Commuters in Sydney's south-west are being left stranded, forced onto crowded replacement buses for at least an additional year as delays to the Metro South-West conversion continue to drag on.
What was meant to be a 12-month shutdown in September 2024 has become a prolonged disruption to daily life, impacting workers, students and families across the region.
The Minns Labor Government has still failed to provide a firm opening date for the metro line, instead offering only a vague commitment that services will begin in the "second half of the year".
Behind the inconvenience, taxpayers are also footing a growing bill with the Minns Labor Government spending around $8 million a month to keep the replacement bus network running as the delays continue.
Shadow Treasurer Scott Farlow said commuters deserve better than the uncertainty they are currently experiencing.
"With up to 60,000 passengers relying on the corridor each day, the ongoing uncertainty is taking a toll on one of Sydney's fastest-growing regions," Mr Farlow said.
"Commuters who expected to be using a world-class Metro remain stuck navigating a patchwork system of buses, often facing queues, congestion and inconsistent travel times."
"Commuters are being pushed to the limit by these ongoing delays."
"While commuters deal with the disruption, taxpayers are also footing a massive bill — nearly $8 million a month — and still no one can say when the Metro Services will be running."
"Commuters deserve to see light at the end of the tunnel and the very least the Government could do is provide an expected opening day or month to the suffering commuters of the South-West."
