The metro has raised the bar for Sydney commuters. Don’t expect it to stay that high

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The metro has raised the bar for Sydney commuters. Don’t expect it to stay that high

Alexandra Smith State Political Editor September 18, 2025 — 5.00am

A brief history lesson should remind Sydney commuters just how bad life can get on the city’s heavy rail network. It should also strike fear into the NSW Labor government.

Back in 2004, when NSW Labor was in power and the glory days of the Sydney Olympics were a fading memory, train services hit their nadir. There was one day – November 1– when not a single suburban train on all Sydney’s vast network arrived on time.

If that were not bad enough, only 1 per cent of trains that day turned up within 10 minutes of their scheduled time. It was a monumental day for all the wrong reasons. Commuters, as you