Sydney Metro Map 2026: Lines, Tickets & Fares

Sydney Metro Map 2026: Key Facts for Visitors

• The operating M1 Line covers 21 stations and 51.5 km from Tallawong to Sydenham. Bankstown is not yet in passenger service.
• Trains normally run every four minutes at peak times, every five minutes between weekday peaks and every ten minutes at other times.
• Adult Opal or contactless rail fares start at AUD 4.33, approximately USD 3.02, at peak times and AUD 3.03, approximately USD 2.11, off-peak.
• Sydney Metro is not a 24-hour service. For overnight travel between Tallawong and Town Hall, use the N92 bus; check station-specific first and last M1 departures for the travel date.
• Sydney Airport has no Metro station. Change at Central for the separate T8 Airport & South Line; Sydney Airport is about 13 minutes by train from the city.

Current Sydney Metro service updates

M1 services are scheduled not to run between Tallawong and Sydenham on 25 and 26 July 2026 because of planned trackwork. Check the official trackwork notice again before travel.

The M1 currently runs from Tallawong to Sydenham through Sydney’s northwest, North Sydney and the CBD.

Sydney Trains, including the T8 Airport & South Line, Light Rail and ferries are separate services that connect with the M1.

Sydney Metro opened on 26 May 2019 as Australia’s first fully accessible, automated driverless metro network. Almost 1.5 million passengers used Sydney Metro each week in April 2026.

Sydney Metro is the NSW Government agency and accredited rail infrastructure manager. Metro Trains Sydney is the contracted operator and maintainer.

The M1 serves 21 stations over 51.5 km. It uses Alstom Metropolis trains and offers level boarding, wheelchair spaces, platform screen doors, live travel information and mobile coverage.

The driverless network is monitored around the clock from the operations centre. Full-length platform screen doors open only when an aligned train opens its doors.

Sydney M1 Stations: Tallawong to Sydenham

• M1 Line: Tallawong to Sydenham, operating with passengers on 21 July 2026.
• Southwest section: Sydenham to Bankstown, under testing and commissioning. The announced opening window is the second half of 2026.
• Southwest Link: Free buses replace trains along the closed former T3 conversion corridor until passenger service begins.

The M1 crosses three broad parts of Sydney. In the northwest, Tallawong and Rouse Hill stations serve Rouse Hill. Kellyville, Bella Vista, Norwest, Cherrybrook and Epping serve the places in their station names; Hills Showground and Castle Hill are both in Castle Hill.

Around Macquarie Park and the north shore, Macquarie University and Macquarie Park stations are in Macquarie Park, followed by North Ryde, Chatswood and Crows Nest. Victoria Cross is in North Sydney.

South of the harbour, the line serves Barangaroo, Martin Place and Gadigal in the CBD, Central in Haymarket, then Waterloo and Sydenham.

Sydney M1 City Section: What Changed in 2024?

The City section opened on 19 August 2024 and extended the M1 by 15.5 km from Chatswood beneath Sydney Harbour and the CBD to Sydenham. Northwest passengers gained direct city journeys without changing at Chatswood.

Six new underground stations opened at Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal and Waterloo, with new Metro platforms at Central and Sydenham. Barangaroo received its first railway station.

The M1 trip takes 11 minutes from Chatswood to Martin Place and less than 60 minutes from Tallawong to Sydenham.

The M1 provides direct trips between the northwest, Chatswood, North Sydney, Barangaroo, the CBD, Central, Waterloo and Sydenham. Every station is accessible, and customer-service assistants work across the network.

The new city stations put several central attractions within an easy walk. Barangaroo serves the western waterfront, Martin Place reaches the eastern CBD, and Gadigal serves Pitt Street Mall, the Queen Victoria Building, Hyde Park and the Australian Museum.

Use Barangaroo for Barangaroo Reserve, Walsh Bay and The Rocks. Martin Place is the nearest M1 station for the Royal Botanic Garden, while Central is the best M1 stop for Chinatown and Paddy’s Markets.

Sydney Airport (SYD) is not on the M1. Change at Central for the separate Sydney Trains T8 Airport & South Line to Domestic Airport or International Airport, normally from Platform 23. Confirm the platform on the departure screens.

T8 airport trains normally run daily from about 5 am to midnight. A transfer between Sydney Metro and a Sydney Trains service inside the paid area counts as one rail journey, so there is no extra tap between those services.

The adult airport station access fee is AUD 18.61 (about USD 12.99) with Opal or contactless, in addition to the normal rail fare. An Adult Opal single ticket includes an AUD 19.00 access fee (about USD 13.26). Check the current airport access rules before travel.

Western Sydney International is a different airport. Passenger flights are scheduled to begin there on 25 October 2026, while its separate Metro line remains under construction and a temporary free shuttle to St Marys is planned.

Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains use the same Opal rail fare system, although they are separate networks. The fare is based on the shortest track distance and is calculated when you tap off.

Adults can pay with an Adult Opal card or a contactless American Express, Mastercard or Visa card or linked device. Contactless users are charged the same adult fares and receive the same discounts and caps as Adult Opal users.

Opal fares remain at their 2025 level in 2026. Check the current adult fare caps. Approximate USD prices use AUD 1 = USD 0.6980 (17 July 2026); your card issuer’s rate may differ.

The Adult Opal card is free. The minimum top-up for an Adult Opal card is AUD 10.00 (about USD 6.98). Opal single tickets cost more, include no Opal benefits and serve only as a backup at selected machines.

Use the same card or linked device for every tap throughout the week so fares, discounts and caps are calculated correctly.

Peak periods run Monday to Thursday, excluding public holidays, from 6:30 to 10:00 am and from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. Opal and contactless travel outside those windows, and all day Friday, weekends and public holidays, receives a 30 percent discount.

The official Opal Travel app from Transport for NSW manages physical Opal cards, top-ups, activity, departures and live updates. It does not turn a phone into a tap-to-travel ticket. Download it for iOS or Android.

Sydney Metro is not a 24-hour service. First and last M1 departures vary by station, direction, day and date.

On normal service days, trains run every four minutes at peak times, every five minutes between weekday peaks and every ten minutes at other times. Check current M1 times or Trip Planner for the required travel date and station.

For travel after the last M1 train, route N92 runs overnight between Tallawong and Town Hall. It is a bus service, not a Metro train.

Future Metro Projects in Sydney

The Southwest conversion was still in testing and commissioning on 21 July 2026. Passenger opening was announced for the second half of 2026. Until an official launch, M1 passenger service ends at Sydenham and free Southwest Link buses cover the conversion corridor.

After the Southwest section opens, the M1 is planned to reach Bankstown across 66 km and 31 stations. Those figures describe the future route and are separate from the current 21-station, 51.5 km corridor.

Metro West is a separate 24 km underground line with nine confirmed stations and a 2032 target. Tunnelling finished in March 2026, while station and systems work continues.

The Western Sydney Airport project is a separate 23 km, six-station line between St Marys, Western Sydney International and Bradfield. It remained under construction in July 2026 and is not an airport route for SYD passengers.

Fun Fact: The network was the first railway in Australia to use full-length platform screen doors. The barriers open only when a train is correctly aligned at the platform and its doors open.

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