The North West Sydney Metro which opened on the 26th of May to massive fanfare has inadvertently caused house prices to increase in surrounding areas.

The driverless trains which run from Tallawong to Chatswood have been credited as a major contributor towards increased buyer interest in the north western suburbs. Rouse Hill and Castle Hill have been identified as the two most popular choices for new entrants into the housing market which have resulted in prices being hiked by almost 90%.

A similar trend has been witnessed in the suburbs of Kellyville and Bella Vista where values have grown by more than double the national average. As stated in a study conducted by CoreLogic, Castle Hill’s median house value has grown the most, by 89 per cent, from $669,754 in April 2008, to $1,264,215 in April 2019. Rouse Hill followed with an 88 per cent rise, from $527,530 to $993,047.

Cameron Kusher, CoreLogic’s principal of research, said that “The injection of much- needed public transport infrastructure, and investment in new roads has made the area much more attractive.”

However, prospective buyers have now turned their attention to the next stage of the metro project which will connect Sydenham and Bankstown. Mr. Kusher commented that he could not predict individual suburb values and doubted if the rail will have a huge impact.

Nevertheless, greater levels of inquiries and a recent run of sales in some areas this month — particularly Rouse Hill — point to better times ahead for suburbs along the train line, many of which have felt the sting of Sydney’s property downturn.

Mechlenne Douaihy, CEO of Castle Hills-based Merc Real Estate, said there had definitely been a change in buyer confidence coinciding with the new metro link. “We have seen a change and we have seen it in all price levels. I think it’s going to get even stronger as weeks go by.”

Ms Conisbee of REA said buyers “love trains”. In the Hills, she said she was not surprised to see prices had come back. She said she expected the area to do well in the months ahead, adding that Kellyville was the number one suburb for vacant land searches in Australia, based on listings on the realestate.com.au site.