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NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen has stepped down less than two years before the scheduled opening of Western Sydney International Airport (WSI).
Haylen, who had come under fire for several scandals including alleged misuse of ministerial cars for private trips, announced her resignation on Tuesday afternoon, saying she “wasn’t perfect” but acknowledging she had “let the public [of NSW]” down.
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While WSI is a Commonwealth project with no involvement from the NSW Department of Transport, Haylen as minister has overseen transport links to the airport site including its metro, which is slated to open alongside the airport in late 2026.
“Great global cities of the world have great public transport systems and Sydney is well on its way. I’m disappointed I don’t get to finish the job, but I want to thank each and every member of the transport team. They are a committed workforce doing an essential job each and every day for all of us,” Haylen said in a statement.
“They are led by the best secretary in government, Josh Murray, and I thank him for everything he has done and will continue to do.
“It has been a great honour to serve as senior minister in the Minns Labor government. I want to thank the Premier for his trust in me and for his friendship. I also want to thank my cabinet colleagues for their support.”
Haylen’s resignation comes only a few weeks after the NSW government showcased a mock-up of one of the cars on the new Western Sydney Airport Metro, which will connect the airport and Bradfield city centre to the Sydney train network at St Marys.
Its 12 trains will feature wider aisles to accommodate luggage, as well as other features like digital displays of flight information, and will be capable of moving 7,740 passengers in each direction per hour.
“Every train will be fully accessible, beautifully air-conditioned, and a really comfortable way to travel to Sydney’s new airport,” Haylen said last month.
“Once the new Airport metro line opens, each of the 12 new metro trains will have capacity to comfortably move 645 people between Bradfield, St Marys and the new International Airport.”
The state government has also committed to creating two “business cases” that will look at the feasibility of extending the Metro link to the city and removing the need to use traditional trains.
