r/SydneyTrains

"The proposed Newcastle to Sydney High Speed Rail should have Parramatta, not Central, as its primary destination.

That’s according to the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, which has challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to expand the thought process for the project beyond the centre of Sydney.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue Chairman Christopher Brown issued the plea at last week’s Airport City Summit, which focused on the soon-to-be-opened Western Sydney International Airport and its impact on western Sydney.

Modelling undertaken by the Dialogue shows focusing on Parramatta instead of Central would slash at least $15 billion off the cost of the High Speed Rail project, be delivered at least two years earlier, and better reflect the city’s demographic and economic future.

“We call on the Prime Minister to direct the High Speed Rail Authority board to spend the allocated $660 million for the scoping report to be broadened to include the viability of both options to determine which approach is best – not just for the West but the whole of NSW and beyond,” Brown said.

“Decisions made today will inform how Sydney moves, grows and connects for generations. This is a project decades in the making and one that will impact us for many years to come. We can’t afford to get this wrong.”

The Federal Government continues to fund the early stages of planning the project, with the hope that it may be ready for construction in 2028.

Albanese said the airport’s arrival would transform western Sydney and was far more than planes and passengers.

“I think this is going to be far more successful than anyone envisages, that in five years’ time…we’ll be talking about how we underestimated how successful it has been,” he said at the Summit.

Dialogue CEO Adam Leto said the once-in-a-generation airport project would define the region for decades to come.

“This incredible infrastructure will unlock new jobs, create a pipeline of skills and support the growth of both established and emerging industries that will support Western Sydney communities and businesses well into the future,” Mr Leto said.

“The Airport City Summit provided an opportunity to not only reflect on the decades-long advocacy that delivered the airport but also look ahead to the next transformative projects for the region, led by High Speed Rail.”"

I rode the metro yesterday. It seemed like a long distance between those two stations compared to the spacing of stations further south.

Was any consideration given in the route planning for a station at Naremburn or Willoughby? Or would that have made tunnels and grades difficult?

Considering moving to Sutherland and want to get a full picture of the potential commute to work! In peak hour (leaving \~7:30-8:30am) do you easily get a seat, getting on the train at Sutherland station?

I have to travel overseas from a non Sydney airport and baulked at the cost of flight+bags.

So naturally I checked the buses and was also shocked at the cost.

Then I checked the train and found out it came out much cheaper than the rest of them.

Is the XPT really that bad in terms of customer experience? Why would it be significantly cheaper than a greyhound or flix bus with a similar departure time.

"While unable to give a specific breakdown of the $12 billion in funding, which will commence in three years, the NSW government said the funds would go towards building the new Tangara fleet, the manufacturing facility, associated maintenance, facility upgrades, and infrastructure works.

...
Constructed in 1987, the 55 Tangara trains – which form a quarter of Sydney Trains’ stock – were due to be retired in 2027."

Wondering if any guards or others in the know can clarify what the go is with the timing of closing the doors for departure on suburban services?

When you look at the platform displays, the countdown goes from “1 min” to blank (i.e. departing now) with 20 seconds to go before the timetabled departure time, but I’ve noticed guards are often closing the doors with ~30 seconds to go.

Maybe the lesson here is I should stop trying to speedrun my journey from my office to the platform but that extra 10 seconds would be nice to stop me having to sprint up the Circular Quay stairs…

And I shall dub it "hi-viz hour".

At first I thought it was just my train, but then as we pulled into Central all the platforms and train windows were literally glowing flouro orange and yellow.

I know for lots of you that's just every day but for me it was a novelty.

Hi folks, As the title says, I’m picking up someone elderly from central station on Saturday afternoon. I’m wondering where I might be able to park with the shortest walk to the car? I only plan to be parked long enough to go inside, meet them at the platform and return to the car. Maybe about 30 mins if the train is a bit delayed. They are not disabled, so I’ll be leaving the disabled parking spots for those who need them, just in case anyone thinks to ask whether they might have a disabled parking permit. Thanks in advance!

Its kinda ridiculous you can't get around the Northern Beaches without a car if you've got a bike with you. And there's no alternatives like trains either.