Kaylee Cranley
Updated 19 Apr 2026, 10:01pm
First published 19 Apr 2026, 10:00pm
Sydney’s metro lines have been cast into the spotlight in recent weeks as a growing number of commuters rely on public transport in light of recent petrol price spikes.
From this week until June 07, almost 1.5 million weekly passengers who use the Sydney metro will see a temporary uplift in services.
Three new metro trains ready for this year’s later Southwest opening will offer 166 new services that will improve capacity along the Tallawong to Sydenham line.
It comes as major property momentum shifts are happening along Sydney’s railside corridors, revealing new hotspots for growth as the Southwest Metro moves closer to completion.
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Three Sydney metro trains originally earmarked for the upcoming southwest metro line will deliver an extra 166 new weekly services. Picture: NewsWire / Jeremy Piper
About 55 per cent of the 700 scheduled testing checks for the Bankstown to Sydenham rail link have been successfully completed, and a further 216 system integration and acceptance tests will be carried out over the coming months.
New data reveals the Southwest and Western Sydney Airport corridors are now leading price growth momentum ahead of the line’s launch later this year.
According to Ray White senior data analyst Atom Go Tian, price growth in the suburbs set to benefit from the line upgrade has been steep.
“These are the next to launch, and they’re already recording the strongest recent growth, up 12.41 per cent and 17.50 per cent respectively over the past two years,” he said.
Mr Go Tian also noted there was strong growth in the Western Sydney suburbs set to be linked by the coming connection to the new airport at Badgery Creek.
Sydney Metro City and Southwest train TS45 at Sydenham station during testing
“The Western Sydney Airport corridor is growing – at 17.50 per cent, consistent with strong infrastructure and employment expectations around the new airport precinct.
He added that the Southwest market had the potential to continue to see buyer demand.
“A few things make the Southwest particularly interesting, it’s starting from a lower price base ($1.03m in 2019, now $1.87m), which means there’s more affordability headroom for buyers.”
He pointed to the Northwest Metro, opened in 2019, as an example of the kind of long-term home price growth that typically accompanied new infrastructure projects.
Postcodes near the Northwest Metro had seen the strongest property price growth from 2019 to 2021 at 39.94 per cent, outpacing the rest of Sydney at 35.46 per cent over the same period.
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Atom Go Tian
“That premium has since normalised, with those same suburbs up just 8.12 per cent in the most recent two-year period, suggesting the market had largely priced in the infrastructure benefit,” Mr Go Tian said.
The City and Inner West line (2024) showed the weakest growth at 4.82 per cent despite its launch, that Mr Go Tian said reflects a composition of suburbs that are already expensive, and dominated by apartments rather than houses.
Ashcroft-Busby-Miller was the top performing area over the past year with a 13.9 per cent year-on-year growth, followed by Colyton-Oxley Park with a 13.62 per cent growth and St Marys -North St Mary’s (13.53 per cent yoy growth).
The leading areas had median house prices around $1m.
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Price growth momentum has been the strongest in recent years around new metro corridors. Picture: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers
Mr Go Tian said the leading suburbs were driven by price point and prospect, with anticipation of future growth, development pipeline and focus on community affording high‑potential for buyers.
Meanwhile, North Sydney, the city and inner west sat at the bottom end of recent growth, with Neutral Bay-Kirribilli recording the lowest year-on-year growth at 2.36 per cent.
The weakest growth suburbs had median house prices upwards of $3m.
“What you are buying into is basically the history of the suburb, whereas in the top suburbs you buy into their future,” Mr Go Tian said.
Average median house prices for suburbs containing a metro station, grouped by line compared two-year growth windows around each launch
| Launch Year | Project | 2019 | 2021 | 2Y Growth | 2024 | 2026 | 2Y Growth | |
| 2019 | Northwest | $1,352,773 | $1,893,122 | 39.94% | $2,292,845 | $2,478,944 | 8.12% | |
| 2024 | City and Inner West | $1,799,710 | $2,466,098 | 37.03% | $2,767,113 | $2,900,450 | 4.82% | |
| 2026 | Southwest | $1,026,630 | $1,351,846 | 31.68% | $1,662,409 | $1,868,738 | 12.41% | |
| 2027 | Western Sydney Airport | $681,842 | $879,368 | 28.97% | $1,102,343 | $1,295,267 | 17.50% | |
| 2032 | West | $1,272,675 | $1,704,832 | 33.96% | $2,015,236 | $2,167,341 | 7.55% | |
| Rest of Sydney | $1,179,870 | $1,598,273 | 35.46% | $1,894,652 | $2,067,769 | 9.14% |
Source: Ray White, Research by Atom Go TIan
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