NSW TrainLink
| NSW TrainLink | |
|---|---|
 | |
 V set at Sydney Central in July 2013 | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | Regional New South Wales Intercity services Regional services |
| Transit type | Intercity and regional rail |
| Annual ridership | 34.7 million (2013/14) |
| Website | www.nswtrainlink.info |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1 July 2013 |
| Operator(s) | Transport for New South Wales |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1435 |
| Electrification | 1,500V (DC) overhead line |
NSW TrainLink is an Australian train operator. It is owned by the Government of New South Wales and operates most NSW passenger railway services outside of metropolitan Sydney. It is a subsidiary of Transport for New South Wales.[1][2] In the year ended 30 June 2014, 34.7 million journeys were made on NSW Trainlink services, approximately 13 journeys for each regional NSW resident. Intercity services carried 32.9 million passenger journeys and 1.8 million journeys on Regional/Interstate services.[3]
History
In May 2012 the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp.[4][5][6][7]
The NSW TrainLink brand was introduced on 1 July 2013 to coincide with NSW Trains taking over all of CountryLink's services and CityRail's non-suburban services.
NSW Trainlink services were historically known as the 'Country Trains', operating under by-laws distinct from the metropolitan railway network.
NSW Trains 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 Illawarra line from Waterfall to Bomaderry.
Network
NSW TrainLink operate two distinct services, Intercity and Regional/Interstate. Intercity services operate commuter style services, mainly from / to Sydney (limited stops within the metropolitan area). Intercity ticketing uses the MyZone and Opal systems and seats are not reserved. Regional/Interstate services operate in areas of lower population density, providing passenger transport mainly between regional NSW and Sydney (although some cross country coach services operate). Regional/Interstate use a separate, reserved seat ticketing system.
Intercity services
Intercity services operate to a distance approximately 200 kilometres from Sydney, in the north to Dungog, in the north-west to Scone, in the west to Bathurst, in the south to Goulburn, and on the south coast toBomaderry.
Electric services extend from Sydney north to Hamilton (Newcastle), west to Lithgow, and south to Port Kembla & Kiama. Central is the primary station for the railway network being where the majority of services commence or terminate. Local suburban electric services operate in Newcastle and Wollongong.
Diesel services operate mainly where lines have not been electrified. Hunter line services operate from the terminus station at Hamilton (Newcastle) to Maitland and then extend either north to Dungog or north west to Scone. Southern Highlands line services primarily operate between Moss Vale and Campbelltown, with additional services commencing / terminating at Goulburn and Central. South Coast Line services operate between Bomaderry and Kiama, where connecting electric services operate to Sydney. A Western Line daily return diesel service operates between Bathurst and Central.
Train services
| Line colour and name | Between | Electric services | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Blue Mountains | Central a and Lithgow, with limited services to Bathurst | To Lithgow |
 |
Central Coast & Newcastle | Central and Hamilton (Newcastle) | Yes |
 |
South Coast Line | Central b and Bomaderry or Port Kembla | To Kiama and Port Kembla |
 |
Southern Highlands | Campbelltown c and Moss Vale, with limited services to Goulburn | No |
 |
Hunter Line | Hamilton (Newcastle) and Telarah, with limited services to Dungog or Scone | No |
- ^a Some peak services on the Blue Mountains Line run to/from Hornsby
- ^b Some peak services and most weekend services on the South Coast Line run to/from Bondi Junction
- ^c Some peak services on the Southern Highlands Line run to/from Central. At other times, a change of train is required at Campbelltown or Macarthur
Bus and coach services
NSW TrainLink operates a small number of bus services on routes where the railway service has been closed to passengers or as a supplement to rail services. These bus services are operated by private sector bus companies contracted by NSW TrainLink.
| Line colour and name | Between | |
|---|---|---|
 |
South Coast line | Wollongong to Moss Vale/Bundanoon via Robertson (r) |
 |
Southern Highlands line | Moss Vale to Goulburn via Marulan |
|
Southern Highlands line | Picton to Bowral via Thirlmere on weekdays only |
- ^(r) Seat reservations required
Regional/interstate services
NSW TrainLink operates passenger services throughout New South Wales and interstate to Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne. All rail services feature diesel rolling stock. There are a small number of passenger railway services in NSW, including the Indian Pacific, which are not operated by NSW Trainlink.
North Coast
The north coast region covers the Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, and South East Queensland regions. The Government of Queensland makes a financial contribution to the provision of these services. Services operate on the Main North and North Coast lines from Sydney Central station to Roma Street station in Brisbane.[8]
Principal stations served by XPT 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, Tweed Heads and Surfers Paradise.
North Western
The north west region serves the state's Hunter, New England and North West Slopes & Plains regions. Services operate on the Main North line from Sydney Central station to Werris Creek. The service uncouples some carriages to continue on the Main North towards Armidale and another set of carriages continues towards Moree.[9]
Principal stations served by Xplorer trains are:
Cities and towns served by NSW TrainLink coaches connecting off North Western services include: Wee Waa, Inverell, Grafton, Glen Innes and Tenterfield.
Western
The Western region serves the Central Tablelands, Orana, and Far West regions. Services operate on the Main Western line from Sydney Central station to Dubbo and the Broken Hill line to Broken Hill.[10]
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 include: Oberon, Mudgee, Baradine, Cowra, Grenfell, Forbes, Parkes, Condobolin, Lightning Ridge Brewarrina, Bourke, Warren and Broken Hill.
Southern
The Southern region covers the state's Illawarra, South Coast, Monaro, South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands, Riverina, and Sunraysia regions, plus the Australian Capital Territory and parts of Victoria. The Government of Victoria contributes financially to the provision of the interstate services. The ACT Government does not make an ongoing financial contribution. Services operate on the:
- Main South line from Sydney Central station to Albury then continuing on the North East line to Southern Cross station in Melbourne
- Bombala railway line with the line branching off south of Goulburn on the Main South line and then branching off just past Queanbeyan to terminate inside theAustralian Capital Territory at Canberra
- Yanco-Griffith railway line From the Main South Line at Junee services branch off towards Griffith [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 Southern services include: Wollongong, Bombala, Eden, Tumbarumba, Bathurst, Dubbo, Condobolin, Griffith, Mildura and Echuca.
Coach services
,_in_NSW_TrainLink_livery,_Irizar_Century_3700_bodied_Scania_K420EB_at_Wagga_Wagga_Railway_Station.jpg)
,_in_NSW_TrainLink_livery,_Fuso_Rosa_at_Wagga_Wagga_Railway_Station.jpg)
NSW TrainLink continued with the existing contracts entered into by CityRail and CountryLink for the provision of coach services.
On 1 July 2014, the Lithgow to Gulgong, Coonabarabran, Baradine services passed from Greyhound Australia to Ogden's Coaches.[12]
In July 2014, Transport 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 is met.[12][13]
The full list of coach operators providing services as at January 2015 was:[12]
+ not included in January 2015 re-tendering process
Fleet
The NSW TrainLink fleet consists of both diesel and electric traction, with the oldest of the fleet being the V sets and the youngest being the H sets. The Tangaras, and Oscars are shared with Sydney Trains. The entire NSW Trainlink fleet is maintained by Sydney Trains either directly or via a Sydney Trains contract with a private maintenance company.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Carriage Numbers | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km/h | mph | ||||||
| Endeavour Railcar | 
|
Diesel Multiple Unit | 145 | 90 | 28 | Hunter South Coast (Bomaderry to Kiama) Blue Mountains (Bathurst service) Southern Highlands |
1994-96 |
| H Set Oscar | 
|
Electric Multiple Unit | 130 | 81 | 221 (Shared with Sydney Trains) | Central Coast & Newcastle South Coast Blue Mountains (up to Springwood) |
2006-12 |
| Hunter Railcar | 
|
Diesel Multiple Unit | 145 | 90 | 14 | Hunter | 2006 |
| T Set Tangara | 
|
Electric Multiple Unit | 115 | 72 | 447 (Shared with Sydney Trains) | Blue Mountains South Coast |
1987-95 |
| V Set |
|
Electric Multiple Unit | 115 | 72 | 196 | Central Coast & Newcastle Blue Mountains |
1977-89 |
| Xplorer | 
|
Diesel Multiple Unit | 145 | 90 | 23 | North Western Southern (to Canberra and Griffith) Western (to Broken Hill) |
1993 |
| XPT | 
|
Diesel locomotive & Passenger carriage |
160 | 99 | 19 Power cars 60 passenger carriages |
North Coast Southern (to Melbourne) Western (to Dubbo) |
1981-94 |
Future rolling stock
In May 2014, the NSW Government announced its intention to purchase approximately 520 new carriages for the NSW TrainLink intercity network expected to begin service in 2019. These electric trains will replace the V sets and allow at least some H sets to be transferred to Sydney Trains services.[14][15]
In 2015, the NSW Government allocated $7.5 million to start planning for a new fleet of diesel trains to replace the XPTs.[16]
Quiet carriages
Quiet carriages are designated carriages where noise made by passengers are requested to be kept to a minimum. Passengers are asked to place mobile phones on silent, move carriages in order to have a conversation with another passenger and use headphones when listening to music.[17]
Quiet carriages are on Intercity services are located in four carriages on 8 car sets, two carriages on 4 car sets and one carriage on two car sets.[18]
Quiet carriages were first introduced on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line in early 2012 as a three month trial. On 1 September 2012 quiet carriages were permanently introduced and expanded to all intercity services operating on the Blue Mountains and South Coast lines.[17] As of 2013, Quiet Carriages operate on the entire NSW TrainLink intercity network.
External links
Media related to NSW TrainLink at Wikimedia Commons- NSW TrainLink website
References
- ^ Annual Report 30 June 2012 RailCorp
- ^ About the Reform NSW Trains
- ^ "Transport for NSW 2013/14 Annual Report" (PDF). Transport for NSW. p. 32.
- ^ "RailCorp job cuts first of many: unions". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 May 2012.
- ^ "Ruthless RailCorp reforms planned as middle management axed". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 15 May 2012.
- ^ Corporate Plan 2012/13 RailCorp
- ^ "700 jobs to go as RailCorp gets the axe". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 16 November 2012.
- ^ "North Coast timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
- ^ "North West timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
- ^ "Western timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
- ^ "Southern timetable". NSW TrainLink. 7 September 2019.
- ^ a b c "New NSW TrainLink Rural Coach Service Contracts" Australian Bus issue 68 March 2015 page 20
- ^ Provision of NSW Rural Coach Services NSW eTendering 11 July 2014
- ^ NSW Government to invest $2.8 billion in new intercity trains, making all trains air-conditioned Transport for New South Wales 8 May 2014
- ^ Intercity Fleet Program Transport for New South Wales
- ^ "Budget delivers $9 billion for public transport services and infrastructure". Transport for NSW. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ a b Quiet carriages now permanent on Blue Mountains and South Coast intercity services Sydney Trains
- ^ Quiet carriages to expand on South Coast line Illawarra Mercury 3 July 2013
 Train |
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Bus & Coach |
| ||||||
 Ferry |
| ||||||
 Light Rail | |||||||
| Other | |||||||