| NSW TrainLink | |
|---|---|
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_(53319798407).jpg) TwoXPTs in Sydney | |
 Roundel | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Transport for NSW |
| Area served |
|
| Locale | New South Wales |
| Transit type | |
| Number of lines | 4 |
| Number of stations | 93[a] |
| Annual ridership | 35.3 million (2023/24) |
| Chief executive | Roger Weeks |
| Website | transportnsw |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1 July 2013 |
| Operator(s) | NSW Trains and private coach operators |
| Rolling stock |
|
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughoutNew South Wales and theAustralian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services intoVictoria,Queensland andSouth Australia. Its primary services are spread across five major rail lines, operating out ofSydney.
NSW TrainLink was formed on 1 July 2013 whenRailCorp was restructured andCountryLink was merged with the intercity services ofCityRail.
In May 2012, theMinister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp.[1][2] On 1 July 2013, NSW TrainLink took over the operation of regional rail and coach services previously operated by CountryLink; non-metropolitanSydney services previously operated by CityRail; and responsibility for theMain North railway line fromBerowra toNewcastle, theMain Western railway line fromEmu Plains toBathurst, and theSouth Coast railway line fromWaterfall toBomaderry.[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 toSydney Trains.[6]
The process of transferring intercity services from NSW TrainLink to Sydney Trains began in 2023.[7] From 1 July 2024, NSW TrainLink's Intercity services were transferred to Sydney Trains.[8]
NSW TrainLink services operate in areas of lower population density, using a reserved seat ticketing system.
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NSW TrainLink operates regional passenger services throughoutNew South Wales and interstate toBrisbane,Canberra andMelbourne. All rail services utilise diesel rolling stock. For more details of each train line seeList of NSW TrainLink train routes.
| Line colour and name | Between |
|---|---|
| Central toBrisbane | |
| Central toArmidale orMoree | |
| Central toCanberra orGriffith orMelbourne | |
| Central toBroken Hill orDubbo |
North Coast services operate through theMid North Coast,Northern Rivers andSouth East Queensland regions. Services operate on theMain North andNorth Coast lines, travelling betweenSydney Central station andRoma Street station inBrisbane.[9]
Principal stations served byXPT trains are:
See thefull 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 andSurfers Paradise.
North Western services operate through theHunter,New England andNorth West Slopes & Plains regions. Services operate on theMain North line fromSydney Central station toWerris Creek. where the service divides forArmidale andMoree.[10]
Principal stations served byXplorer trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off North Western services include:Burren Junction (viaWee Waa),Inverell,Walcha,Grafton,Glen Innes andTenterfield.
Western region services operate through theCentral Tablelands,Orana, andFar West regions. Services operate on theMain Western Line fromSydney Central station toDubbo and theBroken Hill line toBroken 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 includeOberon,Mudgee,Baradine,Cowra,Grenfell,Forbes,Parkes,Condobolin,Lightning Ridge,Brewarrina,Bourke,Warren andBroken Hill.
Southern region services operate through theIllawarra,South Coast,Monaro,South Western Slopes,Southern Tablelands,Riverina, andSunraysia regions, plus theAustralian Capital Territory and parts ofVictoria.
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 andEchuca.
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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, theLithgow toGulgong,Coonabarabran,Baradine services passed fromGreyhound 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 byForest Coach Lines andSunstate 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][non-primary source needed]
The entire NSW TrainLink fleet is maintained by Sydney Trains either directly or via a Sydney Trains contract withUGL Rail.
| Class | Image | Type | Service Speed | Carriage Numbers | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km/h | mph | ||||||
| XPT |  | Dieselpower car | 160 | 99 | 19 | 1981–1994 | |
| XPT carriages | .jpg) | Passenger carriage | 60 | ||||
| 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 ofbi-modeCAF Civity trains is scheduled to replace the XPT, Xplorer and Endeavour fleets as part of theNSW TrainLink Regional Train Project.[33][34][35]
Patronage surged on regional trains in 2023, reversingpandemic-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 | 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercity (millions) | 32.9[b] | 34.5[c] | 38.5[d] | 40.8[e] | 44.7[f] | 41.3 | 31.2[g] | 33.4 |
| Regional trains (millions) | 1.23 | 1.22 | 1.24 | 1.69 | < 1.7[h] | 1.9 | ||
| Regional coaches (millions) | 0.572 | 0.537 | 0.510 | |||||
| References | [41] | [42] | [43] | [44] | [45] | [46] | ||
The following table shows the patronage of each line of the NSW TrainLink Intercity network for the year to date as of 5 April 2025[update], based on Opal tap on and tap off data.[47]
| 868,383 | |
| 1,603,244 | |
| 117,133 | |
| 1,002,145 | |
| 69,571 |
The XPT fleet is maintained at theXPT Service Centre and the Endeavour and Xplorer fleets atEveleigh Railway Workshops. The new bi-mode[48] fleet will be maintained at a new facility,Mindyarra Maintenance Centre, inDubbo.[49][50]
Prior to 1 July 2024 the service was operated by NSW TrainLink
Media related toNSW TrainLink at Wikimedia Commons
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