Urban rail transport forms a vital part of transportation in major Australian cities.
The Commonwealth government Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics and industry peak body Australasian Railway Association, who jointly publish the Trainline statistical report categorise Australian passenger systems as "urban" or "non-urban". [1]
Urban networks are further classified as "light rail" or "heavy rail". [1] Light rail in Australia includes established tram networks in Melbourne and Adelaide continuously operating in various forms since the 19th century, as well as networks in other cities newly constructed after the cessation of tram operation. Heavy rail networks primarily describe passenger operations over parts of mixed-traffic rail systems centred on capital cities and also includes the Sydney Metro system, which operates on its own dedicated corridor.
Non-urban passenger networks are classified according to their passenger task. "Inter-city" or "regional" networks are defined to be those whose primary market "...include[s] daily commuting or day return business or leisure travel" to major cities and are therefore included in this article. Other markets, such as long-distance operations between cities and regional centres, tourist-focused and heritage services, are excluded from this list. [1]
Average daily patronage, where possible, is taken from the last calendar or financial year. System lengths are given in route kilometres. The largest, most extensive urban (as distinct from interurban) system is found in Melbourne, while the system with the highest patronage is found in Sydney. Patronage figures are for 2018–19 unless otherwise stated.
Primary City | System | Other cities served | Type | Average daily boardings | Lines | Stations/ stops | Length | Average daily boardings/km |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sydney | Sydney Trains | Commuter rail | 1,033,150 [2] | 9 [3] | 161 | 355.5 km [4] | 2,799/km | |
Sydney Metro | Rapid transit | 74,000 (2023) [5] | 1 | 21 | 52 km | 2,055/km | ||
Sydney Light Rail | Light rail | 86,444 (2023) [6] | 3 | 42 | 24.7 km | 3,500/km | ||
Parramatta Light Rail | Light rail | TBA | 1 | 16 | 12 km | TBA | ||
NSW TrainLink (commuter services) | Newcastle, Wollongong, Scone, Dungog, Goulburn, Bathurst, Nowra (Bomaderry) | Commuter rail | 112,300 [7] | 5 | 156 | 977 km | 114/km | |
Newcastle | Newcastle Light Rail | Light rail | 3,400 (2019) [8] | 1 | 6 | 2.7 km | 1,259/km | |
Melbourne | Metro Trains Melbourne | Commuter rail | 660,300 [9] | 17 | 219 | 405 km | 1,645/km | |
Yarra Trams | Tram | 493,292 (2023) [10] | 24 | 1,763 | 250 km | 1,973/km | ||
V/Line (commuter services) | Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Seymour, Latrobe Valley | Commuter rail | 57,500 [11] | 5 | 66 | 610 km | 94/km | |
Perth | Transperth | Mandurah | Commuter rail | 168,600 [12] | 6 | 75 | 187 km | 936/km |
Brisbane | Queensland Rail Citytrain | Gold Coast, Ipswich, Sunshine Coast | Commuter rail | 150,000 [13] | 13 | 152 | 689 km | 206/km |
Gold Coast | G:link | Light rail | 1 | 19 | 20 km | |||
Adelaide | Adelaide Metro | Commuter rail | 42,880 [14] | 6 | 81 | 126 km | 340/km | |
Glenelg trams | Tram | 3 | 33 | 15 km | ||||
Canberra | Canberra Light Rail | Light rail | 1 | 14 | 12 km |
The Melbourne tramway network is a tramway system serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tramway network is centred around the Melbourne central business district (CBD) and consists of approximately 1,700 tram stops across 24 routes. It is the largest operational urban tram network in the world and one of the most used, with more than 500 trams and 250 kilometres of double tram track. It carried 154.8 million passengers over the year 2023-24. Trams are the second most utilised form of public transport in Melbourne after the city's metropolitan commuter railway network.
The Sydney light rail network is a light rail/tram system serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network consists of four passenger routes, the L1 Dulwich Hill, L2 Randwick, L3 Kingsford and L4 Westmead & Carlingford lines. It comprises 58 stops and a system length of approximately 36.7 km (22.8 mi), making it the second largest light rail network in Australia behind the tram network in Melbourne, Victoria.
Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of the Adelaide area, around the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal system offering an integrated network of bus, tram, and train services throughout the metropolitan area. The network has an annual patronage of 79.9 million, of which 51 million journeys are by bus, 15.6 million by train, and 9.4 million by tram. The system has evolved heavily over the past fifteen years, and patronage increased dramatically during the 2014–15 period, a 5.5 percent increase on the 2013 figures due to electrification of frequented lines.
The Melbourne rail network is a metropolitan suburban and freight rail system serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The metropolitan rail network is centred around the Melbourne central business district (CBD) and consists of 221 railway stations across 16 lines, which served a patronage of 182.5 million over the year 2023–2024. It is the core of the larger Victorian railway network, with regional links to both intrastate and interstate rail systems.
Rail transport in Australia is a component of the Australian transport system. It is to a large extent state-based, as each state largely has its own operations, with the interstate network being developed ever since Australia's federation in 1901. As of 2022, the Australian rail network consists of a total of 32,929 kilometres (20,461 mi) of track built to three major track gauges: 18,007 kilometres (11,189 mi) of standard gauge, 2,685 kilometres (1,668 mi) of broad gauge, and 11,914 kilometres (7,403 mi) of narrow gauge lines. Additionally, about 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) of 610 mm / 2 ft gauge lines support the sugar-cane industry. 3,488 kilometres (2,167 mi), around 11 percent of the Australian heavy railways network route-kilometres are electrified.
Transport in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, consists of several interlinking modes. Melbourne is a hub for intercity, intracity and regional travel. Road-based transport accounts for most trips across many parts of the city, facilitated by Australia's largest freeway network. Public transport, including the world's largest tram network, trains and buses, also forms a key part of the transport system. Other dominant modes include walking, cycling and commercial-passenger vehicle services such as taxis.
Buses account for close to six per cent of trips each day in the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, forming a key part of the city's public transport system. The network initially evolved from a privately operated system of feeder services to railway stations in the outer suburbs, and a publicly operated network of bus services introduced to replace trams in the inner suburbs. The bus network has undergone major reforms since the 2000s–2010s, with the New South Wales Government taking responsibility for route and fare-setting, opening contracts for most routes up to competitive tendering, and introducing more cross-suburban services.
High-speed rail in Australia has been under investigation since the early 1980s. Every federal government since this time has investigated the feasibility of constructing high-speed rail with speeds above 200 km/h, but to date nothing has ever gone beyond the detailed planning stage. Various corridors have been proposed for a potential high-speed line. The most commonly suggested route is between Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, which, as of 2023, is the world's sixth busiest air corridor.
The earliest trams in Australia operated in the latter decades of the 19th century, hauled by horses or "steam tram motors". At the turn of the 20th century, propulsion almost universally turned to electrification, although cable trams lingered in Melbourne. In cities and towns that had trams, they were a major part of public transport assets.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is a New South Wales Government transport services and roads agency established on 1 November 2011. The agency is a different entity to the NSW Department of Transport, which is a department of the state government of New South Wales, and the ultimate parent entity of Transport for NSW.
NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Its primary services are spread across five major rail lines, operating out of Sydney.
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 Inner West Light Rail is a 12.8-kilometre (8.0 mi) light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, running from Central railway station through the Inner West to Dulwich Hill and serving 23 stops. It was the original line of the Sydney light rail network. Services on the line are branded as the L1 Dulwich Hill Line since 2014.
Sydney Metro is a fully automated rapid transit rail system in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It currently consists of the Metro North West & Bankstown Line, running between Tallawong and Sydenham and consisting of 21 stations on 52 km (32 mi) of twin tracks, mostly underground. The first stage of the line opened on 26 May 2019, running between Tallawong and Chatswood. This line was extended from Chatswood to Sydenham on 19 August 2024 as part of the first stage of the City & Southwest project. The second stage of the project will then further extend this line to Bankstown as part of a partial conversion of the existing Bankstown railway line with a scheduled completion in 2025.
The CBD and South East Light Rail is a pair of light rail lines running between Sydney's central business district (CBD) and the south-eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Services running between Circular Quay and Randwick are branded as the L2 Randwick Line, with services running between Circular Quay and Kingsford branded as the L3 Kingsford Line. Construction commenced in October 2015, with the L2 Randwick Line commencing services on the 14 December 2019 and the L3 Kingsford Line on the 3 April 2020. It is part of Sydney's light rail network.
Transdev Australasia is an operator of bus, ferry, light rail and heavy rail services in Australia and New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of French-based, international Transdev. It was formed in 2013 by grouping the operations of Veolia Transport Australia and former Transdev together, as a result of the global rebranding from Veolia Transdev to Transdev.
The Parramatta Light Rail is a 12-kilometre (7 mi) standard gauge light rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The first stage of the line runs from Westmead to Carlingford via the Western Sydney centre of Parramatta. Construction commenced in 2019, and the first stage opened on 20 December 2024. Services on the first stage run as the L4 Westmead & Carlingford Line.
The 2010s saw many developments relating to transport in the Australian city of Sydney. The decade saw a substantial investment in infrastructure, including a new airport, motorway projects, light rail lines, Australia's first metro system, the new Waratah fleet and the demise of the non-air conditioned S sets from the rail network. Planning and branding of public transport services became substantially more centralised.