Sydney's New $14 Billion Airport Opens October 25, Here's Why There's Still No Train to It

Western Sydney International, also called Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, opens for passenger flights on 25 October 2026, with Jetstar's flight JQ362 to the Gold Coast at 11am set to be the first commercial departure. What the airport will not have on opening day is the train line that was supposed to connect it to the rest of Sydney, the $11 billion Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport line is now targeting mid-to-late 2027, so anyone flying from the new airport this year needs a car, a taxi, a bus or a rideshare.

What actually opens on 25 October

The airport itself, in the Badgerys Creek area of Sydney's west, opens to passengers on 25 October after cargo flights began in July. Jetstar's Gold Coast service is the first scheduled passenger flight, and the airline will build up to 14 flights a week to Melbourne plus services to Brisbane, all on Airbus A320s. Qantas is also launching domestic routes from the airport. The first international connections follow within weeks: Air New Zealand starts three weekly flights to Auckland from 26 October, and Singapore Airlines begins a daily Singapore service on 23 November, a month after the airport itself opens.

The metro that isn't there yet

The rail line was originally meant to be running by the time the airport opened. It has slipped to a target of late 2027, and internal government documents have flagged 2028 as a real possibility, largely because of a commercial dispute with the Parklife Metro consortium building the line that risks blowing the cost out by as much as $2.2 billion. The airport's total project cost is commonly cited at around A$14 billion, covering the terminal and the rail line, though the Australian government's figure for the wider precinct, including road upgrades, is closer to A$19 billion. Whichever number you use, the rail component of it will not be finished when the airport opens.

How you actually get to and from the airport at launch

Until the Metro opens, Western Sydney International's own transport list is driving and on-site parking, bus links, taxis, private transfers and car hire. From 25 October there is also a dedicated Uber pickup zone, roughly 100 metres from the terminal with 10 curbside bays for departing passengers, arranged directly between Uber and the airport. It is a workable set of options, but none of them is the fast rail connection that was originally promised, so budget extra time and a fare for ground transport rather than assuming a train will be running.

What this means if you're flying to Nepal via Sydney

For now, the practical routing for Australian trekkers to Kathmandu does not change. Singapore Airlines' new Singapore service out of the new airport starts a second Sydney gateway onto one of the most common connections Australians already use to reach Nepal, but it does not begin until 23 November, and Kingsford Smith remains the airport with the established schedule of onward Kathmandu connections today. If you do end up flying through the new airport in its first year, for a Gold Coast or Melbourne domestic leg, or later for the Singapore route, allow real buffer time for the drive or rideshare in and don't plan around a train that isn't running yet.

Cover photo: Helitak430 via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Section photos: K via Pexels (Pexels licence); Josh Withers via Pexels (Pexels licence); Mâide Arslan via Pexels (Pexels licence); Diogo Miranda via Pexels (Pexels licence); jihua shen via Pexels (Pexels licence).