The expansion of Sydney’s metro from Sydenham to Bankstown will be delayed until next year, with the state government blaming the delays on recent industrial action.

It means that commuters in Sydney’s south-west will have to wait longer for an end to the disruption on the T3 train line.

“The Government has always said that this complex and difficult project may take longer than 1 year,” Minister for Transport John Graham said.

“We need to let people know that over 130 days of work have been impacted by industrial action. That means we’ll complete this project in 2026.”

Since the T3 train line between Bankstown and Sydneham was closed down last year, up to 60,000 commuters have had to catch buses between Bankstown and Sydenham every day.

The government said these disruptions will continue, with testing of the driverless metro trains set to begin soon after the project got approval from the National Rail Safety Regulator.

“We acknowledge passengers will be frustrated and apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the government said.

The government said that the 130 days of work on the project had been affected by industrial action, which “limited access to work sites and restricted the provision of crucial work permits.”

Sydney’s train networks have been plunged into chaos over recent months, as the union representing train drivers and the government inch closer towards closing a pay deal.

In January, the Fair Work Commission ordered industrial action on the city’s train network be suspended until July.

The government today said the actions delayed rewiring works, electrification changes, track improvements and platform extensions at Bankstown Station.

The metro upgrades will transform the 130-year-old train line between Sydenham and Bankstown.

When the project is done, commuters will be able to take the metro from Bankstown to Central in just 28 minutes.

From Marrickville to Macquarie University will take 36 minutes, and going from Dulwich Hill to Victoria Cross in North Sydney will take just 21 minutes.

Source Credit: 9 News Sydney