New Cumberland Line: Aerotropolis (Bradfield) to Epping via Glenfield and Parramatta. Completed by 2056 or 2061. We oppose the conversion of the T5 Cumberland Line into Sydney Metro.
| T5 Cumberland Line | New Cumberland Line |
| Sydney Trains (WSA/Leppington to Richmond) | Sydney Metro (Aerotropolis to Epping) |
| 4 carriages (maximum of 8) with more seats and baggage storage (e.g. Oscar Trains) | 3 carriages (with a maximum of 4) with less seats and minimal baggage storage |
| Uses the Y-Link to Harris Park | Abandons the Y-Link to Harris Park |
| Allows Leppington Line trains to City via Granville | Removes Leppington Line trains to City via Granville |
| Allows direct train to Blacktown and Richmond | Removes direct train to Blacktown and Richmond |
| Allows Inner West Line: Liverpool to City via Regents Park | Removes Inner West Line: Liverpool via Regents Park |
| Can be extended to Western Sydney Airport | Converts T5 line as Western Sydney Airport Metro |
T5 Metro Stage 1: Conversion of Glenfield to Leppington into Sydney Metro, and extension of South West Rail Link from Leppington to Aerotropolis as Sydney Metro (Western Sydney Airport Line – Stage 2). Timing subject to current business case (co-funded by NSW and Commonwealth Government) to extend the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport Line from the Western Sydney Aerotropolis to Glenfield via Leppington.
T5 Metro Stage 2: Conversion of Glenfield to Merrylands into Sydney Metro. Completed by 2036?
T5 Metro Stage 3: New Sydney Metro Tunnels from Merrylands to Parramatta Metro Station (future Parramatta Transport Hub). Completed by 2041?
T5 Metro Stage 4: Parramatta to Epping with a new Sydney Metro station potentially at Rydalmere and/or Carlingford. Completed by 2056.
(Extract from Transport for NSW Greater Liverpool Area Needs Study – January 2022)
10 Impacts of the New Cumberland Line (Reasons Against T5 Metro)
- The South West Rail Link was designed on the Sydney Trains Network to be (and should be) extended beyond Leppington as Sydney Trains heavy rail with baggage capacity (e.g. Oscar carriages) to Western Sydney Airport and is advantageous due to its short distance.
- The South West Rail Link has capacity for direct Sydney Trains Network connections through Glenfield to Liverpool, Parramatta, Blacktown, Richmond, Granville, Strathfield, Redfern, East Hills, Wolli Creek, Sydney Domestic Airport, Sydney International Airport, Central, and City Circle.
- The New Cumberland Line as Sydney Metro to Epping (after the initial conversion of Glenfield to Leppington with Metro extension to Western Sydney Airport) will remove the capacity for Sydney Trains heavy rail running between Merrylands and Glenfield.
Trains relying on the Old Main South Line (via Granville) and New Main South Line (via Regents Park) will be rerouted to operate on the T8 Airport and East Lines to Central, which will severely limit flexibility on the Sydney Trains Network especially during trackwork and special events.
- The New Cumberland Line as Sydney Metro to Epping (after the initial conversion of Glenfield to Leppington with Metro extension to Aerotropolis) will remove the current T2 Leppington Line from the Sydney Trains Network leaving only the T2 Inner West Line terminating at Parramatta.
- The New Cumberland Line as Sydney Metro to Epping (after the initial conversion of Glenfield to Leppington with Metro extension to Aerotropolis) will remove the T2 Liverpool via Regents Park line (to be restored in 2024) from the Sydney Trains Network as Cabramatta, Warwick Farm, and Liverpool will only be serviced by Sydney Metro.
A Cabramatta turnback for Sydney Trains has been ruled out by Transport for NSW.
T3 Liverpool to Bankstown line services will be removed in 2024 when Sydney Metro Southwest (Sydenham to Bankstown) opens. T2 Liverpool via Regents Park line services have been earmarked for removal again in the 2030s. Therefore, the no trains will operate between Cabramatta and Sefton/Bankstown as well as Lidcombe via Regents Park.
Transport for NSW is currently planning for rapid buses as part of the Greater Liverpool Area Needs Study.
(Part of Ministerial Briefing for Minister for Transport and Roads – August 2021)
Note: Tunnel portals for the New Cumberland Line (north of Merrylands Station) in Cumberland LGA will approximately be on Crescent St, Holroyd near the site of the original Parramatta Terminus. It is unknown whether the proposed housing development at 1 Crescent Street, Holroyd will impact on the alignment of the New Cumberland Line.
- Merrylands, Guildford, Yennora, Fairfield, Canley Vale, Cabramatta, Warwick Farm, Casula, Edmondson Park, and Leppington will lose direct trains to stations such as Harris Park, Blacktown, Richmond, Granville, Lidcombe, Strathfield, Redfern, Central, City Circle and be forced to interchange at Parramatta Metro Station (separate to current Parramatta Station on the Sydney Trains Network).
Current T5 Cumberland Line commuters from Richmond and Blacktown will also have to interchange at Parramatta for the New Cumberland Line towards Leppington.
- The Cumberland Line Y-Link between Merrylands to Harris Park will be disconnected with Sydney Metro entering into new tunnels north of Merrylands Station to Parramatta Metro Station bypassing Harris Park.
- The New Cumberland Line as Sydney Metro to Epping may impede Parramatta from being part of Fast Rail to Newcastle and the Central Coast. The smaller Sydney Metro sized tunnels are not compatible with Sydney Trains or NSW TrainLink heavy rail services which eliminate a connection at Epping with the T9 Northern Line / Newcastle and Central Coast Line (Main North Line).
The current T5 Cumberland Line should remain on its current route to Schofields and Richmond.
The future East West Rail Link (Westmead to Western Sydney Airport / Metro West Extension) should be replaced with a heavy rail link from Western Sydney Airport to Parramatta, then continuing to Epping with a connection with the T9 Northern Line / Newcastle and Central Coast Line (Main North Line).
- Converting the T5 Cumberland Line into Sydney Metro replaces a functional rail link and will have minimal journey time savings (if any) to Glenfield, Liverpool, Parramatta (as the number of intermediary stations remain the same minus Harris Park), Sydney Domestic Airport, Sydney International Airport, Central, and City Circle.
Given the substantial cost and impacts of converting the T5 Cumberland Line into Sydney Metro including overall loss of direct connections on the Sydney Trains Network, a significant number of commuters will have increased journey times due to the need to interchange at Parramatta to reach current destinations on the Sydney Trains Network.
The Sydney Trains Network timetable should enable direct trains from Central/Sydney Domestic Airport to Glenfield (currently 39 minutes) then all stations to Western Sydney Airport via Leppington (approximately 10 minutes). The entire journey to Western Sydney Airport would be achievable in approximately 50 – 55 minutes utilising existing the Kingsgrove to Revesby Quadruplication.
Approximately a third of New Cumberland Line commuters are forecasted to interchange at Parramatta with the majority travelling to Sydney CBD (Hunter Street) using Sydney Metro West.
The current T5 Cumberland Line from Leppington to Parramatta is approximately 45 minutes (or New Cumberland Line potentially 40 minutes with Sydney Metro and minus Harris Park Station). Sydney Metro West from Parramatta to Sydney CBD (Hunter Street) is approximately 20 minutes.
Sydney Metro (New Cumberland Line and Sydney Metro West) will not reduce journey times to Central or City Circle for commuters from Leppington, Edmondson Park, Glenfield, Liverpool, Fairfield, and other stations on the current T5 Cumberland Line.
- The New Cumberland Line will have 12 trains per hour between Western Sydney Airport and Epping which is 2 more than currently provided by a combination of the T2 Leppington Line (City via Granville) and T5 Cumberland Line. Capacity exists on the current Sydney Trains Network to increase T5 Cumberland Line services by 2 trains per hour to Leppington south of Parramatta or a further point west such as Blacktown or Schofields. Increasing the level of service on the existing T5 Cumberland Line and maintaining T2 Leppington Line services allows for greater travel options and flexibility on the Sydney Trains Network in contrast to converting the line into Sydney Metro.
Note: Aerotropolis (Bradfield) is NOT Western Sydney Airport International Terminal Station. Aerotropolis (Bradfield) is one station south of Western Sydney Airport. If the T5 Cumberland Line is not extended as Sydney Trains to Western Sydney Airport International Terminal Station, commuters travelling to/from Sydney Airport will have to interchange twice (Aerotropolis and Glenfield).
Note: NSW Future Transport Strategy 2056 inclusion of the “Regents Park Line” (i.e. Inner West Line: Liverpool via Regents Park) is not a Transport for NSW commitment to the long-term future of services. Attention is drawn to Transport for NSW internal planning considerations to again remove the Liverpool via Regents Park service (restored in 2024 timetable) in the 2030s.
The completion of tunnelling on Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport line (Stage 1: St Marys to Aerotropolis) for 3 carriage metro services has limited future extensions of the Western Sydney Airport Metro (such as to Glenfield, Schofields, and Macarthur).
Hence if the New Cumberland Line is to proceed as a further extension after Western Sydney Airport Metro (Stage 2: Aerotropolis to Glenfield) to Epping, the line would be limited to 3 carriage metro services replacing existing Sydney Trains to Merrylands before entering into new tunnels to Epping.
The New Cumberland Line (T5 Metro) is of different specifications to the Sydney Metro Northwest, City & Southwest, and West lines. Western Sydney Airport Metro will have a terminal at Schofields (and the New Cumberland Line terminal at Epping) due to such incompatibilities with other Sydney Metro lines.
We support extending the South West Rail Link from Leppington to Western Sydney Airport on the Sydney Trains Network. The Parramatta to Epping corridor should be serviced with an extension of Parramatta Light Rail from Carlingford to Epping.
Related Submissions:
Parramatta 2050
NSW Legislative Assembly Inquiry into Critical transport infrastructure supporting the Western Sydney International Airport and Western Sydney Aerotropolis (2024)