Sydney Rail Repair Plan

The NSW Government has commenced work on the Sydney Rail Repair Plan – the biggest co-ordinated program of rail maintenance ever undertaken in Sydney.

Background

The Plan is in response to the recent 12 recommendations made by the expert panel conducting the Sydney Trains Review. 

Sydney Trains operates Sydney’s suburban passenger rail network comprising 919km of electrified track and 169 stations, including four stations on the Airport Line, across eight lines.

Each day, 3,200 timetabled services deliver around 720,000 passenger journeys. Sydney Trains is responsible for the management of more than $46 billion in assets, including the maintenance of almost 2,000km of track, 2,134 electric and diesel cars, and over 1,536km of electric wiring.

Sydney Trains has mapped out a large-scale maintenance program that is currently taking place every weekend for approximately the next year, designed to carry out several years' worth of normal maintenance works in that time. The works will cost an estimated $97 million funded out of existing unspent budgets.

The Rail Repair Plan

  • More than 1,900 high priority defects repaired
  • Around 3,700 repairs, upgrades, and refurbishments
  • Around 100 worksites every weekend (around 300 additional worksites on some weekends)
  • Around 450km of rail repair, such as grinding, and electrical inspections
  • Work is being staggered across different lines on different weekends.

 

Happening now

Work on the maintenance program began on Saturday 3 June 2023, and will result in service disruptions until its completion. Work is being prioritised during existing trackwork windows on weekends, weeknights or during school holidays when fewer people are catching trains.

Around 600,000 weekend passengers will be impacted with normal train services replaced with buses over the next 12 months.

Extra information is available at all stations to assist passengers.

Plan your trip in advance by visiting transportnsw.info. You can use helpful tools like the Trip Planner and Opal Travel app.

Stay up-to-date with the latest changes by checking travel alerts or subscribing to the trackwork alert email.

Community information

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