Travel authorities are warning the closure of T3 train line from Bankstown to Sydenham could double the travel for some commuters during peak hour. It's part of a year-long process that will see the 130-year-old train line converted into a metro service. Bus services are being used to replace trains across Sydney's south-west and inner west.
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00:00One of Sydney's busiest railway lines is now closed for business.
00:07Good evening customers, this is your final Bankstown line service.
00:14Thousands of commuters now face blowouts to their journey times.
00:18It's going to be stressful, but what can you do?
00:21I really want to thank passengers for their patience.
00:24This is going to be a really difficult time through the inner west and Canterbury-Bankstown.
00:28The nine stations between Bankstown and Sydenham will be closed for at least 12 months
00:33as major construction finally gets underway for the metro conversion.
00:37Bankstown, Yagoona and Barong will also be closed for a number of weeks.
00:41The metro will be great. It's worth it to wait for one year.
00:48Trains have been replaced with free bus services.
00:50They're scheduled to leave almost every four minutes during peak times.
00:55It's actually, I feel like it's kind of convenient because like it's more frequent than the actual trains itself.
01:01A bit messy, like no true queue at the bus stop.
01:04So the bus pulled up, they've got room for 10 and everyone just ran for it to try and get on the bus.
01:09So I don't know, I think I'll be walking next time.
01:11The government is warning the impact of the changes are yet to be seen.
01:15So far so good, but it is Monday and it's school holidays.
01:19And I think that's something to be aware of.
01:21Traffic volumes are down and tomorrow we expect to see more people travelling on our road network.
01:28Once construction is complete, the metro line will have services running every four minutes during peak times
01:33compared to four trains an hour on the Bankstown to Sydenham line.
01:37A bit of inconvenience to get a better convenience.
01:40A new cycle path between Marrickville and Sydenham also opened today as an alternative travel option.