Sydney's new driverless northwest Metro will face its first peak-hour test after being officially opened over the weekend.

The first people boarded trains at Tallawong Station in Rouse Hill following the opening by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance on Sunday morning.

Mr Constance said he was looking forward to Monday "with the first commute in the morning peak".

When the newly-opened northwest line reaches full operation, trains will run every four minutes each way during peak hour between Tallawong and Chatswood.

But they will first run once every five minutes at peak for about six weeks, which Mr Constance previously described as a "ramp-up period".

The premier said she couldn't wait for people to try the service and give their verdict.

The fully-automated trains are required to operate with a 98 per cent on-time running reliability, a government fact sheet says.

Sydney Metro asked for patience on Twitter while announcing the service had seen 42,000 customers in the first three hours of operation on Sunday.

Commuters took to Twitter to report large crowds at Chatswood Station, trains stuck at Macquarie University and Macquarie Park stations, as well as service gaps at numerous stations.

The network experienced a hiccup when a technical problem with doors on one train caused a service gap of between 15 and 20 minutes. The train was taken out of service to be looked at, Sydney Metro tweeted.

More than 20,000 people worked on the $7.3 billion northwest project over eight years and work is now underway to extend the line from Chatswood to Bankstown.

Later, another metro project will link greater Parramatta with the CBD. </s> Sydney’s new driverless Northwest Metro has been officially opened to the public on Sunday. The current train line runs between Tallawong and Chatswood. It is the first stage of the $7.3 billion northwest project, which includes the extension of the train line from Chatswood to Bankstown.

Sydney Metro's driverless trains opens to the public for first time 1:05

Sydney’s North West Metro will be put to its first real test today as thousands of commuters are likely to use the multi-billion dollar network.

About 42,000 people rode the driverless metro in its first three hours of operation after it was officially opened yesterday morning and the public were offered free rides between Tallawong and Chatswood.

By the end of the day, more than 140,000 Sydneysiders had taken advantage of the 36km service.

And while yesterday the service suffered a number of teething problems, today will be the real test as thousands of commuters use the metro during peak hour.

RELATED: First look at the driverless trains

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has promised trains every five to six minutes in its first six weeks of opening.

The state’s premier Gladys Berejiklian previously said the trains could run every two minutes if there was enough demand.

Yesterday, the first people boarded trains at Tallawong Station in Rouse Hill following the opening by Ms Berejiklian and Mr Constance.

“This is the start of something very special for our state,” Mr Constance told reporters. “Life’s about to change … for so many people who work hard every day and deserve the right to be able to get around the city as easily as they can.”

Mr Constance said he was looking forward to Monday “with the first commute in the morning peak”.

The fully-automated trains are required to operate with a 98 per cent on-time running reliability, a government fact sheet says.

Sydney Metro asked for patience on Twitter while announcing the service had seen 42,000 customers in the first three hours of operation.

Commuters took to Twitter to report large crowds at Chatswood Station, trains stuck at Macquarie University and Macquarie Park stations, as well as service gaps at numerous stations.

The network experienced a hiccup when a technical problem with doors on one train caused a service gap of between 15 and 20 minutes.

The train was taken out of service to be looked at, Sydney Metro tweeted.

More than 20,000 people worked on the $7.3 billion northwest project over eight years and work is now underway to extend the line from Chatswood to Bankstown.

“We’re now into the complexities of building under the Harbour, under the sea, and out to Sydenham and on to Bankstown,” Mr Constance said.

Later, another metro project will link greater Parramatta with the CBD.

When the newly opened northwest line reaches full operation, trains will run every four minutes each way during peak hour between Tallawong and Chatswood.

But they will first run once every five minutes at peak for about six weeks, which Mr Constance previously described as a “ramp-up period”.

Ms Berejiklian said she couldn’t wait for people to try the service and give their verdict. </s> Sydney's driverless Metro train opens, but delays come as doors fail to open

The doors failed to open at one stop and the driverless train overshot the platform a couple of times, causing delays.

But on the opening day of a new $7 billion train line — with no drivers — a few teething problems can probably be expected.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was beaming on Sunday morning at Tallawong station in Sydney's north-west as the country's first driverless train took off.

There were cheers as the train started, and cheers again when Ms Berejiklian and 300 special guests arrived at Chatswood station, in Sydney's lower north shore.

The North West Metro is the first stage of the Sydney Metro — Australia's biggest public transport project, which has taken almost five years to build.

But the celebration soon turned to stress for workers on the line at about 1:00pm today when one of the trains overshot the platform at Macquarie Park station.

It was realigned and then the automatic doors failed to open, forcing workers to manually open them.

The offending train was taken off the service — and commuters were taken off the train — causing delays and massive crowds at some of the stations around Sydney.

There were lines around the block at Castle Hill station and reports of a "crowd crush" at Chatswood.

A Sydney Metro spokesperson said it was putting on extra services to clear the backlog, but at 3:00pm on Sunday there were reports of "15- to 20-minute" delays.

The trains were operating normally at 3:00pm but there were still large queues at most of the stations.

Speaking earlier in the day, Ms Berejikilian said the Government had "defied all the cynics" who said the project would never happen.

"In the early days, when I spoke to local residents, the parents used to say it'd be fantastic if our kids could catch the train to university or high school," Ms Berejiklian said.

"And some of the ones who'd been here for a long time said 'I don't think I'll ever see it in my lifetime'.

"Well I'm glad to prove them wrong … it's here, and it's the start of something really special for New South Wales."

To celebrate the opening, the New South Wales Government offered free travel for all commuters on the line on Sunday, with huge crowds coming out to ride on the new trains.

The system has Australian-first technology, like screen doors attached to the platforms of all of the network's 13 stations, which open automatically after the train has stopped.

At full operation, trains will run every four minutes in each direction at peak times, with the ability to run up to every two minutes in the future.

The Metro line is currently being extended from Chatswood to Bankstown, and by 2024 Sydney will have 31 Metro stations and 66 kilometres of standalone Metro railway.

But the real test of the new system will come on Monday, when commuters use it for the first time during peak-hour operations.

The trains will also stop running at 9:00pm from Wednesday to Sunday over the first few months to allow an ongoing review of the operations and early maintenance. </s> Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, "Marubeni") is an investor in NRT Pty Ltd. (hereinafter, "NRT"), which in September 2014 was awarded the operations contract of the Public Private Partnership (hereinafter, "PPP") for Sydney Metro Northwest - the largest PPP ever awarded in New South Wales. Sydney Metro Northwest opened to customers on May 26 2019.

Sydney Metro Northwest is the first stage of Australia's biggest public transport project, Sydney Metro. The project is the first fully-automated metro in Australia.

Sydney Metro Northwest includes the delivery of 22 fully automated metro trains, eight new metro stations, five upgraded stations and 4,000 commuter car-parking spaces. NRT will undertake operations and maintenance of the 36 kilometre metro system for 15 years. During peak hours, trains will arrive every four minutes; Sydney Metro Northwest will help to alleviate traffic congestion in the North West of Sydney, an area of Australia which is experiencing rapid population growth. For the first time in Australia, Sydney Metro Northwest also includes platform screen doors at all 13 stations, making train operations safer.

Since 2011, Marubeni has continued to develop its portfolio of PPP assets in Australia, which includes participation in Stages 1 and 2 of a Light Rail PPP Project on the Gold Coast, Australia. Growth in sustainable mass transit and urban rail projects is expected to continue in Australia, and Marubeni will strive to expand its commitment to transportation and social infrastructure in Australia as a trusted and long-term partner. </s> Forty years after a ribbon was cut on Sydney's last major railway, thousands of passengers will flood through station gates today to ride on a new rail line set to change travel habits dramatically for people long starved of public transport options in the city's north-west.

While double-deck trains began running on the Eastern Suburbs line on June 23, 1979, single-deck trains controlled by a giant computer, instead of people, will speed at up to 100km/h along the Metro North West line from Rouse Hill to Chatswood.

Metro trains operations manager Cory Roeton at the nerve centre of the Metro North West line at Rouse Hill. Credit:Wolter Peeters

The most striking feature of the trains is that they are driverless, allowing passengers to peer out of windows at the front and back onto the tracks. At stations, glass screen doors on platforms help prevent injury, while help points allow commuters to talk to staff via video screens.

In all, a journey from one end of the 36 kilometre line to the other takes about 37 minutes. Most of the stations are about two kilometres apart, except for the six kilometres between North Ryde and Chatswood. </s> 26 May 2019 - Alstom congratulatesSydney Metro, Australia's biggest public transport project, on opening the North West Metro and the start of revenue service, delivering Australia's first fully automated, turn-up and go rail service.

The Metro North West Line is Stage 1 of Sydney Metro and includes 36km of track, 13 stations and a depot. The new network will provide a level of service never before seen in Australia with a train every four minutes in the peak in each direction. The project has been completed on time.

Under the contract awarded by Northwest Rapid Transit (NRT) in September 2014, Alstom has been responsible for the project management, design, supply, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of 22 x 6 car Metropolis trains and Urbalis 400 CBTC signalling systems. Alstom has also been awarded a 15 year maintenance contract for the trains, signalling, depot operations and equipment. The maintenance contract also includes the application of Alstom's HealthHub state-of-the-art predictive maintenance tools. The HealthHub tools for the Northwest Metro include Catenary Tracer, Track Tracer, Train Tracer, broken rail detection and point machine detection.

'Alstom is very proud to have partnered with the NRT consortium and Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) to deliver our world leading metro solutions for Sydney's North West Metro. Sydney has now joined other great cities of the world (incl. Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Singapore) that benefit every day from Alstom's metro solutions. The fully automated driverless metro is a first for Australia and will provide a step-change for the commuters of Sydney' said Ling Fang, Senior Vice-President for Alstom in Asia-Pacific.

Designed uniquely for Sydney by Alstom in France and assembled at its centre of excellence in Sri City India, with contributions from Alstom's operations in Australia, Brazil, China and Belgium, the Metropolis trains demonstrate Alstom's leadership in urban mobility. Passengers have been placed at the heart of the development of this new train with the emphasis on on-board mobility and comfort.

The trains include 3 double-doors per car for improved access and passenger flows, large windows and ambient LED lighting. They will also have the highest levels of customer safety including constant CCTV monitoring, emergency intercoms and the latest way-finding aids for customer information and real time travel information. The system, equipped with Alstom's world leading computer based train control system, Urbalis 400, minimises the time stopping at stations and the times between each service - ensuring a comfortable and reliable journey for all passengers.

The Metro line is currently being extended from Chatswood to Bankstown via the City and by 2024 Sydney will have 31 metro stations and a 66 kilometre standalone metro railway in addition to its extensive suburban rail network. </s> Two teens charged over brawl death, all eyes on Sydney Metro

This is what you need to know this morning:

Two teenagers have been charged with the murder of an 18-year-old at a party in Sydney's south-west on Friday night.

Alex Loane, 18, was found with serious head injuries and later died in Liverpool Hospital after a brawl involving baseball bats broke out on the street.

Police arrested a 17-year-old and 18-year-old yesterday at a home in Eagle Vale, and later charged them with murder.

They will face court in Campbelltown today.

All eyes on the Metro

Sydney's new Metro train line is in the middle of its first morning peak-hour test after it opening to the public yesterday.

More than 100,000 people queued to ride on the 36-kilometre Metro Northwest line from Chatswood to Rouse Hill — but there were some teething problems.

Major delays and huge queues were reported on the network after a train overshot a platform at Macquarie Park station.

At full operation, trains will run every four minutes in each direction at peak times, with the ability to run up to every two minutes in the future.

The result of the north-western Sydney seat of Macquarie might not be known until next month, with the Australian Electoral Commission waiting to receive all postal and overseas votes.

Former radio journalist turned Labor MP Susan Templeman has held the seat since 2016 by a margin of 2.2 per cent.

She is fighting a challenge from former lawyer and councillor Liberal Party candidate Sarah Richards.

The Liberal Party has a narrow lead, with the vote margin being as small as 57 votes at 6:00pm on Sunday.

The AEC said it had a May 31 cut-off for postal and overseas votes and a recount will automatically be called if the final count shows a gap of fewer than 100 votes.

Sydney is bracing for damaging winds this afternoon as a cold front passes over the south of the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued the warning this morning, with gusts of up to 90 kilometres per her predicted.

Elevated areas in the Blue Mountains could be hit with gusts of 125kph, it said.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has recommended travellers postpone any non-essential travel in the warning area.

NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler has named five debutants to defend the Blues' title.

Cody Walker, Payne Haas, Cameron Murray, Jack Wighton and Nick Cotric will wear the Blues' jersey for the first time in Brisbane on June 5.

Penrith Panthers player Nathan Cleary will team up with Rabbitoh Cody Walker in the halves and Sydney Roosters Boyd Cordner will captain the side.

Cronulla Sharks Centre Josh Morris was another surprise addition to the line-up, with the 32-year-old coming out of retirement from representative football to join the squad.

For the first time, the ABC has been given exclusive access inside the Forensic Medicine Unit (FMU) in Australia's biggest, and newest, morgue in western Sydney.

The Lidcombe complex, which opened in January, can hold up to 500 bodies. About 300 come in on a typical month.

It is a 24-hour operation: a high-tech monitoring system tracks corpses every step of the way through the coronial process. </s> Sydney Metro train slower than the drive — but this commuter is still happy

Sydney's new Metro Northwest has made Nathan Burke's daily commute longer by three minutes, but he doesn't mind.

The ABC followed Mr Burke, a father-of-two from Kellyville Ridge, on two separate journeys to his North Sydney office.

Before today Mr Burke had only one option — the road.

But that all changed on Sunday, when Sydney's new driverless Metro Northwest opened.

On Friday, the trip to North Sydney on some of Sydney's busiest arteries — the M7, M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel — took one hour and seven minutes.

He said that was a pretty good run.

"It's usually about 10 minutes worse than that," Mr Burke said.

He hoped the Metro service would allow him to leave later.

"I'm just hoping to spend more time with the kids, and not rush out the door," he said.

"Get a little bit more sleep [and] obviously get home a little bit earlier as well."

Metro Northwest, Australia's first driverless passenger train, went through its first peak-hour test this morning.

Mr Burke drove from his home to Kellyville Station and parked in one of the 4,000 new car parks scattered along the line.

After waiting at the platform for three minutes, he got on to a largely empty carriage, which filled up when it arrived at Epping.

Metro Northwest terminates at Chatswood, and the platform was crowded, but no more so than what it usually would be during Sydney's morning rush.

After changing to an over-ground train at Chatswood, Mr Burke began the final leg of his journey to North Sydney.

It took three minutes longer than the drive, but he's not complaining.

"It's pretty good considering how long it [driving] can normally take," he said.

There were no delays during Mr Burke's commute.

"It's marginally slower than the car, but in terms of how much the cost is when you consider tolls, and fuel, it's probably about $100 a week better off," he said.4xsw2

"It come a very comfortable ride, and everyone knows how stressful traffic can be, so I'll take that any day." </s> Sydneysiders will soon be able to beat city traffic jams by carpooling with Uber.

The ride-sharing app says with the city's population booming its new service, UberPOOL, will help get more people into fewer cars.

A recent Infrastructure Australia report estimates that as Sydney's population grows so will the number of hours commuters spend in traffic jams.

An audit by IA also found Sydney was home to seven of the top 10 most congested roads in Australia.

By 2046 commuters could spend 400,000 hours each day stuck in traffic queues due to the approximately 2.5 million extra car journeys being travelled, the independent body said in a report.

Uber Australia NZ general manager Henry Greenacre says UberPOOL will provide carpooling at the push of a button, which could help ease congestion and pollution.

"It means cheaper rides for passengers and less congestion on the city's streets over time," he said in a statement.

Uber claims the new app will match customers heading in similar directions, saving them up to 50 per cent on a regular UberX ride.

In-app walking directions will lead passengers to a pick-up point near them and direct to them to their final destination after they're dropped off close to it.

"UberPOOL makes it easy and affordable for people going in a similar direction to share the trip," Mr Greenacre said.

The carpooling service will launch in Sydney from April 3 with UberPOOL hoping to roll into capital cities across Australia throughout 2018.
The initial stage of Sydney Metro, Australia's first automated rapid transit system, opens to the public.