Sydney Trains

Sydney Trains
Sydney Trains A set at Central station in July 2013
Overview
Locale	Sydney
Transit type	Train operator
Number of lines	8
Number of stations	178
Annual ridership	281 million in 2013/14
Website	www.sydneytrains.info
Operation
Began operation	1 July 2013
Technical
System length	815km
Track gauge	1435
Electrification	1500V (DC) overhead line

Sydney Trains is an Australian train operator. It is owned by the Government of New South Wales and operates all passenger rail services in metropolitan Sydney. Sydney Trains is a subsidiary of Transport for New South Wales.

The network is a hybrid metro-suburban railway with a central underground core running at metro-style frequencies, which branches out into a suburban commuter type network. Ticketing is provided by the New South Wales MyZone and Opal card systems.

History

In May 2012 the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp. This resulted in all suburban services in the Sydney Metropolitan area bounded by Berowra, Emu Plains, Macarthur and Waterfall transferring from CityRail to Sydney Trains on 1 July 2013. Intercity and Hunter Line services previously operated by CityRail are now operated by NSW TrainLink which was also formed as part of the restructure.

In April 2013 the Sydney Trains logo was unveiled. Nicknamed The Hop, the new logo replaced the L7 logo that has been carried on Sydney's trains in various colours since introduced by the Public Transport Commission in the 1970s and was still carried by most trains, even though officially superseded by the Waratah logo in 2009.

In July 2013 Howard Collins OBE the former Chief Operating Officer from London Underground was appointed as Chief Executive of Sydney Trains.

Network

Sydney Trains network without South West Rail Link

Rail Lines

Sydney Trains operates seven suburban lines, plus a late night NightRide bus network across metropolitan 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.

Line colour, number and name		Between	Fleet
1	North Shore, Northern & Western Line	Central and Berowra via Gordon Central and Hornsby via Macquarie Park Central and Emu Plains, Richmond or Epping via Strathfield	K, T, H, A
2	Airport, Inner West & South Line	City Circle and Macarthur via Revesby and either Sydenham (peak) or Airport City Circle and Campbelltown via Granville City Circle and Liverpool via Regents Park (one morning and two evening)	S, K, C, M, A
3	Bankstown Line	City Circle and Liverpool or Lidcombe via Bankstown and Sydenham	S, K, C, M, A
4	Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line	Bondi Junction and Waterfall or Cronulla via Central	T, H
5	Cumberland Line	Schofields and Campbelltown	S, K, C
6	Carlingford Line	Clyde and Carlingford	S, K, C, M
7	Olympic Park Line	Lidcombe and Olympic Park, some services operate between Central and Olympic Park, particularly during special events	S (weekday) M, A (weekend), S, K, C, V, T, M, H, A ( Special)
	South West Rail Link	Liverpool and Leppington, temporary shuttle service from 8 February 2015	M

NightRide

Main article: NightRide

To provide a passenger service between midnight and 05:00 while leaving the tracks clear of trains for maintenance work, parallel bus services were established in 1989. NightRide services operate typically at hourly intervals (some routes depart more frequently on weekends). NightRide services are run by private bus operators, and identified by route numbers beginning with "N". All valid Sydney Trains tickets for a destination (apart from single tickets, which can be purchased from the driver) are accepted on NightRide services.

Network overview

The concourse of Central Railway Station, the main station on the Sydney Trains network that opened in its present location in 1906

The main hub of the Sydney Trains system is Central station, where most lines start and end. Trains coming from the T2 Airport Line and T3 Bankstown Line, after travelling anti-clockwise on the City Circle sometimes terminate upon arrival at Central and proceed to the Macdonaldtown Turnback. However, most trains continue on and become respective outward bound T2 Inner West and South Line trains. The reverse applies for trains coming from the Inner West and South Lines, which, if not terminating, become outward bound trains on the T2 Airport and T3 Bankstown Lines respectively. In the same manner, most trains on the T1 Western Line and T1 Northern Line become the T1 North Shore and Northern Line once they reach Central. Services on T4 Illawarra line convert to a T4 Eastern Suburbs Line service.

Operations

Fleet

Main article: Sydney Trains fleet

Sydney Trains A set at Campbelltown

Sydney Trains operates a fleet of S (192 carriages), K (160 carriages). C (56 carriages), T (447 carriages), M (140 carriages), and A sets (626 carriages).

The Sydney Trains network is divided into three sectors, based around three maintenance depots. EMU trainsets are identified by target plates, which are exhibited on the front lower nearside of driving carriages. Target designations and set numbers are used in identifying EMU train sets. The composition and formations of train sets, and the target designations are subject to alteration.

Sydney Trains maintenance sectors

Sector #	Depot	Serviced lines	Target plate	Fleet
1	Mortdale	Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra	Red	T
2	Flemington	Airport, Inner West & South, Bankstown, Carlingford, Cumberland and Olympic Park	Blue	S, K, C, V
3	Hornsby	North Shore, Northern & Western	Black	T, K
4	Eveleigh	All	Green	M, H

Ticketing and Costs

Sydney Trains's currently uses two ticketing systems. The Automated Fare Collection System is based on magnetic stripe technology and is interoperable with the Sydney Buses and Sydney Ferries systems. Dating from 1992, it was merged with the products of private bus operators to form MyZone. A replacement smart card system called Opal has been available since April 2014.

Unlike the ticketing systems of other cities in Australia, most of Sydney Trains's ticket prices are calculated on the distance travelled, and were found to be inexpensive by world standards as at December 2003. However, in October 2012, a report published by PwC found the rail system performed poorly compared to many metro services from 27 other major world cities. Sydney was ranked as the fourth-worst public train system, beating only Los Angeles, São Paulo and Johannesburg for operation efficiency and coverage, while being proven to have the most expensive tickets of any major city public transport system. An update to the same Cities of Opportunity report in 2014 - after the roll out of the Opal card - has shown a drop to 2nd most expensive system after London. Despite fares having only seen increases since this roll out, the card does afford regular users 'rewards' such as free train journeys after a certain number of rides and daily cap limits.

Entry to privately owned train stations at Sydney Airport requires a Station Access Fee in addition to the train fare. This station access fee does not apply for Green Square and Mascot.

See also

• Commuter rail in Australia
• List of Sydney Trains railway stations
• NSW TrainLink
• Proposed railways in Sydney
• Railways in Sydney
• Sydney underground railways

External links

• Sydney Trains website