The time needed for major renovations at 10 stations on Sydney's Bankstown line will be cut from two to one year each, as part of a significant reduction in construction work required over the next five years to convert the rail line to carry single-deck metro trains.

Following public concern about the multibillion-dollar project, most of the existing 13 kilometres of rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown will be kept intact instead of shifting it or laying new track under the original plans for the project. The only stretches that will need to be re-aligned are near Bankstown station and a bridge at Campsie.

A 13-kilometre stretch of the Bankstown line will be converted to carry driverless metro trains.

Retaining most of the existing track and scaling back work at stations, including those at Marrickville, Dulwich Hill and Campsie, will mean shorter periods during which thousands of commuters will be forced to catch buses when the Bankstown line is closed.

Under the previous plans, the line was to have been shut for up to two months each year for five years from 2019. While a closure of up to six months towards the end of the construction phase in late 2023 will still occur, shutdowns will no longer be required during the July school holidays, and will be reduced from six to two weeks over each summer.