Mar 13 2009
Traveling by Train in Sydney
Photo credit: Sailor Coruscant
As I don’t have a car, I most often travel around Sydney on the train. There is a large rail network - called CityRail - extending from the centre of Sydney to Newcastle and the Hunter Valley in the north, the Blue Mountains in the west and Wollongong and the Southern Highlands in the south. You can see a map of the network here.
Double decker trains operate on the CityRail network. This is a source of fascination for us Brits, since we only have single decker trains in the UK! When I can, I still like to ride on the top deck and see the view from above!
Nowadays, I usually sit in the area near the doors on the level between the two decks because there is plenty of room for a stroller (pushchair, pram, buggy) there. This is the area shown in the photograph above. It is also very easy to get a stroller on and off the train without any help and the automatic doors are wide enough for a stroller to get through.
Unfortunately, many of the stations are not so stroller or wheelchair friendly! Some of them, especially those in the city centre, have lifts but others have long flights of very steep steps. It is impossible to climb those steps with a stoller without any help. Fortunately, people are usually very helpful (although some of them regret it when they find out how heavy my son and his stroller are!) but there are occasional times when there is no one around to help and that can be quite frustrating.
Although I’ve heard several people complain about CityRail, I think that the service is very good, especially when compared with other cities worldwide. The trains are frequent, they usually arrive on time and the carriages are relatively clean and litter-free.
Hi Martin - You are absolutely right - many Sydneysiders don’t realise how lucky they are! I often hear complaints about the weather too (too hot, raining, or too cold in the winter) - again, they probably don’t realise that the climate could be a lot worse!!
Hi Emm - Yes, they have them in Holland and France (and Germany too, I think). I’ve travelled on double decker trains in continental Europe but they’re still a bit of a novelty for me! Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Hi Nurin - They are great, aren’t they - the view is so much better from the top deck! Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Hi Sher - I’ve heard that the train is not a very popular means of transport in the USA - it’s a shame as it’s so convenient. Glad that you can now enjoy train travel in the Czech Republic - I’ve always thought that there was something romantic about traveling by train in continental Europe - perhaps this idea was inspired by the glamour of the Orient Express!! Thanks for the tag and the nice review!
Wow, that does look like a nice, clean train! It’s nice you can ride on one that clean and safe with your son.
Hi caregivingdaugther - Yes, we are certainly fortunate that the trains are clean and safe.
Hi FickleMinded - Thank you so much for the award - you have made my day!
I thought Australia had a pretty fine public transportation system. It does look like they’ve updated the trains since we were visiting.
Marilynne
Hi Marilynne - I agree and the trains are pretty modern. They’ve just introduced brand new trains on some routes but I prefer the older trains as the seats are more comfortable!