Sydney Trains

The first expansion of the Sydney suburban network after the restructuring of CityRail into Sydney Trains occurred in 2015 when the South West Rail Link opened between Glenfield and Leppington.

In 2018, some sections of the network began to be transferred to the city's metro and light rail networks. The Epping to Chatswood Rail Link between Chatswood and Epping was closed for conversion in September 2018 to form part of the Sydney Metro Northwest, which opened in May 2019.[11][12] The section of the Carlingford Line between Camellia and Carlingford closed in January 2020 and will form part of the Parramatta Light Rail network.[13] The adjacent section of track between Clyde and Camellia, including Rosehill railway station, also became disused.[14] The light rail is expected to open in May 2024.[13] The section of the Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Bankstown will form part of Sydney Metro City & Southwest, which is due to open in 2024.[15]

Sydney Trains operates electric suburban lines across metropolitan Sydney.

In conjunction with a new timetable released on 20 October 2013, the Sydney Trains network was reorganised with a new numbering system. The number of lines was reduced from eleven to seven by merging several lines.

An eighth line was created on 26 November 2017 by splitting the T2 line into two separate lines. T5 services were also modified to no longer travel to and from Campbelltown, instead starting and terminating at Leppington.[16]

From 28 April 2019, the T1 line from Gordon to Hornsby via Strathfield was renumbered T9, whilst the portion from Berowra to Richmond & Emu Plains via Chatswood and Parramatta remained T1. T9 is red.[17]

The T6 Carlingford Line, which operated between Clyde and Carlingford, ceased operations on 5 January 2020.

The Bankstown line will be extended and it will be driverless.[18]

The Grand Concourse of Central Station

The main hub of the Sydney Trains system is Central Station, which most lines pass through. Central is also the terminus of most NSW TrainLink lines. After leaving Central, trains coming from the T2 Inner West & Leppington Line, T3 Bankstown Line and T8 Airport & South Line then travel through the City Circle – a ring line beneath the Sydney central business district. After completing the City Circle, these trains pass through Central for a second time and return to the suburbs. The T1 North Shore & Western, T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra and T9 Northern lines pass through the central business district and continue to other areas of Sydney. The T5 Cumberland Line serves Western Sydney and provides access to the major centre of Parramatta from the southwest of the city without requiring a change of trains at Granville. The T7 Olympic Park Line is a suburban shuttle service.

NightRide bus services established in 1989, replace trains between midnight and 4:30 am, leaving the tracks clear of trains for maintenance work. Such bus services mainly stop near stations operating typically at hourly intervals (some routes depart more frequently on weekends). Many services depart the city from bus stops near Town Hall station.[19] NightRide services are contracted to external bus operators and are identified by route numbers beginning with "N".

Sydney Trains operates a fleet of double-deck electric multiple units. The trainsets are divided into the following classes:

Sydney Trains fleet

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Carriages	Entered service	Formation	Routes
			km/h	mph
K sets		Electric multiple unit	115	71	160	1981–1985	4 cars	T2 T3 T8
T sets			115	71	447	1988–1995		T1 T4 T9 T2
M sets			130	81	140	2002–2005		T5 T2 T3 T7 T8
H sets			130	81	220	2006–2012		T1 T4 T9
A sets			130	81	626	2011–2014	8 cars	T1 T2 T3 T5 T7 T8 T9
B sets			130	81	328	2018–2021		T2 T3 T8 T1 T7 T9

Though primarily operated by NSW TrainLink, some H sets are also used on suburban services, and with the delivery of the D sets for operations on regional NSW TrainLink lines in 2020, most of the sets will be transferred to suburban services.

All A, B and M sets are maintained by Downer Rail. Their contract for the M sets was extended by 10 years from June 2017.[20] All other types of trains including the V and H sets are maintained by UGL Unipart. The contract with UGL Unipart was extended for two years from 1 July 2019.[21]

The Sydney Trains network is divided into three sectors, based around three maintenance depots.[22] Trainsets are identified by target plates, which are exhibited on the front lower nearside of driving carriages.[23] Each target plate includes the letter of the class the set belongs to and the number of the individual set. Waratahs do not have a target plate, but instead, have the information written directly on the front of the train. The composition and formations of train sets and the target designations are subject to alteration. M sets and H sets carry green target plates.

A service at the Domestic Airport station

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.

2022–23 Transport for NSW patronage in Sydney by mode[31]

Mode	Patronage	% of total
Metro	19, 738 ,171	3.93
Train	229, 666 ,997	45.75
Bus	206, 846 ,833	41.20
Ferry	13, 230 ,548	2.64
Light rail	32, 518 ,814	6.48
Total	502, 001 ,363	100.00

Ticket barriers at Wynyard station

Sydney Trains currently uses the Opal card ticketing system which was introduced to the network in April 2014.[32] The fare system is fully integrated with the Sydney Metro network and the NSW TrainLink Intercity network – trips involving suburban, metro and intercity services are calculated as a single fare and there is no interchange penalty. Students who use the Sydney Trains network to get to and from schools can apply for a free school Opal card. Opal is also valid on bus, ferry, and light rail services but separate fares apply for these modes. The following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single-trip tickets:[33]

^ = $2.50 for Senior/Pensioner cardholders

A surcharge is levied when using the two privately operated stations serving Sydney Airport:

As there are no return or periodical options available, reusable Opal cards include several caps to reduce the cost for frequent travellers:

The previous ticketing system was introduced in 1992 and was based on magnetic stripe technology. It was shut down on 1 August 2016.[36]