NSW Govt invests $180m to modernise Central Station rail network

New South Wales’ More Trains, More Services program will continue modernising the rail network at Central Station’s Grand Concourse with a further $180 million funding commitment from the State Government. 

The next stage of the program will not only provide commuters with more frequent and reliable train services, but it will also deliver critical railway infrastructure works to station platforms so it can accommodate the new fleet of trains, allowing about 15 trains every hour to access the platforms at the Grand Concourse. 

“The More Trains, More Services initiative will simplify and bring our rail network into the 21st century, creating high capacity, turn up and go services for commuters. 

“We are committed to future-proofing the existing rail network and ensuring it remains in the best shape for generations to come. The investment will upgrade rail infrastructure and improve signalling to increase reliability, resilience and frequency of services. 

“Updating ageing critical signalling assets with new-generation technology means the rail network can recover faster after extreme weather or technical failures, leading to fewer delays and cancellations for our commuters,” Minister for Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney David Elliott said. 

The More Trains, More Services program aims to simplify as well as modernise the region’s rail network while also supporting service changes starting in 2024 to integrate services running on the Sydney Metro City & Southwest network with the heavy rail network. 

This additional funding builds on the State Government’s existing investment of over $5.3 billion in the program, which has already delivered 41 new Waratah Series 2 trains along with more than 1,700 additional weekly services since 2017. 

Key benefits of the program include: 

• More services for the T8 Airport Line, including an 80 per cent increase at Airport stations 
• A 30 per cent increase in peak services on the T4 Illawarra Line, with extra services from Cronulla, Waterfall and Hurstville 
• More services on the T2 Inner West Line, with an extra four services in the peak 
• More services on the South Coast Line, meaning a service every 15 minutes on the peak and every 30 minutes in the off peak between Wollongong and the Sydney CBD 
• New trains are also being delivered as part of the program including 98 additional Mariyung fleet carriages 

Source: Transport for NSW (1, 2); Roads & Infrastructure Australia