Summer holiday transport
During summer holidays, especially over Christmas and New Year, metro, trains, buses, ferries and light rail may not run as usual. However, there will still be plenty of services to cater for everyone’s needs.
Travelling to the airport
If you’re heading interstate or overseas, and are heading to Sydney Airport, the AirportLink train is the most convenient option for travelling between major Sydney CBD train stations and the international and domestic airport terminals it will be busy so allow more travel time to the airport.
Please make sure to plan your trip before you travel.
If you do choose to drive, check the traffic at livetraffic.com before you leave.
Late night services
Don’t get caught out after a night out. There are late night public transport services from the Sydney CBD to get you home.
- Ferries run till various times between 6pm and 12.20am from Circular Quay.
- L1 light rail services run between Central Station (Grand Concourse) and Dulwich Hill, from 6am to 11pm (midnight on Friday) daily.
- The L2 and L3 light rail services run until 1am between Circular Quay and Randwick or Juniors Kingsford.
- Buses will run from midnight to 4.30am out of the city to various locations such as Sutherland, Penrith and Liverpool.
Plan ahead for your late night travel.
Summer timetables summary
| Dates | Metro |
|---|---|
| Monday 19 – Friday 23 December 2022 |
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Christmas Eve |
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Christmas Day |
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Boxing Day |
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Christmas Bank holiday Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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New Year’s Eve |
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New Year’s Day |
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New Year's Day Bank Holiday Monday |
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Australia Day |
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- Sydney and Intercity trains will run a changed timetable over the summer holiday period. Plan your trip for the latest travel information.
- Trackwork may affect your travel over the holiday period. Please check travel alerts and trackwork before you travel.
Timetable & service changes by date
|
Dates |
Train |
|---|---|
|
Monday 19 – Friday 23 December 2022 |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Normal weekday timetable |
|
Christmas Eve Saturday |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
|
Christmas Day |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
|
Boxing Day |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
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Christmas Bank Holiday |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
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Wednesday |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
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Thursday |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
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Friday |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
|
New Year’s Eve |
Sydney and Intercity Trains:
|
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New Year’s Day |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
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New Year's Day Bank Holiday Monday |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
|
Australia Day |
Sydney and Intercity Trains: Weekend timetable |
- Between Christmas and New Year some bus timetables may change. Extra services will be provided for big events throughout December and January. Plan your trip for up-to-date travel information.
|
Dates |
Bus |
|---|---|
|
Monday 19 – Friday 23 December |
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Christmas Eve Saturday |
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Christmas Day |
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Boxing Day |
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Christmas Bank Holiday Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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New Year’s Eve |
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New Year’s Day |
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New Year's Day Bank Holiday Monday |
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Australia Day |
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- Sydney Harbour is always busy over the summer, plan your trip in advance and allow extra travel time.
- From 19 December 2022 to 26 January 2023 there will be extra F1 Manly services.
- Garden Island Wharf is closed.
- For service changes outside of Sydney Harbour, check out details on operator websites.
|
Dates |
Ferry |
|
Monday 19 - Friday 23 December 2022 |
|
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Christmas Eve Saturday |
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Christmas Day |
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Boxing Day |
Services affected by the midday harbour closures for Sydney Hobart Yacht race. |
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Christmas Bank Holiday Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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New Year’s Eve |
Most ferry services will stop running to Circular Quay from around 5pm as the harbour closes, with limited services resuming after the midnight fireworks on New Year’s Day.
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New Year’s Day |
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New Year's Day Bank Holiday Monday |
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Australia Day |
Services affected by harbour closures in the morning and evening for Australia Day Celebrations.
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Light rail services run on a frequency basis. Always check the Trip Planner, travel alerts, travel apps or the information boards at stops to check the status of the next services on the day.
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Dates |
Light rail |
|
Monday 19 – Friday 23 December 2022 |
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Christmas Eve |
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Christmas Day |
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Boxing Day |
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Christmas Bank Holiday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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New Year’s Eve |
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New Year’s Day |
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New Year's Day Bank Holiday Monday |
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Australia Day |
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More ways to pay
If you don’t have an Opal card, you can tap on and tap off with your contactless enabled American Express, Mastercard or Visa credit/debit card, or a linked device (like a phone or smart watch) to pay your fare on public transport.**
If you use an overseas-issued card, your issuer may charge foreign transaction fees.
You will be charged an Adult Opal fare and receive all the same travel benefits and discounts of an Adult Opal card when you consistently tap on and tap off.
** Contactless cards and devices cannot be used in place of Opal cards to access Transport Park&Ride car parks, or to pay On Demand Public Transport fares.
Opal
Opal cards are reusable smartcards that you tap on and tap off at Opal readers across the public transport network to pay for travel.
You will need to add value to your Opal card before you can use it. Always tap on at the beginning of your trip and tap off at your destination to validate your travel and ensure you are charged the correct fare.