Sydney Trains

Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of suburban and intercity train services in and around Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.

The metropolitan part of the network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core, that covers of route length over of track, with 168 stations on nine lines.

Within Sydney, the network has frequencies of 5–10 minutes during peak-time at most inner-city and major stations, and 15 minutes off-peak at most minor stations. During the weekday peak, train services are more frequent.

The network is managed by Transport for NSW and is part of its Opal ticketing system. In 2023–24, 302 million passenger journeys were made on the suburban network, making it the most-used rail network in Australia.

History

In May 2012, the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp, the organisation that owned and managed the metropolitan rail network and operated passenger services throughout New South Wales. Two new organisations were created to take over the operation of the services from 1 July 2013. Sydney Trains acquired all suburban services in the Sydney metropolitan area bounded by Berowra, Emu Plains, Macarthur and Waterfall from RailCorp's CityRail division. Intercity and Hunter Line services previously operated by CityRail were taken over by NSW Trains (branded as NSW TrainLink). RailCorp remained the owner of the network infrastructure. When first created as subsidiaries of RailCorp, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains were not controlled entities of RailCorp, but were instead controlled by Transport for NSW. In July, they ceased to be subsidiaries of RailCorp and became independent standalone agencies in July 2017.

On 21 August 2023, it was announced that the majority of NSW TrainLink's intercity operations would be transferred to Sydney Trains, including rolling stock, maintenance, operations, stations, and staff. This would also include the modifications, testing, and introduction of the New Intercity Fleet (NIF).

A process of transferring intercity services from NSW TrainLink to Sydney Trains began in 2023. Intercity services were taken under the responsibility of Sydney Trains from 1 July 2024.

Operations

In July 2013, Howard Collins , the former Chief Operating Officer of London Underground, was appointed as Chief Executive of Sydney Trains. In February 2020 Howard Collins moved to the role of Chief Operations Officer within Transport for NSW with Stewart Mills, Suzanne Holden and Pete Church, in turn, acting as interim Chief Executive until Matt Longland was appointed as permanent Chief Executive in June 2021.

In addition to operating suburban train services, Sydney Trains maintains the New South Wales Metropolitan Rail Area and maintains all but a handful of operational railway stations in the state.

Suburban network

Sydney Trains operates nine electric suburban lines across Sydney.

In conjunction with a new timetable released on 20 October 2013, the Sydney Trains network was reorganised with a new numbering system. The number of lines was reduced from eleven to seven (now nine) by merging several lines.

Network changes

An eighth line was created on 26 November 2017 by splitting the T2 line into two separate lines — T2 and T8 — reversing the merge made in 2013. T5 services were also modified to no longer travel to and from Campbelltown, instead starting and terminating at Leppington.

From 28 April 2019, the section of the T1 line between Gordon and Hornsby via Strathfield was renumbered as T9 — restoring a similar pre-2009 route — whilst the portion between Berowra and Richmond or Emu Plains via Chatswood and Parramatta remained as T1.

The first expansion of the Sydney suburban network after the restructuring of CityRail into Sydney Trains occurred in 2015 when the South West Rail Link opened between Glenfield and Leppington.

From 2018, some sections of the network began to be transferred to the city's metro and light rail networks.

The Epping to Chatswood Rail Link between Chatswood and Epping was closed for conversion in September 2018 to form part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project, which opened as the Metro North West Line in May 2019.

The Carlingford Line between Clyde and Carlingford closed on 5 January 2020, becoming part of the Parramatta Light Rail network from 20 December 2024. The adjacent section of track between Clyde and Camellia, including Rosehill railway station, also became disused.

From 19 October 2024, the T6 Line became the Bankstown to Lidcombe shuttle ( Lidcombe & Bankstown Line), with commuters interchanging at Regents Park or Lidcombe for connecting services to Liverpool or City Circle.

The section of the Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Bankstown will form part of Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, which is due to open as the Metro North West & Bankstown Line in 2025.

Lines

The main hub of the Sydney Trains system is Central Station, which most lines pass through. Central is also the terminus of most NSW TrainLink lines. After leaving Central, trains coming from the T2 Leppington & Inner West Line, T3 Liverpool and Inner West Line and T8 Airport & South Line then travel through the City Circle – a ring line beneath the Sydney central business district. After completing the City Circle, these trains pass through Central for a second time and return to the suburbs. The T1 North Shore & Western, T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra and T9 Northern lines pass through the central business district and continue to other areas of Sydney. The T5 Cumberland Line serves Western Sydney and provides access to the major centre of Parramatta from the southwest of the city without requiring a change of trains at Granville. The T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line is a suburban shuttle service. The T7 Olympic Park Line is a suburban shuttle service.

NightRide

NightRide bus services established in 1989, replace trains between midnight and 4:30 am, leaving the tracks clear of trains for maintenance work. Such bus services mainly stop near stations operating typically at hourly intervals (some routes depart more frequently on weekends). Many services depart the city from bus stops near Town Hall station. NightRide services are contracted to external bus operators and are identified by route numbers beginning with "N".

Rolling stock

Sydney Trains operates a fleet of double-deck electric multiple units. The trainsets are divided into the following classes:

Though primarily operated on intercity lines, some H sets are also used on suburban services, and with the delivery of the D sets for operations on intercity lines in 2024, most of the sets will be transferred to suburban services.

All A, B and M sets are maintained by Downer Rail. Their contract for the M sets was extended by 10 years from June 2017. All other types of trains including the V and H sets are maintained by UGL Unipart. The contract with UGL Unipart was extended for two years from 1 July 2019.

The Sydney Trains network is divided into three sectors, based around three maintenance depots. Trainsets are identified by target plates, which are exhibited on the front lower nearside of driving carriages. Each target plate includes the letter of the class the set belongs to and the number of the individual set. Waratahs do not have a target plate, but instead, have the information written directly on the front of the train. The composition and formations of train sets and the target designations are subject to alteration. M sets and H sets carry green target plates.

Intercity services

Intercity Trains services operate to a distance approximately from Sydney, bounded by Dungog in the north, Scone in the north-west, Bathurst to the west, Goulburn in the south-west and Bomaderry to the south.

Electric services extend from Sydney north to Newcastle, west to Lithgow and south to Port Kembla and Kiama. Most electric services originate from or terminate at Central.

Diesel trains serve the more distant or less populated parts of the Intercity network. Hunter Line services operate from Newcastle to Telarah with some extending to Dungog and Scone. Southern Highlands Line services operate between Campbelltown and Moss Vale with a limited number extending to Sydney and Goulburn. Diesel services also operate on the South Coast Line between Kiama and Bomaderry. The '' Bathurst Bullet'' provides a twice daily, limited stop service between Sydney and Bathurst.

Lines

: Some peak services and most weekend services on the South Coast Line run to/from Bondi Junction
: Some peak services on the Southern Highlands Line run to/from Central. At other times, a change of train is required at Campbelltown

Rolling stock

The V sets are maintained at Flemington Maintenance Depot.

Future rolling stock

A fleet of 610 D set carriages will be introduced to the intercity network. They will replace the V sets and allow the H sets to be transferred to suburban services. The first was delivered in December 2019. The D sets will be maintained at a new facility at Kangy Angy. The R sets will also run on the entirety of the regional rail network.

A fleet of 30 R Set carriages are being built to replace the Endeavour railcar used on the non-electrified sections of the network. They are expected to enter service in 2026–2027. The R sets will be maintained at a new facility in Dubbo.

Performance

Intercity services are considered on-time if they operate within six minutes of their scheduled time. The target is for 92 percent of intercity services to operate on-time.

Quiet carriages

Quiet carriages are designated carriages where noise made by passengers is requested to be kept to a minimum. Passengers are asked to place mobile phones on silent, move carriages in order to have a conversation with another passenger and use headphones when listening to music.Quiet carriages now permanent on the Blue Mountains and South Coast intercity services
Sydney Trains

Quiet carriages are on Intercity services are located in four carriages on eight car sets, two carriages on four car sets and one carriage on two car sets.

Quiet carriages were first introduced on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line in early 2012 as a three-month trial. On 1 September 2012, quiet carriages were permanently introduced and expanded to all intercity services operating on the Blue Mountains and South Coast Line.

Patronage

The following table lists patronage figures for the network during the corresponding financial year. Australia's financial years start on 1 July and end on 30 June. Major events that affected the number of journeys made or how patronage is measured are included as notes (for example, patronage was severely affected during the Coronavirus pandemic).

Ticketing and costs

Sydney Trains currently uses the Opal card ticketing system, which was introduced to the network in April 2014. The fare system is fully integrated – trips involving suburban, metro and intercity services are calculated as a single fare and there is no interchange penalty. Students who use the Sydney Trains network to get to and from schools can apply for a free school Opal card. Opal is also valid on bus, ferry, and light rail services but separate fares apply for these modes. The following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single-trip tickets:

^ = $2.50 for Senior/Pensioner cardholders

A surcharge is levied when using the two privately operated stations serving Sydney Airport:

As there are no return or periodical options available, reusable Opal cards include several caps to reduce the cost for frequent travellers:

The previous ticketing system was introduced in 1992 and was based on magnetic stripe technology. It was shut down on 1 August 2016.

Further reading

*

See also

* Commuter rail in Australia
* NSW TrainLink
* Railways in Sydney
** List of Sydney Trains railway stations
** Proposed railways in Sydney
** Sydney Metro

References

External links

Sydney Trains website

Sydney Trains on transportnsw.info website

{{International Metro Organizations

Government railway authorities of Australia
Transport
Railway companies of New South Wales
Passenger railway companies of Australia
Railway companies established in 2013
Railway infrastructure companies of Australia
Rail transport in Sydney
Australian companies established in 2013
1500 V DC railway electrification