NSW TrainLink
| NSW TrainLink | |
|---|---|
 | |
 V set at Sydney Central in August 2013 | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Regional New South Wales Intercity services Regional services |
| Transit type | Intercity and regional rail |
| Annual ridership | 34.7 million (2013/14) |
| Website | www.nswtrainlink.info |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1 July 2013 |
| Operator(s) | Transport for New South Wales |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1435 |
| Electrification | 1,500V (DC) overhead line |
NSW TrainLink is an Australian train operator. It is owned by the Government of New South Wales and operates all passenger rail services outside of metropolitan Sydney. It is a subsidiary of Transport for New South Wales.[1][2]
History
In May 2012 the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp.[3][4][5][6]
The NSW TrainLink brand was introduced on 1 July 2013 to coincide with NSW Trains taking over all of CountryLink's services and CityRail's non-suburban services.
NSW Trains also took responsibility from RailCorp for granting access to and maintaining the Main Northern line from Berowra to Newcastle, the Main Western line from Emu Plains to Bowenfels and the South Coast line from Waterfall to Bomaderry.
Quiet carriages
Quiet carriages are designated carriages where noise made by passengers are 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.[7]
Quiet carriages are on Intercity services are located in four carriages on 8 car sets, two carriages on 4 car sets and one carriage on two car sets.[8]
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 lines.[7] As of 2013, Quiet Carriages operate on the entire NSW TrainLink intercity network.
Network
The NSW TrainLink network is divided into two tiers. Intercity lines form part of the Greater Sydney public transport network. Ticketing uses the MyZone and Opal systems and seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Regional lines use a separate, reserved seat ticketing system. In the year ended 30 June 2014, 32.9 million passenger journeys were made on intercity services and 1.8 million journeys on regional services.[9]
Intercity lines
The intercity lines stretch over 200 kilometres from Sydney, as far north as Dungog, as far north-west as Scone, as far west as Bathurst, as far south-west as Goulburn and as far south as Bomaderry.
Electric lines extend from Sydney north to Hamilton (Newcastle), west to Lithgow and south to Port Kembla and Kiama. Most electric trains terminate at Central, the hub of the NSW TrainLink, but local services also run in the Newcastle and Wollongong areas.
Diesel trains serve the more remote or less populated sections of the intercity network. Hunter line services operate from the terminus station at Newcastle to Telarah with some extending to Dungog and Scone. Southern Highlands trains connect Moss Vale to the southern Sydney suburb of Campbelltown, where a change to a connecting Sydney Trains service is generally required to reach the centre of Sydney - though one off-peak service operates directly to Central. A few services continue south from Moss Vale to Goulburn. Diesel services also operate on the South Coast Line between Bomaderry and Kiama, where connecting electric services operate to Sydney.
Train services
| Line colour and name | Between | Electric services | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Blue Mountains | Central a and Lithgow, with limited services to Bathurst | To Lithgow |
 |
Central Coast & Newcastle | Central and Hamilton (Newcastle) | Yes |
 |
South Coast | Central b and Bomaderry or Port Kembla | To Kiama and Port Kembla |
 |
Southern Highlands | Campbelltown c and Moss Vale, with limited services to Goulburn | No |
 |
Hunter | Hamilton (Newcastle) and Telarah, with limited services to Dungog or Scone | No |
- ^a Some peak services on the Blue Mountains Line run to/from Hornsby
- ^b Some peak services and most weekend services on the South Coast Line run to/from Bondi Junction
- ^c Some peak services on the Southern Highlands Line run to/from Central. At other times, a change of train is required at Campbelltown or Macarthur
Bus and coach services
NSW TrainLink operates several bus routes along corridors where the railway line has been closed to passengers or as a supplement to rail services. These bus services are operated by private sector bus companies contracted by NSW TrainLink.
| Line colour and name | Between | |
|---|---|---|
 |
South Coast line | Wollongong to Moss Vale/Bundanoon via Robertson (r) |
 |
Southern Highlands line | Moss Vale to Goulburn via Marulan |
|
Southern Highlands line | Picton to Bowral via Thirlmere on weekdays only |
- ^(r) Seat reservations required
Regional lines
NSW TrainLink operates passenger services throughout New South Wales and interstate to Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne. All rail services feature diesel rolling stock.
North Coast
The North Coast region covers the North Coast, Northern Rivers and South East Queensland regions. Accordingly, the Government of Queensland makes a contribution to the provision of these services. Services run along the Main North and North Coast lines from Sydney Central station to Roma Street station in Brisbane.[10]
Principal stations served by XPT trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off North Coast services include: Tea Gardens, Forster, Port Macquarie, Yamba, Moree, Alstonville, Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay, Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads and Surfers Paradise.
North Western
The North Western region covers the state's Hunter, Northern Tablelands and North West regions. Services run along the Main North line from Sydney Central station to Werris Creek where the service divides for Armidale and Moree.[11]
Principal stations served by Xplorer trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off North Western services include: Wee Waa, Inverell, Grafton, Glen Innes and Tenterfield.
Western
The Western region covers the Central Tablelands and Western regions. Services run along the Main Western line from Sydney Central station to Dubbo and the Broken Hill line to Broken Hill.[12]
Principal stations served by XPT trains are:
Principal stations served by Xplorer trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off Southern services include: Oberon, Mudgee, Baradine, Cowra, Grenfell, Forbes, Parkes, Condobolin, Lightning Ridge Brewarrina, Bourke, Warren and Broken Hill.
Southern
The Southern region covers the state's Illawarra, South Coast, Snowy Mountains, South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands, Riverina and Sunraysia regions plus the Australian Capital Territory and parts of Victoria. Accordingly the Government of Victoria (though not the ACT Government) makes a contribution to the provision of these services. Services run along the Main South from Sydney Central station to Albury before continuing on the North East line to Southern Cross station in Melbourne, with the line to Canberra branching off south of Goulburn and the line to Griffith at Junee.[13]
Principal stations served by XPT trains are:
Principal stations served by Xplorer trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off Southern services include: Wollongong, Bombala, Eden, Tumbarumba, Bathurst, Dubbo, Condobolin, Griffith, Mildura and Echuca.
Coach services
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NSW TrainLink continued with the existing contracts entered into by CityRail and CountryLink for the provision of coach services.
On 1 July 2014, the Lithgow to Gulgong, Coonabarabran, Baradine services passed from Greyhound Australia to Ogden's Coaches.[14]
In July 2014, Transport NSW commenced the re-tendering process for most of the routes with the previous 24 contracts reorganised into 18 contracts. The new contracts commenced on 1 January 2015 for a five-year period, with an option to extend for three years if performance criteria is met.[14][15]
The full list of coach operators providing services as at January 2015 was:[14]
+ not included in January 2015 re-tendering process
Fleet
The NSW TrainLink fleet consists of both diesel and electric traction, with the oldest of the fleet being the V sets and the youngest being the H sets. The Tangaras, and Oscars are shared with Sydney Trains. The entire NSW Trainlink fleet is maintained by Sydney Trains either directly or via a Sydney Trains contract with a private maintenance company.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Carriage Numbers | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km/h | mph | ||||||
| Endeavour Railcar | 
|
Diesel Multiple Unit | 145 | 90 | 28 | Hunter South Coast (Bomaderry (Nowra) to Kiama) Blue Mountains (Bathurst service) Southern Highlands |
1994-96 |
| H Set Oscar | 
|
Electric Multiple Unit | 130 | 81 | 221 (Shared with Sydney Trains) | Central Coast & Newcastle South Coast Blue Mountains (up to Springwood) |
2006-12 |
| Hunter Railcar | 
|
Diesel Multiple Unit | 145 | 90 | 14 | Hunter | 2006 |
| T Set Tangara | 
|
Electric Multiple Unit | 115 | 72 | 447 (Shared with Sydney Trains) | Blue Mountains South Coast |
1987-95 |
| V Set | 
|
Electric Multiple Unit | 115 | 72 | 196 | Central Coast & Newcastle Blue Mountains |
1977-89 |
| Xplorer | 
|
Diesel Multiple Unit | 145 | 90 | 23 | North Western Southern (to Canberra and Griffith) Western (to Broken Hill) |
1993 |
| XPT | 
|
Diesel locomotive & Passenger carriage |
160 | 99 | 19 Power cars 60 passenger carriages |
North Coast Southern (to Melbourne) Western (to Dubbo) |
1981-94 |
Future electric train
In May 2014, the NSW Government announced its intention to purchase approximately 520 new carriages for the NSW TrainLink intercity network expected to begin service in 2019. These will replace the V sets and allow the H sets to be transferred to Sydney Trains services.[16][17]
External links
Media related to NSW TrainLink at Wikimedia Commons- NSW TrainLink website
References
- ^ Annual Report 30 June 2012 RailCorp
- ^ About the Reform NSW Trains
- ^ "RailCorp job cuts first of many: unions" Sydney Morning Herald 15 May 2012
- ^ "Ruthless RailCorp reforms planned as middle management axed" Daily Telegraph 15 May 2012
- ^ Corporate Plan 2012/13 RailCorp
- ^ 700 jobs to go as RailCorp gets the axe Daily Telegraph 16 November 2012
- ^ a b Quiet carriages now permanent on Blue Mountains and South Coast intercity services Sydney Trains
- ^ Quiet carriages to expand on South Coast line Illawarra Mercury 3 July 2013
- ^ "Transport for NSW 2013/14 Annual Report" (PDF). Transport for NSW. p. 32.
- ^ North Coast timetable NSW TrainLink 6 April 2014
- ^ North Western timetable NSW TrainLink 20 October 2013
- ^ Western timetable NSW TrainLink 20 October 2013
- ^ Southern timetable NSW TrainLink 30 June 2014
- ^ a b c "New NSW TrainLink Rural Coach Service Contracts" Australian Bus issue 68 March 2015 page 20
- ^ Provision of NSW Rural Coach Services NSW eTendering 11 July 2014
- ^ NSW Government to invest $2.8 billion in new intercity trains, making all trains air-conditioned Transport for New South Wales 8 May 2014
- ^ Intercity Fleet Program Transport for New South Wales
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