Sydney Metro chief executive resigns after five years in the top job
Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan has left his top job at the agency after nearly five years, leaving the Minns government to search for a replacement at a crucial moment in the construction of the city’s mega-rail projects.
Regan, who earns more than $600,000 a year, had his last full day on the job Thursday at the state agency charged with overseeing the city’s metro rail projects and left for a job in the private sector. Sydney Metro staff were notified on Friday.
Sydney Metro executive Hugh Lawson, project director for the city and south-west sections of the M1 metro line, has been appointed acting chief executive, while the agency’s board will shortly begin the recruitment process for a permanent boss.
Regan took the reins of Sydney Metro from Jon Lamonte in April 2021 and oversaw the completion and opening of the city section of the $30 billion M1 line running between Chatswood and Sydenham almost two years ago.
The government confirmed Regan resigned after 15 years of public service “to pursue a new opportunity outside of government”. He worked in senior roles at the NSW Treasury and sat on the board of Transport for NSW before joining Sydney Metro.
Transport Minister John Graham said Sydney Metro, under Regan’s leadership, was providing city-shaping infrastructure that would benefit future generations.
“I want to thank Peter for his commitment to Sydney Metro, its people, the safety of its workforce and the unique role the metro system now plays in the city’s public transport network,” he said in a statement.
In his final email to staff on Friday, Regan said the opening of the city section of the M1 line was a “once-in-a-lifetime achievement” and that he looked forward to seeing the public reaction when the other lines were completed.
“I have been a public servant for 15 years, and in all that time nothing has been more challenging or rewarding than my time here at Metro,” he wrote.
Regan’s departure comes as the government is locked in a major dispute with the builders of the 23-kilometre metro rail line to Sydney’s new international airport; This threatens to delay the completion of the line until December next year and increase its cost by up to $2.2 billion.
Late last year the government also confirmed the Metro West rail project between Parramatta and the CBD was estimated to rise by as much as $3.7 billion to $29 billion.
Compounding the financial woes is the cost of completing the final stretch from Sydenham to Bankstown. M1 metro line It increased the cost of the project, formerly known as the Metro City and Southwest project, to as much as $23 billion, compared to previous estimates. $21.6 billionand more than double original estimates.
The final stage of the M1 is scheduled to open to passengers in the second half of the year, two years later than originally planned.
Like Transport for NSW, Sydney Metro is laying off its white-collar workforce in a bid to meet government targets. The restructuring at the Metro agency is largely complete for senior roles and is now focused on the lower-level workforce.
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Matt O’Sullivan is the transport and infrastructure editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
