Grafton Express

The Grafton Express is an Australian passenger train operated by NSW TrainLink between Sydney and Grafton via the North Coast line.

Grafton Express

XPT at Sydney Terminal in November 2007
Overview
Service type	Passenger train
Status	Operational
First service	June 1990
Current operator(s)	NSW TrainLink
Former operator(s)	CountryLink State Rail Authority
Route
Termini	Sydney Grafton
Distance travelled	696 kilometres
Service frequency	daily in each direction
Line(s) used	North Coast
Technical
Rolling stock	XPT

As of 2023, the 'Grafton Express' is an unofficial legacy name for the XPT service. Over the years, it has fallen out of official use by NSW TrainLink.

In February 1990, the long-standing Holiday Coast XPT was axed as part of a restructure of CountryLink services.[1] With the other XPT services struggling to keep up with weekend demand, in June 1990 a service to Grafton was reinstated.[2] It ran on Fridays only to Grafton and Sundays only to Sydney[3] but during school holidays ran daily. It was formed of locomotive hauled HUB/RUB stock with the headcode NL35/NL36.[4]

Initially hauled by 86 class electric locomotives south of Broadmeadow, however from March 1992 it was hauled by diesel locomotives throughout usually a 442 class. The locomotive hauled Grafton Express last ran in November 1993.[4]

With the National Party having lost a number of North Coast seats in the 1990 Federal election in a policy reversal it was announced that Xplorer railcars would be purchased to extend the Northern Tablelands Express with an XPT to be released to operate a daily service to Grafton.[5] Thus in November 1993 the Grafton XPT began, a service that continues today.[6]