major service interruption. Conversion to Sydney Metro In February 2010, the New South Wales Government re-announced the North West Rail Link as a conventional mainline railway, connected with the ECRL at Epping. On 11 August 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced $2.1 billion in funding for the Epping to Parramatta Rail Link with $520 million to be contributed by the NSW Government. (a revisit of the 1998 NSW Government announcement, which despite a detailed report in 2003 was abandoned earlier in 2010 by the NSW Keneally Government). Work on the line was expected to begin in 2011 and the line was scheduled to be operational by 2017. The state opposition indicated it wished to instead use the federal money to construct the North West Rail Link, should it win the March 2011 state election. The federal government did not support this proposal and said the money should be used to construct the line to Parramatta as it originally proposed. Following the defeat of the Keneally Government in 2011, the proposal was abandoned. The new O'Farrell Government continued planning for the North West Rail Link. During the planning process, it was announced that the project would be switched from a mainline railway to a metro rapid transit service. The North West Rail Link - renamed Sydney Metro Northwest - would still connect to the Epping to Chatswood line infrastructure, which would be converted to metro standards. The ECRL closed on 29 September 2018, allowing conversion to commence. The conversion of the former ECRL took eight months; temporary bus services were provided during this time. The Metro North West Line (including the former ECRL stations) opened on 26 May 2019. The former Northern line route from Hornsby to Central via Strathfield was reinstated, and North Shore services that plied the rail link were amended to operate beyond Chatswood towards Gordon, Hornsby or Berowra. Gallery References External links Photographs of the first train to run on the line Buildings and structures awarded the Sir John Sulman Medal Closed railway lines in Sydney Railway lines opened in 2009 Railway lines closed in 2018 Railway tunnels in New South Wales Standard gauge railways in Australia 2009 establishments in Australia 2018 disestablishments in Australia Tunnels in Sydney