NSW TrainLink | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Owner | Transport for NSW |
Locale | New South Wales, with services into the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia |
Transit type | |
Annual ridership | 46.4 million (2017/18) |
Website | transportnsw |
Operation | |
Began operation | 1 July 2013 |
Operator(s) | NSW Trains and private coach operators |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
NSW TrainLink is a 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's Central railway station.
NSW TrainLink was formed on 1 July 2013 when RailCorp was restructured and CountryLink was merged with the intercity services of CityRail. Intercity services were transferred to Sydney Trains in 2024.
In May 2012, the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp. [1] [2] On 1 July 2013, NSW TrainLink took over (a) the operation of regional rail and coach services previously operated by CountryLink; (b) non-metropolitan Sydney services previously operated by CityRail; and (c) responsibility for the Main Northern railway line from Berowra railway station to Newcastle station, the Main Western railway line from Emu Plains railway station to Bathurst railway station, and the Illawarra railway line from Waterfall station to Bomaderry railway station. [3] [4] [5]
On 21 August 2023, it was announced that the majority of intercity passenger services, crew and stations would move from NSW TrainLink to Sydney Trains. [6] The process of transferring intercity services from NSW TrainLink to Sydney Trains began in 2023, [7] and was completed by 1 July 2024. [8]
NSW TrainLink services operate in areas of lower population density, using a reserved seat ticketing system.
NSW TrainLink operates regional passenger services throughout New South Wales and interstate to Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne. All rail services utilise diesel rolling stock. For more details of each train line see List of NSW TrainLink train routes.
Line colour and name | Between |
---|---|
Central to Brisbane | |
Central to Armidale or Moree | |
Central to Canberra or Griffith or Melbourne | |
Central to Broken Hill or Dubbo |
North Coast services operate through the Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers and South East Queensland regions. Services operate on the Main North and North Coast lines, travelling between Sydney Central station and Roma Street station in Brisbane. [9]
Principal stations served by XPT trains are:
See the full list of stations served.
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 services operate through the Hunter, New England and North West Slopes & Plains regions. Services operate on the Main North line from Sydney Central station to Werris Creek. where the service divides for Armidale and Moree. [10]
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 region services operate through the Central Tablelands, Orana, and Far West regions. Services operate on the Main Western Line from Sydney Central station to Dubbo and the Broken Hill line to Broken Hill. [11]
Principal stations served by XPT trains are:
Principal stations served by Xplorer trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off Western services include: Oberon, Mudgee, Baradine, Cowra, Grenfell, Forbes, Parkes, Condobolin, Lightning Ridge, Brewarrina, Bourke, Warren and Broken Hill.
Southern region services operate through the Illawarra, South Coast, Monaro, South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands, Riverina, and Sunraysia regions, plus the Australian Capital Territory and parts of Victoria.
Services operate on the:
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.
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. [13]
In July 2014, Transport for 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 are met. [13] [14] The services operated by Forest Coach Lines and Sunstate Coaches commenced new five-year contracts on 1 July 2016. [15] [16]
The full list of coach operators providing services as at January 2015 was: [13] [17]
+ not included in January 2015 re-tendering process
From 2018, NSW TrainLink introduced several new road coach services on a trial basis: [18] [ better source needed ]
The entire NSW TrainLink fleet is maintained by Sydney Trains either directly or via a Sydney Trains contract with UGL Rail.
Class | Image | Type | Service Speed | Carriage Numbers | Routes operated | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
km/h | mph | ||||||
XPT | Diesel locomotive | 160 | 99 | 19 locomotives | 1981–1994 | ||
XPT carriages | Passenger carriage | 60 carriages | |||||
Xplorer | Diesel multiple unit | 145 | 90 | 23 | 1993 |
Class | Image | Type | Service Speed | Carriage Numbers | Future routes | Built | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
km/h | mph | ||||||
R set | Electro-diesel multiple unit | 160 | 99 | 117 (to be built) | 2026/27 (scheduled) |
A fleet of bi-mode CAF Civity trains are scheduled to replace the XPT, Xplorer and Endeavour fleets as part of the NSW TrainLink Regional Train Project. [33] [34] [35]
Patronage surged on regional trains in 2023, reversing pandemic-era losses and increasing a further three percent, with a particular increase in ridership on Sydney-Melbourne services. 107,000 monthly journeys were made on regional trains in 2023. [36]
Regional services are considered on-time if they operate within ten minutes of their scheduled time. [37] The target is for 92 percent of intercity services (formerly operated by NSW TrainLink) and 78 percent of regional services to operate on-time. In 2017–18 NSW Trains met both the Intercity target and the regional target. However, it failed to meet the Intercity target during peak hours. [38] These results partially reverse a trend of failing to meet punctuality targets. Since the organisation commenced operations in 2013–14, NSW Trains has never met the intercity peak punctuality target. [39] [38] Regional train services have achieved their punctuality target twice, in 2015–16 and 2017–18. The 2015–16 result was the first time NSW Trains or its predecessor RailCorp had achieved the target in 13 years. [40] [38]
The following table lists patronage figures for the network during the corresponding financial year. Australia's financial years start on 1 July and end on 30 June. Major events that affected the number of journeys made or how patronage is measured are included as notes.
Year | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Intercity (millions) | 32.9 [a] | 34.5 [b] | 38.5 [c] | 40.8 [d] | 44.7 [e] | 41.3 | 31.2 [f] |
Regional trains (millions) | 1.23 | 1.22 | 1.24 | 1.69 | < 1.7 [g] | ||
Regional coaches (millions) | 0.572 | 0.537 | 0.510 | ||||
References | [41] | [42] | [43] | [44] | [45] |
The following table shows the patronage of each line of the NSW TrainLink Intercity network for the year ending 30 June 2024, based on Opal tap on and tap off data. [46]
7,152,563 | |
13,189,811 | |
803,606 | |
7,132,670 | |
755,919 |
The XPT fleet is maintained at the XPT Service Centre and the Endeavour and Xplorer fleets at Eveleigh Railway Workshops. The new bi-mode [47] fleet will be maintained at a new facility, Mindyarra Maintenance Centre, in Dubbo. [48] [49]
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. CountryLink operated rail services using XPT and Xplorer rolling stock, with connecting coach services operated under contract by private operators.
The South Coast Line (SCO) is an intercity rail service that services the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The service runs from Central, and runs the entire length of the eponymous South Coast railway line to Bomaderry. The service also runs along the Eastern Suburbs railway line at peak hours and the Port Kembla railway line to Port Kembla. It is operated with Sydney Trains H sets and T sets, with Endeavour railcars operating the service on the non-electrified line between Kiama and Bomaderry.
The Southern Highlands Line (SHL) is an intercity rail service that services the Macarthur, Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands regions of New South Wales. First operating in 1869, the service runs from Campbelltown across the Main Southern railway line through to Goulburn, with peak hour services extending the route to Central. The railway service operates alongside a bus route from Picton to Bowral, operating on the route of the Picton – Mittagong loop railway line, and a regional coach service from Bundanoon to Wollongong on the South Coast Line, operating on the corridor of the Unanderra–Moss Vale railway line.
The Endeavour Railcars are a class of diesel multiple units (DMU) operated by Sydney Trains on its intercity passenger rail services in New South Wales, Australia on the Hunter, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and South Coast lines. They are mechanically identical to the Xplorers, but are fitted out for shorter travel distances. All 30 carriages were built by ABB's Dandenong rolling stock factory.
The Blue Mountains Line (BMT) is an intercity rail service 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.
Maitland railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the city of Maitland opening on in 1880 as West Maitland being renamed Maitland on 1 April 1949. It is the junction station for the Main Northern and North Coast lines. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Broadmeadow railway station is a heritage-listed railway station and major regional interchange located on the Main Northern Line. The station itself serves the Newcastle suburb of Broadmeadow. The station was first opened on 15 August 1887.
Goulburn railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Main Southern line in New South Wales, Australia. Opened on 19 May 1869, it serves the city of Goulburn. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The railways of New South Wales, Australia, use a large variety of passenger and freight rolling stock. The first railway in Sydney was opened in 1855 between Sydney and Granville, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales Government Railways. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. By 1880, there was a half hourly service to Homebush.
The New South Wales XPT is a class of diesel-powered passenger trains built by Comeng and ABB. Based on the British Rail-designed High Speed Train, each XPT set comprises two XP power cars in a push-pull configuration and, between them, between four and seven passenger carriages.
The Xplorer is a class of diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains built by ABB. Initially entering service in October 1993 with CountryLink, the Xplorers are mechanically identical to the Endeavour railcars, though feature a higher level of passenger amenity. All 23 carriages were built in the Dandenong rolling stock factory. The Xplorers currently operate under NSW TrainLink, running on the regional Main North, Main Western and Main Southern lines throughout New South Wales.
Griffith railway station is located on the Yanco–Griffith line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the city of Griffith.
Harden railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Southern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Harden. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
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 NSW TrainLink fleet of trains serves the areas outside Sydney, Australia, mainly regional and interstate lines. The NSW TrainLink fleet consists of diesel traction, with the oldest of the fleet being the XPTs and the youngest being the R sets.
Transport in Canberra is provided by private cars, buses, taxis and light rail for travel within the city, while regional rail, air, and long-distance coach services operate for travel beyond Canberra. A vast road network also plays a major role in transport within and beyond the city.
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.
Dubbo railway station is a heritage-listed railway station and bus interchange located on the Main Western line in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. The station serves the city of Dubbo and was opened on 1 February 1881. The station is also known as Dubbo Railway Station and yard group. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The station and associated yards were designed by the office of the Engineer-in-Chief of the NSW Government Railways, under the direction of John Whitton.
Coolamon railway station is located on the Hay line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Coolamon.
The R sets are a class of bi-mode multiple units (EDMU) being built by as part of the Regional Rail Project to replace NSW TrainLink's ageing Xplorer and XPT fleets for long-distance services, as well as Sydney Trains' Endeavour fleet for diesel intercity services.
Media related to NSW TrainLink at Wikimedia Commons