The ‘optimal’ suburb for major metro train station in Sydney’s northwest

Schofields in Sydney’s northwest is regarded as the logical site for a major station to serve as an interchange for passengers to switch between the heavy rail suburban network and an extended metro train line if the latter is built.

With the Minns government about to consider business cases for metro line extensions, confidential documents show senior Sydney Metro officials deem Schofields the “optimal interchange location”, citing the complexity of retro-fitting a station at Tallawong on the existing M1 line.

“A connection between St Marys and Tallawong could be delivered by extending both the Northwest and Western Sydney Airport metros to Schofields, providing a single point of interchange between the two metros and the T1 Richmond line,” a ministerial briefing by Sydney Metro states.

It also reveals that extending the two metro lines to meet at Schofields is complicated by the need to vary separate public-private partnerships for the M1 line and the under-construction Western Sydney Airport metro rail.

Early work on a case for a northern extension did consider the merits of a “first stage from Schofields to Tallawong”. It also looked at the suitability of the “protected transport corridor” between Tallawong and Marsden Park.

“Alternatively, the connection could be delivered by extending the Western Sydney Airport Metro from St Marys through to Tallawong, with interchanges at both Schofields and Tallawong,” the briefing in 2023 states.

The confidential government documents from the past three years provide an insight into the thinking at senior levels of the NSW bureaucracy about the shape of metro extensions if the government gives them the go-ahead. The documents have been released to parliament after a request by deputy Liberal leader Natalie Ward in the upper house.

The state is spending up to $40 million on the final business case for a metro rail extension from St Marys to Tallawong. The NSW government and the Commonwealth are also jointly funding a $100 million business case for metro or heavy rail extensions south from the new city of Bradfield, which is near Western Sydney Airport, to Leppington and Glenfield, or to Campbelltown and Macarthur.

Under the latter, a “sensitive Cabinet document” dated February 2024 states that “Bradfield South” would be the first station on the alignment south towards Campbelltown and Macarthur. Bradfield South would also be a station on a route towards Leppington and Glenfield.

“If heavy rail is preferred on this section to Glenfield, Bradfield South would likely be a Metro/Sydney Trains interchange station,” it states.

In March last year, the Commonwealth committed an extra $1 billion towards early work to support rail extensions in the southwest including for “property acquisition”.

Ward said Schofields was the logical spot for a station interchange between a metro extension and the heavy rail network, but the reality was that “plans without investment just sit in the bottom drawer”.

“Extending the M1 metro line [in the northwest] is a solid option. However, with increased ridership, we will need more metro trains to service it. It needs to be on the agenda,” she said.

NSW Opposition leader Kellie Sloane has said that if the Coalition wins the next election in March, plans for “continuing to build the metros” and one for southwest Sydney will be at the heart of a new city deal between the state and Commonwealth.

Transport Minister John Graham would not be drawn on sharing his views on extending metro lines. He recently confirmed that work on the final business cases for northern and southern extensions was “largely complete” and they were expected to be considered by the government before the end of the year.

A highly confidential review for the government in 2023 recommended up to $4 billion a year be spent on metro expansions over a 25-year period. It proposed a short extension from Bradfield to “Bradfield South” by 2032 at a cost of $2.3 billion, followed by extending the heavy rail line from Leppington to Bradfield South by 2033 for $4.6 billion.

The review, led by former federal infrastructure secretary Mike Mrdak, also suggested a northern extension of the airport metro line from St Marys to Schofields by 2037 costing $9.6 billion, and continuing the M1 line from Tallawong to Schofields by 2039 for a further $3.2 billion.

Construction of the 23-kilometre metro line between Bradfield and St Marys via Western Sydney Airport was due to be opened this year but has been delayed by about 18 months due to a dispute between the government and contractors.

Graham said the government was prioritising the protection of NSW taxpayer money as it worked to resolve commercial issues with the project’s lead contractor.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.