Government plans to shut 3 Bankstown Line stations

Restore Inner West Line can exclusively reveal that multiple stations along the Bankstown Line face closure once the Sydney Metro Southwest is constructed from Sydenham to Bankstown.

T3 Bankstown Line between Lidcombe, Bankstown, Cabramatta with partial bus in the 2030s with Sydney Metro Southwest extended to Liverpool via new stations likely around Bankstown Airport and Chipping Norton. Source: Transport for NSW and NSW Cabinet In Confidence documents

Buses are set to replace train services at Yagoona, Birrong, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar with the later 3 stations to be shutdown.

Commuters travelling to Regents Park, Berala and Lidcombe would have to interchange at Sefton.

Like Save T3 Bankstown Line on Facebook for updates and sign the petition to Save T3 Bankstown Line

As highlighted by the Save T3 Bankstown Line campaign, commuters from 9 stations west of Bankstown will no longer have direct trains to the City once the Metro is constructed.

Former rail executives John Brew, Ron Christie, Bob O’Loughlin and Dick Day have warned that 19,000 commuters from Berala, Regents Park, Sefton, Chester Hill, Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar, Birrong, Yagoona will have to interchange either at Lidcombe or Bankstown.

The State Government has refused to reinstate City to Liverpool/Bankstown via Regents Park (Inner West Line) services to ensure that the 9 stations west of Bankstown will continue to have direct trains to the City.

Transport for NSW has previously stated that the “T3 Line beyond Bankstown would continue to be operated by Sydney Trains, serving stations between Cabramatta, Lidcombe and Bankstown“.

Plans to build 2 additional tracks in the Western Line corridor have been delayed (or abandoned)

As revealed by Restore Inner West Line, the State Government has decided not to proceed with increasing capacity for Sydney Trains on the Western Line instead proceeding to reintroduce motorway tolls on the M4 WestConnex.

Documents marked Cabinet in Confidence obtained by Restore Inner West Line also warn that: “Converting Bankstown Line (T3) to rapid transit without completing the Croydon to Granville tunnel will have travel time impacts on passengers destined to the CBD from four stations on the South Line (Liverpool, Cabramatta and lower patronage stations at Warwick Farm and Casula). These customers are likely to experience JT to CBD via South Line (without Croydon-Granville tunnel and running 20tph) of over 1 hour – c. 17 mins extra against today”


The Sydenham to Bankstown Metro will be a disaster for the community and public transport in South Western Sydney.

  • 9 stations west of Bankstown will lose all direct trains to City
  • 19,000 additional commuters will have to interchange for trains to City
  • Overcrowding at Lidcombe, Bankstown, Cabramatta will increase due to additional interchanges
  • Train journey times from stations west of Bankstown to City (via interchange at Bankstown for Metro) will increase on average 2 minutes in peak and 6 minutes in off peak)
  • At least 3 stations (Leightonfield, Villawood, Carramar) will close
  • Buses to replace trains for most stations between Cabramatta and Bankstown
  • Traffic congestion to worsen in the Liverpool, Cabramatta and Bankstown areas
  • Liverpool to City train journey times to increase at least 17 mins to well over an hour

If anyone has information about WestConnex, Sydney Trains and Sydney Metro, we would love to discuss this with you. Please email: info@restoreinnerwestline.org.au