Overview | |
---|---|
Service type | Passenger train |
First service | 21 October 2012 |
Current operator(s) | NSW TrainLink |
Route | |
Termini | Sydney Bathurst |
Distance travelled | 240 kilometres |
Service frequency | Twice daily in each direction |
Train number(s) | WN12, WN18, WN16 |
Line(s) used | Main Western |
Technical | |
Rolling stock | Endeavour railcar |
The Bathurst Bullet is an express passenger train on the Blue Mountains Line operated by NSW TrainLink between Sydney and Bathurst. The service operates from Bathurst towards Sydney in the morning, and returns in the afternoon.
At the 2011 election, the incoming Liberal/National coalition government committed to introduce a day return service from Bathurst to Sydney for those working in Sydney. [1] [2]
Bathurst was already served by the daily Central West XPT and weekly Outback Xplorer services, but these were morning departures from Sydney, returning in the afternoon. The last day return service to Sydney had ceased in November 1988, being replaced by road coach services connecting with train services at Lithgow. [3]
The Bathurst Bullet commenced operating on 21 October 2012. [4] [5] It is operated by a diesel-powered two-carriage Endeavour railcar. Upon reaching Bathurst, it returns to Lithgow to stable overnight. [6] During periods of high demand such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show, it is operated by two sets. [7]
In March 2014, a submission was made to extend the service to Orange. [8] The submission to extend the train service was not successful but a connecting road coach service commenced 15 June 2015 for a six-month trial instead. [9] Since October 2019, all Bullet services have a road coach connecting with Orange.
In August 2019, the NSW Government announced that a second daily return Bullet service will be started. The new service, known as Bathurst Bullet 2.0, commenced on 16 September 2019, with both Bathurst Bullet services now stopping at Tarana and Rydal. [10] [11] On Wednesdays, the Bathurst Bullet 2.0 operates to a slightly delayed schedule, to accommodate for the Indian Pacific. [12] [13]
CityRail was a passenger railway brand operated by the State Rail Authority from 1989 to 2003 and by RailCorp from 2003 to 2013 with services in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities in New South Wales, Australia. It was established in January 1989 and abolished in June 2013 when it was superseded by Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink.
CountryLink was a passenger rail and road service brand that operated in regional areas of New South Wales, and to and from Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne. Originally created as a business unit of the State Rail Authority of New South Wales, it later became a subsidiary of RailCorp, a Government of New South Wales entity. CountryLink operated rail services using XPT and Xplorer rolling stock, with connecting coach services operated under contract by private operators.
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The Zig Zag Railway is an Australian heritage railway, situated near Lithgow, New South Wales. It was opened by the not-for-profit Zig Zag Railway Co-op as an unpaid volunteer-staffed heritage railway in October 1975, using the alignment of the Lithgow Zig Zag line that formed part of the Main Western line between 1869 and 1910. The line climbs the western flank of the Blue Mountains, using railway zig zags to gain height.
The State Rail Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, operated and maintained railways in the Australian state of New South Wales from July 1980 until December 2003.
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The Blue Mountains Line (BMT) is an inter urban commuter rail service operated by NSW TrainLink serving the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The line travels west from Sydney to the major town of Katoomba and on to Mount Victoria, Lithgow and Bathurst. Mount Victoria is the terminus for most electric services, but some services terminate at Lithgow instead. Two express services per day in each direction, known as the Bathurst Bullet, extend to the regional city of Bathurst, which is supplemented by road coaches connecting Bathurst to Lithgow. Due to electrification limits at Lithgow, the Bathurst Bullet is run using the Endeavour railcars, which operate on diesel. The Blue Mountains Line operates over a mostly duplicated section of the Main Western line. As such, the tracks are also traversed by the Central West XPT, Outback Xplorer and Indian Pacific passenger services and by freight trains.
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In 2013 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia celebrated 200 years from its naming as a town in 1813. Over the 200 years significant milestones have occurred in the town and regions infrastructure development to support growth of the region. The development of Australia progressed with a few frontier towns built in extreme isolation like Bathurst. Sydney was founded in 1788 and 25 years later in 1813 only a few other coastal towns had been established. The desire to explore the unknown areas led the Colonial Government to sponsor expeditions to the interior of the vast country. A large mountain range running parallel to the Sydney coast blocked access to the west and rugged mountains and a river blocked access to the north. Before the exploration of the inland started they had no idea what they would find but what they did discover was fertile and well watered land ideal for grazing of animals and producing agricultural products.
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