The Sydney Metro operator, Metro Trains Sydney (MTS), is already looking into a service expansion for the city’s newest piece of major public transport infrastructure.
The MTS CEO Daniel Williams floated the possibility of a 24-hour service to run on Thursdays and Fridays, but the transport company said there would need to be “evidence of operational need” to move forward.
“Sydney Metro operator, Metro Trains Sydney (MTS), is independently investigating how extended hours could work if required,” a Sydney Metro spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au.
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“There are no planned changes to the current Sydney Metro timetable.
“Any change to the timetable would be based on evidence of operational need and is a decision for the NSW Government.
“Sydney Metro has the capability to provide alternative service patterns, but this would need to be done in alignment with the broader transport network and the maintenance schedule.”
Because of this maintenance schedule, Thursdays and Fridays would be the best days to operate an extended service in Sydney, Williams said.
“Thursday and Friday there is less maintenance activity going on,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“What we’d be looking to do is restructure that maintenance window to distribute it across the early part of the week so we can run trains through the night.”
But Sydney Metro also noted it already runs extended services during special events, and noted that reduced maintenance windows can impact services running at other times.
“The operator undertakes the maintenance required to run a safe and reliable railway while trains are not operating overnight,” a Sydney Metro spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au.
“For major events, such as New Year’s Eve and Mardi Gras, services run throughout the night and significant planning is undertaken to allow these extended services to run.
“Running 24-hour services would reduce the time available for maintenance activities, which could result in reduced services at other times.”
A consistent average of 200,000 metro trips are taken each day on the Sydney Metro, Transport Minister Jo Haylen said.
Trains currently run until after midnight every night except Sunday.