Sydney Metro City Extension - First Year Anniversary - Let's ride the Sydney Metro Birthday Train!

On Tuesday 19 August 2025, the Sydney Metro City Extension celebrated its first anniversary! And what better way to mark this anniversary than to recreate the experience of travelling on the first train to go under Sydney Harbour! And that involved getting up at 3:30am to be at Sydenham Station in time for the first train which departed at 4:54am. I wasn't the only one crazy enough to do this. Quite a few Sydney Metro Managers and Directors were there too, along with members of the UNSW Railway Society and many other rail and metro fans. And NSW Transport Minister John Graham came along to wish Sydney Metro a Happy Birthday! The 4:54am departure was set 29, which was the same metro train that did the very first passenger journey over the new section from Sydenham to Chatswood exactly one year ago today. But this time, it was decked out with colourful birthday decorations, which you'll see in this video. You'll also witness how we successfully recreated the excitement of last year's very first train, but this time, we took it all the way to Tallawong and then back into the City. You'll also see exclusive interviews with Hugh Lawson from Sydney Metro and NSW Transport Minister John Graham. And if you haven't seen my video on the day the Sydney Metro City Extension opened, including my ride on the very first train over the new infrastructure, then I highly recommend watching this video as well. Here is the link.    • Sydney Metro City Extension Has Opened! - ...   Chapters * 0:00 Intro and Sydenham Station 1:28 NSW Transport Minister anniversary speech 2:57 On board the Birthday Train! 6:16 Chat with Hugh Lawson 8:20 Chat with John Graham (NSW Transport Minister) 10:15 ABC Reel 11:39 Chat with Sharath Featured or Mentioned in this video (in order of appearance) * ABC Birthday Train Instagram Reel -   / dnhqwqqodhx   Sharath ‪@BuildingBeautifully‬ Related Videos * Sydney Metro City Extension Opening Day -    • Sydney Metro City Extension Has Opened! - ...   ABC Future Sydney Metro Lines Instagram Reel (features Paul and is fun to watch) -   / dofmfumifrh   Credits and Attribution * Everything mentioned in "Related Videos" above plus: Sydney Metro Map by Milkyway metro maps (with amendments) Image link - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi... License link - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Sydney Metro Lines under construction map - https://www.sydneymetro.info/planning... Thanks to Elliott Lewis for letting me use his footage and audio files of John Graham's opening happy birthday speech, and other footage on the birthday train. Patreon *   / transportvlog   Support Transport Vlog on Patreon and get early access to videos, ad-free content, exclusive videos, Zoom chats and much more. Social Media * X Twitter -   / transportvlog   Equipment and Applications * Cameras iPhone 16 Pro Microphones DJI Mic (when filming) Blue Yeti Microphone (for voiceovers) Editing Software Final Cut Pro Maps created using Affinity Designer Disclaimers * Accuracy I do my best to make the commentary in these videos as accurate as possible by checking facts on the internet and other sources. However, sometimes the information isn't available, so I'll use my railway knowledge and insight to explain something to the best of my ability. If accuracy is important, do check the comments, as other viewers will often pick up on things I've missed or any mistakes made. Also note that for older videos, things may change over time, causing some of the information to become out of date. Construction Sites, Maintenance Facilities and other Private Property All footage of construction sites, maintenance facilities and other private property is taken from a public vantage point. The only exception is if it's an open day or I have special permission to access the site. The iPhone's small lens and zoom function makes it easier to film through small gaps in hoardings or fencing, so it may look like I'm on site when I'm not! If you would like to know the exact filming location, then ask me in the comments. To get in touch: Email - [email protected] Linkedin -   / transportvlog   X DM - X.com/transportvlog