Trains already packed, but 'better than getting stuck in traffic'
Trains approaching Epping are already packed and commuters are not impressed with the frequency of trains so far, which are running every 10 minutes.
Esther Kim commutes from Castle Hill to QVB, and usually gets the bus. She said she is looking forward to a "quicker and faster" trip.
"From my home if I leave before 7am, it’s one hour, but after 7am it can be 1.5 hours."
Ms Kim said it was "a bit disappointing" the frequency of trains wasn’t as she expected. Trains were about 10 minutes apart, instead of the promised five minutes.
Anton from Kellyville estimated he will save 20 minutes each way with the new metro service.
He was also disappointed the trains were not every five minutes, with a 10-minute wait greeting him for his first trip.
"It’s a bit erratic, but hopefully it’s just teething issues," he said. "It’s still better than getting stuck in the traffic."
Rail union issues warning on disappearing workers
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has released a statement this morning warning of plans afoot to remove all workers from the driverless train line "in the very near future".
RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said initially the Metro Company is being told to run every train with a customer service representative on board, but that's not expected to last.
"We’ve long held real concerns about the Sydney Metro system," Mr Claassens said in the statement. "There’s a real risk of overcrowding at stations like Chatswood due to poor planning, and that’s on top of the broader safety concerns we have around the trains being run without drivers and customer service employees on board.
"The travelling public deserve to know their trains are being operated by highly trained, experienced workers who can react quickly in any emergency situation. Without these workers, there is no one to deal with a problem if something goes wrong with the train or on the tracks."
Mr Claassens also urged commuters to be respectful towards transport workers across the network today as they help to manage the first real test of the metro.
A train every five minutes? Not just yet
The indicator boards at Hills Showground this morning show services aren't running every five minutes just yet. Trains are actually running more like every 10 minutes,.
Services running closer to every 10 minutes than every five on the first Monday morning of the Sydney Metro Northwest. Credit:Peter Rae
At Hills Showground, it's a chilly 9 degrees
It's very quiet near the start of the line this morning. Hills Showground is the sixth station on the line that begins in Rouse Hill and ends up at Chatswood. The parking station there so far is empty.
Which all means it's a good time to get a selfie to celebrate the first Monday morning commute on the new line.
A commuter snaps a selfie outside Hills Showground railway station. Credit:Peter Rae
Fares on the new line the same as existing network
While travel on Sunday was free, fares from today are the same as those for the existing rail network, which are based on the distance travelled. The journey time for commuters travelling the 36km from one end to the other is about 37 minutes.
Weekday trains: every five minutes for first six weeks
On weekdays, commuters have been told to expect trains to run every five minutes for the first six weeks in what NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance describes as a "ramp-up period", and every four minutes thereafter.
But Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it could eventually be increased to a train every two minutes if the demand requires it.
Weekend services will run every 10 minutes.
Teething problems as more than 90,000 hopped on the train on its first day
By Matt O'Sullivan
Sydneysiders turned out in the tens of thousands yesterday to ride the city's first metro train line, leading to huge crowds at stations and longer than expected trips for some.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance went for a test ride on the driverless train from Tallawong station in Rouse Hill to Chatswood. Credit:Edwina Pickles
In the first six hours after gates opened, 90,000 people rode on the new 36-kilometre Metro Northwest line from Chatswood to Rouse Hill. The driverless trains were running to a weekend timetable of a service every 10 minutes for the opening day.
While signalling a change to the way Sydneysiders travel on public transport, the journeys proved to be unexpectedly long for some in the early afternoon. A train stopped at Macquarie Park for up to 20 minutes after a door failed to align correctly. The train was taken out of service but not before it caused flow on delays to other trains for a period.
Good morning!
It's the first work day test of the brand new Sydney Metro Northwest train line after its highly anticipated opening yesterday, with thousands expected to pile onto the brand new driverless train to head to work this morning.
Are you heading to work on the new train this morning? Let us know how it's working for you in the comments!
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