Railways and Tramways of Australia
New South Wales
Sydney Trains
www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sydneytrains
Sydney Trains is a New South Wales Government operator that provides train services throughout the Sydney CBD and suburban area. It replaced CityRail as the provider of suburban train services for Sydney on 1 July 2013. Intercity (interurban), regional and interstate services from the Sydney CBD are operated by NSW TrainLink. Sydney Trains operates frequent train services in the Sydney suburban area, which extends to Waterfall, Macarthur, Emu Plains, Richmond and Berowra. It serves 168 stations. Train maintenance centres are located at Flemington, Hornsby, Mortdale and Auburn. A total of 259,000,000 journeys were made in the year 2022–23.
NSW TrainLink
www.transportnsw.info/regional
NSW TrainLink is a New South Wales Government operator that provides train and coach services throughout the greater Sydney Intercity (interurban) area, regional New South Wales and some interstate locations. It replaced CountryLink as the regional train and coach service provider on 1 July 2013, and also took responsibility for the Intercity services from the Sydney CBD that were previously operated by CityRail. Intercity services extend from Sydney to Bomaderry and Port Kembla on the South Coast line, Moss Vale and Goulburn on the Southern Highlands line, Lithgow on the Blue Mountains line, Gosford and Newcastle Interchange on the Central Coast & Newcastle line, and from Newcastle Interchange to Telarah, Dungog and Scone on the Hunter line. Regional train services extend to Albury and Griffith in the Southern Region, Dubbo and Broken Hill in the Western Region, Armidale and Moree in the North West Region, and Grafton and Casino in the North Coast Region. Interstate services extend to Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. Coaches operate on a number of regional routes throughout New South Wales, many that were formerly serviced by trains. These services are contracted by NSW TrainLink to private coach companies. Most Intercity services are operated by Electric Multiple Unit trains, while Endeavour Diesel Multiple Unit railcars operate to destinations without electrified railway lines: from Kiama to Bomaderry; Campbelltown to Moss Vale and Goulburn; from Newcastle Interchange to Telarah, Dungog and Scone; and from Sydney beyond the end of the electrified area at Lithgow to Bathurst. Xplorer Diesel Multiple Unit railcars operate to Canberra, Griffith, Broken Hill, Armidale and Moree. XPTs operate to Melbourne, Dubbo, Grafton, Casino and Brisbane. During the 2022–23 year there were 28.0 million passenger journeys on NSW TrainLink Intercity trains, and 1.7 million passenger journeys on NSW TrainLink regional trains and coaches. There were on average 2520 Intercity train services each week and 160 regional train services each week.
Metro Trains Sydney
Metro Trains Sydney operates the Sydney Metro North West line between Chatswood and Tallawong. Work on further extensions is in progress. Metro Trains Sydney is a joint venture of MTR Corporation, John Holland group and UGL Rail. A total of 19.7 million journeys were made in the year 2022–23.
Sydney Light Rail
www.transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/light-rail
Although tthe light rail network in Sydney is owned by the New South Wales Government, services are operated by Transdev Sydney on behalf of the government agency Transport for NSW. The L1 Dulwich Hill line extends from Central station to Dulwich Hill through Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, Glebe, Lilyfield and Lewisham West. The line is 12.7 km in length and includes 23 stops. Weekday services operate at 5 to 8 minute frequencies during peak hours and 8 to 15 minute frequencies at off peak times, while weekend services typically operate every 8 to 15 minutes. Services between Central and Dulwich Hill operate between 6.00 am and 11.00 pm. Much of the Sydney Light Rail line is on the formation that was previously used by the Metropolitan Goods railway line.
The L2 Randwick line operates from Circular Quay to Randwick via the Central Business District, Central and Moore Park. It is 9 km in length and has 14 stops. Services operate between 5.00 am and 1.00 am. Weekday services operate at 10 minute frequencies between 7.00 am and 7.00 pm, and 10 to 15 minute frequencies at other times. Weekend services operate every 15 minutes.
The L3 Kingsford line shares the L2 line from Circular Quay to the corner of Anzac Parade and Alison Road, near Moore Park, and then extends to Kingsford. There are five stops from the junction with the L2 line along the 3 km section to Kingsford. Weekday services operate at 10 minute frequencies between 7.00 am and 7.00 pm, and 10 to 15 minute frequencies at other times. Weekend services operate every 15 minutes.
Although the L1 and L2/L3 lines are connected, they operate as separate lines.
Newcastle Transport
Newcastle Transport is owned by private company Keolis Downer and has been contracted to operate the Newcastle light rail line. It also operates bus and ferry services in Newcastle. The Newcastle light rail line is 2.7 km in length and runs from Newcastle Interchange at Wickham to Newcastle Beach. There are six stations along the line: Newcastle Interchange, Honeysuckle, Civic, Crown Street, Queens Wharf and Newcastle Beach. Frequent services operate from 5.00 am to 1.00 am daily. Services operate every seven to eight minutesbetween around 7.00 am and 7.00 pm on weekdays, and every 15 minutes at other times on weekdays. On Saturdays services operate every 15 minutes from 7.00 am to midnight, and every 30 minutes at other times. On Sundays and public holdiays services operate every 15 minutes from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm, and every 30 minutes at other times.
Skitube Alpine Railway
www.perisher.com.au/resort-info/mountain-operations/skitube
Skitube Alpine Railway is a privately-owned rack railway line between Bullocks Flat and Blue Cow, and is operated by the Perisher ski resort. The line has stations at Bullocks Flat, Perisher Valley and Blue Cow. Journey times on the lower section between Bullocks Flat and Perisher Valley are ten minutes, and travel on the upper section between Perisher Valley and Blue Cow is seven minutes. One or two trains are usually in service between Bullocks Flat and Perisher Valley, while another set operates between Perisher Valley and Blue Cow. Passengers travelling the full length of the line are required to change trains at Perisher Valley. Trains typically operate every 20 minutes during the peak ski season from July through to September, and every 30 minutes during the shoulder season, usually from early to late June.