NSW TrainLink is an Australian train operator. It is owned by the Government of New South Wales as a subsidiary of Transport for New South Wales. It operates passenger intrastate and interstate services to Victoria, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. [1][2]
History[]
In May 2012 the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp.[3][4][5][6] NSW TrainLink commenced operations on 1 July 2013 taking over all of CountryLink's services and CityRail's intercity services.
NSW TrainLink 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.
RailCorp remaining function is primarily as custodian of railway real estate, infrastructure and trains.[7]
In 2024, as part of a TfNSW restructuring, intercity services were handed over to Sydney Trains.
Network[]
NSW TrainLink operates passenger services throughout New South Wales and interstate to Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne. Seats must be booked and Opal is not accepted.
All train services start from Sydney (Central) and mostly follow the main rail lines in the state (Main West, Main South, Main North and North Coast), with some services using small branch lines as well.
There are also many coach services operated under the NSW TrainLink brand and contracted to local coach companies. These mostly follow former railway lines, which have been closed due to lack of substantial patronage.
These train and coach services are grouped into "lines" based on which main line they run on.
Seats must be booked on all regional services. This can be done online or at a booking office at some railway stations. Train services generally have two classes: economy and first. XPT services to Brisbane and Melbourne also have sleeping berths or DaySitter rooms. Trains have dedicated storage for larger pieces of luggage and have a buffet car.
North Coast[]
- Main article: NSW TrainLink Regional North Coast line
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. North Coast region services appear on the network map in red and as 
. Services run along the Main North and North Coast lines.[8]
Principal stations served by 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 and Surfers Paradise.
North Western[]
- Main article: NSW TrainLink Regional North Western line
The North Western region covers the state's Hunter, Northern Tablelands and North West regions. North Western region services appear on the network map in orange and as 
. Services run along the Main North railway line and the Mungindi railway line.[9]
Principal stations served by trains are:
- Sydney (Central)
- Singleton
- Scone
- Tamworth
- Armidale
- Gunnedah
- Narrabri
- Moree
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off North Western services include: Wee Waa, Inverell, Grafton, Glen Innes and Tenterfield.
Western[]
- Main article: NSW TrainLink Regional Western line
The Western region covers the Central Tablelands and Western regions. Western region services appear on the network map in yellow and as 
. Services run along the Main Western line and the Broken Hill line.[10]
Principal stations served by trains are:
- Sydney (Central)
- Bathurst
- Orange
- Dubbo
- Parkes
- Broken Hill
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[]
- Main article: NSW TrainLink Regional Southern line
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. Southern region services appear on the network map in green and as 
. 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.[11]
Principal stations served by trains are:
- Sydney (Central)
- Goulburn
- Queanbeyan
- Canberra
- Cootamundra
- Griffith
- Wagga Wagga
- Albury
- Wangaratta
- Melbourne (Southern Cross)
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off Southern services include: Wollongong, Bombala, Eden, Tumbarumba, Bathurst, Dubbo, Condobolin, Griffith, Mildura and Echuca.
Rolling stock[]
NSW TrainLink operates two types of diesel rolling stock: the XPT push/pull trains and the Xplorer DMU's. The fleet is maintained at the XPT service centre at Sydenham.
| Type | Introduced | Cars Per Set | Carriages | Top Speed | Manufacturer | Lines/Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xplorer | 1993 | 2+ cars | 23 | 145 km/h | ABB Transportation | Regional North West Regional South (to Canberra and Griffith) Regional West (to Broken Hill) |
| XPT | 1981-1994 | 1-2 power cars, 4+ passenger cars | 19 (power cars) 60 (passenger cars) |
160 km/h | Comeng, ABB Transportation | Regional North Coast (to Grafton, Casino and Brisbane) Regional West (to Dubbo) Regional South (to Melbourne) |
Road coaches[]
The Public Transport Commission first introduced coaches in September 1975 when introduced to replace all train services out of Dubbo. Coaches replaced many branch line rail services over the next few years and by 1987 the State Rail Authority had 36 coaches operating throughout the state.[12]
CountryLink adopted the model used by V/Line in Victoria and contracted out the provision of these services to private operators, with services transferring to the successful bidders between November 1989 and June 1990.[13] CityRail also operated buses on services where the railway lines had closed.
The full list of coach operators providing services as at July 2013 are:
| Operator | Services |
|---|---|
| Australia Wide Coaches | Lithgow to Bathurst, Orange, Grenfell & Parkes |
| Busways | Wauchope to Port Macquarie |
| Edwards Coaches | Armidale to Tenterfield |
| Greyhound Australia | Lithgow to Gulgong, Coonabarabran & Baradine |
| Hunter Valley Buses | Fassifern to Toronto |
| Lowder & Sons | Narrabri to Wee Waa & Burren Junction |
| Makehams Coaches | Wagga Wagga to Griffith Wagga Wagga/Cootamundra to Tumbarumba Cootamundra to Queanbeyan Cootamundra to Mildura |
| Oberon Bus Company | Mount Victoria to Oberon |
| Ogden’s Coaches | Lithgow to Dubbo & Nyngan Bathurst/Dubbo to Cootamudra Dubbo to Lightning Ridge, Bourke & Broken Hill |
| Picton Coaches | Picton to Bowral |
| Port Stephens Coaches | Newcastle to Taree |
| Purtills | Wagga Wagga/Albury to Echuca |
| Roadcoach | Wollongong to Moss Vale Moss Vale to Goulburn |
| Sunstate Coaches | Grafton to Byron Bay Casino to Tweed Heads Casino to Surfers Paradise Casino to Brisbane |
| Symes Coaches | Tamworth/Armidale to Inverell Moree to Grafton |
| Transborder Express | Canberra to Bombala & Eden |
| Western Road Liners | Parkes to Condobolin |
Realtime tracking[]
All NSW TrainLink services can be tracked on realtime apps. Within the area bounded by Point Clare, Newnes Junction (just north of Bell), Macarthur and Kiama, train locations are pulled from the signalling system and so all trains, including freight trains, in this area can be tracked. Train locations are pulled from the MetroNet radio system in two sections (Newnes Junction - Lithgow and Point Clare - Newcastle), so freight trains and other trains without MetroNet radios in this area cannot be tracked. All other NSW TrainLink services operating outside of these areas, including coaches, are tracked by an onboard GPS. This causes some XPT and Xplorer services to show up twice while inside the Sydney suburban area, as their locations are being reported by both the signalling system and the onboard GPS.
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
- ↑ Frequently Asked Questions RailCorp June 2013
- ↑ CountryLink North Coast timetable CountryLink 11 October 2009
- ↑ CountryLink North Western timetable CountryLink 11 October 2009
- ↑ CountryLink Western timetable CountryLink 23 October 2011
- ↑ CountryLink Southern timetable CountryLink 11 October 2009
- ↑ "State Rail Coach Services - The Vehicles" Australian Bus Panorama 9/3 October 1993
- ↑ "Coach Services of the New South Wales State Rail Authority" Australian Bus Panorama 9/2 September 1993