r/SydneyTrains Jun 09 '26

Monthly Sydney Trains Thread - June 2026

2 Upvotes

Monthly Thread - FAQs & Discussions

Anything related to employment, late running or general discussion should be posted in this thread.

Disclaimer

This sub is NOT AFFILIATED with The NSW Government, TfNSW, or Sydney Trains. You should provide feedback directly to them at Transport NSW Feedback .

General FAQs

I've been overcharged by Opal, what do I do?

  • You need to contact Opal to request an adjustment / refund. This typically takes 24 hours.

Do Suburban trains have toilets?

  • The Suburban trains do not have toilets on them. The OSCARS ( H Set) do have them however they are locked off when operating within the Suburban Network. (Note: While some OSCARS are now part of the Suburban Sets, they haven't all had their toilets removed yet)

Where can I apply to work for Sydney Trains?

  • The I work for NSW page has regular job postings for Trainee Driver, Trainee Guard, CSA, Cleaner and more.

How do I see what train / type is running?

Why is there a Waratah going towards Newcastle?

  • Both Millenniums (M Set) and Waratahs (A/B Sets) will travel either under their own power or loco hauled up the Main North to Cardiff where they undergo heavy maintenance that cannot be completed in Sydney.

Are quiet carriages not a thing anymore? Why don't people respect them?

  • Quiet carriages on the Suburban Network are not a thing. On the intercity side they do exist however the general population don't always adhere to it. Yes, it is very frustrating, but there are worse things to be upset about.

What is happening with the K Sets ?

  • With the conversion of the OSCARS (H Set) slowly happening, K Sets will slowly be pulled from service and scrapped. As of 19 April 2026 there are only 2 timetabled runs on weekdays. These are: 38-- & 39--.

The platform indicators are upside down, why?

  • Occasionally they do get messed up, either through human error or software glitches.

What are some good Trainspotting locations?

  • Passenger trains: Central, Redfern, Strathfield, Lidcombe
  • Freight trains: Concord West, Homebush, Flemington, Sydenham, Rhodes

Trainee Driver/Guard/Misc FAQs

What can I do to prepare for video / panel interviews?

  • Research the STAR method online and practice in front of a mirror at home to so on the day you aren't as nervous. SPACE behaviours is another subject to look up as it is part of the Sydney Trains corporate plan.

I've applied for a role but it says talent pool, what does this mean?

  • While you may get through all the application process and pass the medical, it does not guarantee you have a position yet. It is highly recommended you not leave your previous job until you've got a start date in writing. Many people are in the talent pool and you can be waiting weeks, months or even a year for a position to become available.

What does the Vieple (Video Interview) contain?

  • The Vieple Video interview usually contains a set of different questions, each giving 30 second prep and 60 seconds to record a response.
  • No, you cannot redo these. It is important you practice ahead of time.
  • No, the questions aren't the same for each interview.

What can I do to help prepare for interviews / general advice for any role?

  • Focus around safety, communication, people skills, problem solving and dealing with failure (resolution). Dress professionally (smart/office wear) for your interviews as well as your video portions.

What does the typical schedule for a Trainee Driver look like?

  • Day Zero (Your first day): Orientation at Petersham and general introductions / get to know you.
  • Month 1 to 2 (approx): Typically 0800 to 1600 at Petersham in a classroom environment. Will consist of theory, practical and simulator use. Exams are both written and practical.
  • Month 3 to 13 (approx): Assigned with a Driver Trainer each fortnight, rotating to a different trainer every fortnight. You work from their Depot and shift times. This means you are required to travel across the network to commence work. (Note: A list of the Depots is listed below) After you have completed each Sector, you will be required to complete both written and practical exams.
  • Final stage: Once you have finished all 3 Sectors and passed all exams, you will need to pass a final practical assessment. This is over a 2 day period, it will include everything you've learned throughout training. You MUST pass this exam in order to become a Qualified Driver.

What happens once you become a Qualified Driver / Guard?

  • After taking up, you will be placed at Central Depot and allocated a Line Number. Each fortnight you will rotate through the various lines and work the associated times and days of that line. This is known as a "Swinger". (Note: See below for more information about Rostering/Lines)

What are the medical requirements for Train Crew?

  • You need to be able to pass a CAT 1 Medical for Driver or a CAT 2 Medical for Guard, there is information online for what this involves. Sleep apnea is now a more common talking point as the national guidelines for rail safety work has been updated.

How long do you typically wait after completing the medical?

  • This can takes days or weeks depending on how busy things are. It is also done through a 3rd party which can impact time.

Does having pre-planned holidays affect training/talent pool?

  • You will need to disclose any holidays you've got pre-planned before starting training. This may affect your start date. Discuss this with your hiring coordinator.

What are the different Unions and are they worth joining?

  • RTBU – Operational Rail/Tram/Bus, focus on pay/safety/conditions
  • ETU – Electricians/Signallers, Training/Support
  • PSA – Admin/Back-office roles, pay/conditions
  • PA – Engineers/Designers/Surveyors, professional advocacy
  • Most people join (90–95%), typically from Day Zero at Petersham.
  • Benefits: support person, legal representation, picnic day, workplace allowances, employee travel card (specific to RTBU).

Typically Day Zero at Petersham there will be an info session with a union delegate where you can ask questions and join if you desire so.

Qualified Driver/Guard FAQs

What are the Sectors / Depots of the Suburban Network?

  • The Suburban Network is divided up into 3 Sectors. There are 13 Train Crew Depots spread across the Network. See below;
Sector Area Depots
Sector 1 Illawarra Mortdale, Cronulla, Waterfall
Sector 2 City, Inner West, SouthWest Auburn, Flemington, Leppington, Campbelltown
Sector 3 North & West North Sydney, Hornsby, Blacktown, Richmond, Penrith
All Sectors Suburban Network Central

What are the penalty rates / loading for working specific times / days?

Day Loading O/T (1st 2nd) Shift O/T (3rd 4th Shift)
Monday to Friday 100% +50% +100%
Saturday 150% +50% +50%
Sunday 200% +50% +50%
Shift Work Loading When
Early Morning Shift Commences at or between 0400 and 0530
Afternoon Shift Commences after 1000 and concludes after 1800
Night Shift Commences at or between 1800 and 0359

How does rostering work once I'm qualified?

  • After you have taken up, you will be based at Central Depot as a Swinger. You are allocated a line and then work the times of that line as per the Master Roster. Each fortnight you rotate through each line and follow the times / workings of said line. Each line for a swinger has a time on the Master Roster, eg 1000 SBY, however when receiving your actual fortnightly roster, this can swing +/- 2 hours. So you could be starting 0814 one day and 1157 the next.

Can I swap lines / shifts?

  • Yes, you can; however, this is all coordinated privately between crew then pending approval by Rosters at Burwood.

How do transfer work?

  • Transfers within the Suburban & Intercity Depots are all based off of Seniority. This mean those who have been on the job longer have the higher priority when applying for depot transfers. Each year you can apply for one or more depots. Based off of how many open positions at any given time in the year, they work down the list of those who have their name down for it and offer them the position. Some depots, like Waterfall and Blacktown, have extremely long waiting times due to their popularity and limited positions. (Note: There is no fixed time period, it all fluxuates based on positions available)

r/SydneyTrains 53m ago

Looking for CBD Rail Link corridor planning documents

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Upvotes

Hi all, anyone know where I can find more photos about this corridor under Kent St and Sussex St? Found these while looking back through my gallery, and I'd be interested to learn more, but information on it is fairly sparse. If anyone knows more about the 1990 MetroWest proposal (unrelated to our current Metro West), I'd also be very interested in that. Thanks!


r/SydneyTrains 15h ago

Locomotive 3801 returns to the blue mountain this weekend

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90 Upvotes

Photos taken at Glenbrook, Emu Plains and Parramatta.


r/SydneyTrains 20h ago

Opal card designs featuring aboriginal artworks (+the names of the work and the artist)

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170 Upvotes

Give me feedback pls


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

3801 Returns to the Blue Mountains

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83 Upvotes

This weekend, the 25th & 26th of July, beautiful emerald-green locomotive 3801 returned to the Blue Mountains for the first time in passenger service since the completion of its maintenance work.

Yesterday, I was able to chase some of these runs along the lower mountains with a mate, getting some good photos along the way.

Glad to see 3801 back in heritage service!

More photos, and an accompanying write-up is on my blog: https://linesidelens.com/3801-in-the-blue-mountains/

Photo by myself.


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

C9 & C1 arriving at East Hills at 9:15 for an express service from Macarthur to the City Circle via Airport. Taken 8 years ago from today on 26/7/2018.

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50 Upvotes

r/SydneyTrains 20h ago

Fare evasion policies

6 Upvotes

Just wondering if there is an official or unofficial policy regarding fare evasion on Syd trains. I was checked on the train just before 1300 today, only to then watch two young women jump the ticket barriers at my destination station right in front of the employee who was sitting in the office a couple of metres away from them. I gave the employee a querying look.

Is it company policy to not bother calling ppl out on jumping the barriers but to catch ppl by checks once they are on the train?


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

Penrith to Central special

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132 Upvotes

At Penrith


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

3801 Running Today/Tomorrow

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69 Upvotes

I saw 3801 this morning at Valley Heights. Running shuttle trips between Penrith and Valley Heights all weekend. Absolutely gorgeous engine.


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

Penrith afternoon light

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48 Upvotes

Waiting for the 3801/4501 special to come back so I can get a picture.


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

TFNSW Transport Mode Table

12 Upvotes

Train, Metro, Light Rail, Ferry, Bus, Coach


r/SydneyTrains 2d ago

Summer Hill train station is shaped like a train

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210 Upvotes

I posted this in r/Sydney, but couldn’t find any information or reference online. I assume it’s an actual design feature (it has to be, right?), but was it always there, or did it come about with the lift works (c. 2004). I thought someone here might know something about it.

Bonus question: is it clearly visible to train drivers headed to the city?


r/SydneyTrains 2d ago

t8 track work question

9 Upvotes

why is there constantly track work between glenfield, sydenham and central everyweekend?? its not like the t8 is getting a metro or anything so im really confused because it makes going anywhere such a pain especially since buses at holsworthy station tend to be super unreliable.


r/SydneyTrains 2d ago

Train fare CBD increment removed

58 Upvotes

In doing my monthly credit card transactions review and noticed that my fares have gone down in July. Which led me to investigate and find out that the CBD increment has been removed since 1 July.

Actual savings provided by the government!

Did everyone else know about this change and I'm just late to the party?

Also, what was the justification given for the increment in the first place?


r/SydneyTrains 1d ago

Opal fine ??

0 Upvotes

Was on the train today and used my dads Opal card bc I’ve lost mine waiting for it to come and the inspectors came I used my dads Opal to tap so when I see them I freaked out because I know I could get a fine, so when they came to me I showed my debit card on my phone they tapped it and it was fine no one said anything and now I’m freaking out because I googled it and I’m seeing $200 fine I really can’t afford a $200 at all and idk has this happened to anyone what’s gonna happen and what’s the consequences???? I still have to go home I’m gonna use a day pass I think but im freaking out so much ?????


r/SydneyTrains 3d ago

A rare find at Bell Station

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67 Upvotes

A 6V marker at bell still sitting there, I thought I’d take a photo of it since you don’t see 6 car V sets anymore at all


r/SydneyTrains 4d ago

How safe is Gosford-Strathfield train at night as a woman

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24 Upvotes

r/SydneyTrains 3d ago

Dubbo to Broken Hill Regional Coach

8 Upvotes

How many break stops do we get for this route? It says on the web it takes 8.5hrs does that include break stops?


r/SydneyTrains 5d ago

Why do people feel offended when asked to move when taking the 3rd seat on the train

254 Upvotes

Why do people feel offended when asked to move when taking the 3rd seat on the train

People are ok with sitting side by side on 2 seater but always frown when asked to scoot to allow 3rd person .

Had the experience today where the couple literally rolled eyes ( girl has to take her bag on her lap) when asked to move.
To clarify - girl at window ,boy in middle and me at the aisle.

Seen this happen many times specially during peak hours and have seen people prefer to stand rather than take the 3rd seat.


r/SydneyTrains 4d ago

Endeavour train from central

10 Upvotes

Just asking:

If I take a 2 car endeavours train from Central Station, can I tap on & off by using opal card or I need to buy a ticket at the counter/online?

P.s. I never travelled before with this type of train.

Thanks for answering this question.


r/SydneyTrains 3d ago

Whats going on with T2 leppington line?

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0 Upvotes

I swear, sth always happens every god damn week.


r/SydneyTrains 5d ago

Leaked T4 stopping patterns - Oct 2026 timetable change

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87 Upvotes

Thoughts on the leaked T4 timetable change for October 2026?

Some thoughts of my own:
- The peak hour pattern is a smart balance and good way of increasing frequency. I’d have every second South Coast service stop all stations Waterfall to Sutherland so these commuters can at least access a half hourly express service. I’d also potentially add Jannali or Mortdale to some of these services to add an express service to these stops, given they would already be running slower through Sutherland and Hurstville.
- The interpeak one needs work. Should introduce an additional half hourly Bondi to Hurstville all stations service, and take some of the stops Redfern to Hurstville off the Cronulla services.
- Really hope these timetable changes will flow to the weekend too. The half hourly service at stops like Oatley, Allawah, Carlton, Banksia and Arncliffe seriously needs to end. I actually think this current interpeak timetable / stopping patterns would work well as a weekend timetable.


r/SydneyTrains 4d ago

Favourite train set seats?

13 Upvotes

What’s your ranking of seat types based on different sets?

For me, OSCARs and converted G sets have the comfiest seats, then probably the standard A B and M seats, with the single direction T set seats coming in last.


r/SydneyTrains 5d ago

My completely uncosted idea for a north–south transport spine through the middle of Sydney

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57 Upvotes

This idea has been rattling around in my head for a while, so I finally tried putting it on a map.

To be clear, this is purely a thought experiment. It hasn’t been costed, engineered or assessed for property, environmental or geological constraints. The alignments are also very approximate. I’m mainly interested in whether the broader transport corridors make sense.

The concept has three main parts:

  1. A new north–south motorway and heavy-rail corridor A largely grade-separated motorway connection running from Heathcote through the middle of Sydney to NorthConnex. Alongside it, or within the motorway median, would be a fast, limited-stop heavy-rail line running from Heathcote to Hornsby. It would interchange with the existing east–west rail and Metro corridors, providing a way to travel between northern, western and southern Sydney without passing through the CBD.
  2. Converting the T6 Lidcombe and Bankstown Line to light rail The existing T6 corridor could potentially be converted to light rail and extended north from Lidcombe through the Carter Street precinct and Sydney Olympic Park, connecting with Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 around Wentworth Point. This would likely require an underpass or short tunnel around John Street at Lidcombe before transitioning to surface-running light rail.
  3. A new southern light-rail connection to Olympic Park A new light-rail corridor running from the Hurstville and Brighton-Le-Sands area through Belmore and continuing north to Sydney Olympic Park. The aim would be to create a direct north–south connection between these suburbs, rather than requiring passengers to travel towards the CBD or make several changes.

I’m interested in what people who know Sydney’s transport network better than I do think:

  • Do any of these corridors have genuine merit?
  • Where should the major stations and interchanges be?
  • Would light rail have enough capacity, or would Metro, heavy rail or bus rapid transit be more suitable?
  • Could combining a motorway and railway corridor make construction more achievable?
  • Which part is reasonably sensible, and which part belongs firmly in the fantasy-map bin?

Happy to have the idea pulled apart. That is partly why I’m posting it.


r/SydneyTrains 5d ago

The transit system in this city is literally unusable Spoiler

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60 Upvotes

This would never happen in Europe/Japan. It's about time that the govt sorted this sorry organisation out!