Opal Electronic Ticketing System Is Coming To Western Sydney Trains But....

Yes that is true, as from 28th of February 2014, the NSW for Transport's Opal electronic ticketing system will be expanding to Western Sydney train commuters:

Opal card for Western Sydney by end of month

09 February 2014

NSW Premier and Minister for Western Sydney Barry O’Farrell and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian announced on Sunday 9 February that the Opal electronic ticketing card would be available to train customers in Western Sydney by the end of February, giving tens of thousands more customers a cheaper, faster and more convenient journey.

On 14 February, Opal will be extended to 22 train stations from Homebush to Casula via Granville, as well as along the Carlingford line and to Olympic Park.

A further extension of Opal along 26 stations will occur on 28 February from Harris Park to Emu Plains and also to Richmond via Schofields.

“Today marks a significant milestone for Western Sydney as we modernise the way people use public transport, put an end to the Monday morning queue for a ticket and offer free Friday and weekend travel for regular customers,” said Mr O’Farrell from Parramatta Station.

“We are getting on with the job of delivering - this will make a huge difference for train customers in Western Sydney giving them benefits such as lower fares, weekly travel rewards, daily caps and discounts for off-peak travel,” he said.
“Opal will be available on 120 train stations by the end of the month.”

For an Opal card customer travelling from Penrith to Town Hall the single adult fare is $6.30 compared with $6.80 with a paper ticket, and only $4.41 for an Opal customer travelling off-peak.

For a regular Parramatta to Town Hall train commuter a weekly paper ticket costs $41.00, and with Opal you will only pay $37.60 plus you are rewarded with free travel on any mode for the rest of the week after eight paid journeys.

But....until buses have been launched  if you are traveling on a train and  you  enter a bus to complete next trip, we believe that you will not be able to use the Opal Card until the launching of the buses (by the end of year) - according to an Opal Operator, you will have to pay extra for the bus service.

Click here for Opal Card details

What Happens If You Are Blocked To Get To A Train Station - Parramatta Train Station!

What would you do if you were caught unable to get to the train station due to 'false fire alarm'?

This is what happened at Parramatta train station:

Click here for "False Fire Alarms at Parramatta Train Station' 

Imagine this could have started with a commuter smoking in the public toilets!!!!!!

North West Rail Link Warnings Ignored - Sydney Morning Herald!

Although we have  mentioned this in different blogs,  the double-decker train carriages are still required by the public.

Click Here for the article from the Sydney Morning Herald - Report Jacob Saulwick

NSW For Transport Officers Overlooks Transport Ticketing Officers - Parramatta Train Station!

They say 'Big Brother' is watching! Well, with Public Transport is the Greater Western Sydney is 'Big Brother' is Transport For NSW, whilst 'Big Sister' is the Minister of Transport overlooking 'Big Brother'!


In Parramatta Yesterday, 'Big Brother' - NSW for Transport Officers were overlooking the jobs of Transport Ticketing Officers, who were gladly in great numbers, doing their job by checking tickets and implementing fines!

NSW for Transport Officers spotted at Parramatta Train Station -
 center left of photo in white shirt!

This is unusual as normally  as the Transport Ticketing Officers  mostly are unseen, except for CC TV's that are around! Do you think NSW for Transport should be watching all these Transport Ticketing Officers? Let us know!

Sydney Trains Improvements In First Six Months Of Operation - NSW Government

A  Report from  the NSW Government indicates Sydney Trains has remarkable improvements in the first months of operation. The Minster of Transport is  providing a lot of positive figures, which also indicates the NSW Government with a new CEO since July 2013 and a new implemented uniform are part of these improvements.

We would like to hear from all of you, who experience these improvement or claims these improvement may not be correct - all comments can  will be  read by  all public transport stake holders that are taking interest to our website.

Sydney Trains achieves strong performance in first six months of operation

ShareTweet

You are here

Home > News > Sydney Trains achieves strong performance

PUBLISHED

23rd January 2014

TOPIC

Transport

Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today said Sydney Trains has achieved a strong performance in the first six months, exceeding Peak Punctuality and On Time Running (OTR) targets, and introducing more than 1,000 new services as part of the new timetable.

sydneytrains-perf_760x428.jpg

In the first six months of operation since July 1, 2013, Sydney Trains achieved an overall Peak Punctuality of 94 per cent and OTR of 94.5 per cent – exceeding its 92 per cent target for both measures, Ms Berejiklian said.

“We have worked tirelessly to show customers they are our number one priority and we know from their positive feedback customers are starting to see major improvements,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Customers now have faster journey times, cleaner trains, new technology providing real-time information on mobile apps, and improved announcements.

“Sydney Trains staff now look great with new uniforms and a new positive attitude and are now spending more time on platforms assisting customers with their journey.”

Ms Berejiklian said progress was being made in a number of areas.

“There is still more to do to bring the Sydney Trains network to a standard where we consistently deliver the reliability our customers deserve,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“Significantly though, these improvements to punctuality were achieved while we provided more than 1,000 additional services a week under the new timetable in October.

“This includes more than 600 new express train services across the network every week compared to the previous timetable, by making services faster, and more than 690 extra weekly services for Western Sydney.”

There are also more than 65 brand new state-of-the-art Waratah trains, and when the last of the 78 Waratahs is delivered this year, around 95 per cent of the timetabled fleet will be air-conditioned. This is up from about 70 per cent under Labor.

Customers now have access to mobile phone apps with real time travel information, allowing them to plan their journey and see where their train is.

Opal electronic ticketing has also been introduced on 17 stations from the CBD north to Chatswood, in addition to the City Circle and stations to Bondi Junction, giving customers cheaper fares and ensuring they never have to queue again for a ticket.

Sydney Trains has also been working closely with the NSW Police Transport Command to reduce crime on public transport.

Since coming on line in May 2012, NSW Police Transport Command officers have made nearly 3,660 arrests, laid 6,850 charges, issued 70,000 infringements and conducted over 470 operations.

There are now also 150 Transport Officers on the network, checking tickets to ensure customers have paid the correct fare for their journey, and giving customers an additional point of contact about public transport services.

The first proper deep clean of train seats in 10 years was also undertaken, and cleaning continues to be undertaken by a specialist cleaning service so that customers notice the difference when they travel on trains.

There has also been continued significant investment in maintenance to improve reliability, and a special incident response team has been established to deal with major incidents on the network quickly and reduce disruptions to customers.

Sydney Trains is also continuing with a $60 million program to consolidate 127 outdated maintenance depots into eight purpose-built centres of excellence and four smaller satellite depots. Three of the new facilities have already opened.

Ms Berejiklian also thanked chief executive Howard Collins, who joined Sydney Trains in July after heading up the London Underground, who has been instrumental in delivering rail customers a better service.

“Mr Collins has been fantastic taking this new organisation through a huge change, and his ongoing leadership will be vital as we continue to work hard to deliver improvements with a real focus on customer service,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“This is a sound base to build on through 2014, and we look forward to making further significant improvements in the year ahead.”

Click Here For The Actual Article on the NSW Government Website