proposal was included in the study's final report, released in March 2018. The report suggested the extension was unlikely to be built for at least 20 years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Sydney Rail Needs Scoping Study Outcomes Report |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2018/wsrnsoutcome-report.pdf |publisher=Australian Government and New South Wales Government |accessdate=7 March 2018 |page=60 |date=March 2018}}</ref>

During the 2019 New South Wales election campaign, the governing Liberal Party announced it would commence planning of this extension.<ref name="Liberal announcement 2019">{{cite web |title=Expanding metro network to connect Sydney like never before |url=https://nsw.liberal.org.au/candidates/gladys-berejiklian/news/articles/EXPANDING-METRO-NETWORK-TO-CONNECT-SYDNEY |date=14 March 2019 |publisher=Liberal Party NSW}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Sydney Metro|North West]]