Patience will be a virtue at Western Sydney's new international airport

Are you planning to fly into the new Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) at Luddenham when it opens later this year? 

If your final destination is downtown Sydney, or beyond, you may need to be very, very patient. 

Ongoing delays with the Metro station that is supposed to serve the 24-hour airport mean you'll need to wait for up to 30 minutes after you land and clear customs and immigration, then catch a shuttle bus, and then switch to a suburban train. 

Transport for NSW this week proudly announced that it will offer a free bus service connecting WSI to St Marys railway station/bus interchange as delays continue on the new Metro rail line.

The buses will operate on a half-hourly basis between 4.30am and midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 4.30am until 1am on Friday and Saturday. The ride will take around 30 minutes. 

Then you will wait for a local train. 

A train trip from St Marys to Sydney CBD (Central Station) typically takes around 60-75 minutes on the T1 Western Line, often requiring a change at Strathfield or Lidcombe for faster routes. 

That sounds fun if you are dragging luggage with you. 

But Transport for NSW is proclaiming proudly that "free public transport will connect Western Sydney International Airport when it opens its doors later in the year". 

"The interim service will provide the connection to the wider Sydney public transport network that will be delivered by the new Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport when it opens next year," it says.

The free airport buses will apparently "complement a comprehensive bus plan for Western Sydney, which is set to provide new services every 30 minutes linking the airport to Penrith, Leppington, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Mount Druitt".

The new 23-kilometre Metro line, jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Government, will have capacity to move up to 7,740 passengers every hour in each direction. When it opens. Maybe next year. 

The six-stop line will connect Western Sydney International Airport to St Marys in just 15 minutes. 

Track laying on the line is now 70% complete, while the toll-free M12 motorway that will link the airport to the Sydney motorway network is due to open "in coming months".