Surge in demand for Sydney’s metro trains leaves passengers waiting

Commuters catching trains on Sydney’s $30 billion M1 metro rail line during the morning peak have surged over the past 12 months: two stations in the central city have easily exceeded forecasts made two years ago and some trains have been too packed for passengers to get on.

On the eve of the two-year anniversary of the opening of the line’s city section , new government figures show a 14 per cent rise in passengers filing through ticket gates at Martin Place metro station during the morning peak in May and June, compared to the same months a year earlier.

Martin Place station’s average patronage of 20,500 passengers on weekday mornings in May was almost a third higher than forecasts released in 2024, shortly before the section between Chatswood and Sydenham opened on August 19 of that year.

Gadigal station, near Town Hall, is also easily beating forecasts. About 10,700 commuters passed through its gates in the morning peak between 6.30 and 10 in May, up 8 per cent on the prior period, and 43 per cent higher than predictions made in 2024.

Victoria Cross station in North Sydney had a rise of more than 10 per cent during morning peaks in May and June, while Central Station’s metro platforms were up about 9 per cent, as commuters switched from heavy rail services to metro trains.

The number of commuters entering and exiting North Sydney station on a typical weekday has halved since the metro’s city-section opened two years ago and patronage for St Leonards station has fallen by a third. Both heavy rail stations are close to metro stations.

The growth in patronage on metro trains comes two months before the M1 line’s final stage between Sydenham and Bankstown is expected to open. Confidential government documents have slated a target date of mid-October , but the start of passenger services will hinge on approval by the national rail regulator.

Crows Nest resident Lucy Wang catches metro trains every weekday to travel to Martin Place for work because they are faster than double-decker services on the T1 North Shore heavy rail line.

Wang said it was always a case of squeezing into packed metro carriages or waiting for the next one if she could not get on during the morning peak. “I usually only wait for one, or squish [into a carriage],” she said. “I do wish it was less packed, but there’s really nothing you can do.”

After driving to Crows Nest to drop her daughter at day care, Norwest resident Ashley Felsman is used to being unable to get on a city-bound metro train during the morning peak. “I’m always having to wait for the next one because I can’t get on,” she said.

Trains run every four minutes in both directions on the M1 line during weekday peaks between about 7am and 10am, and from 3pm to 7pm.