School excursions
When travelling as a group for school excursions, please ensure there is a minimum of 1 teacher or carer for every 5 pre-school aged children or infants. For primary or secondary school children, there needs to be a minimum of 1 teacher or carer for every 20 students.
Each child and adult in the excursion group requires their own Opal card.
Child/Youth Opal cards are for personal travel including school excursions using public transport.
Schools are encouraged to ask parents to provide their child with a Child/Youth Opal card prior to school excursions. It is important to ensure there are sufficient funds on each card to cover the excursion travel expenses.
School Opal cards are for travel to and from school on school days only. School Opal cards do not include travel to school excursions, after-school care, sport and other activities away from school.
Schools can also have additional topped up Child/Youth Opal cards for students who have forgotten or lost their Opal card, or have insufficient funds to travel.
Adults travelling with the student group will need to use their own Opal card.
Students aged 16 years and older must carry their Transport Concession Entitlement card. These are issued by the school as proof of concession entitlement.
Schools should contact their local transport operator for school excursion travel and ticketing information outside the Opal network and in regional NSW.
Schools planning to take students on metro services should contact Metro Trains Sydney before the trip. Metro Trains Sydney will be able to provide relevant information on services at the time of the planned excursion, such as trackwork.
Schools can contact Metro Trains Sydney by phone (02) 9854 4602 or email at info@metrotrains-sydney.com.au.
Larger groups should be prepared and not expect to travel together on one train.
- Arrive at the station 20 minutes before departure time.
- If more than one group is travelling on the same train, ensure groups are spread throughout all carriages.
- It is essential that carers and teachers assist station staff with boarding students as quickly as possible onto trains so as to avoid delaying the train.
- Teachers and carers are asked to maximise the number of children per seat on the train.
If departing from a train station within the Sydney Trains network, send your information at least 3 weeks in advance via the Sydney Trains excursions form and you will contacted by a Sydney Trains staff member.
NSW TrainLink provides school groups with a safe and reliable way to travel.
When planning the excursion:
- Organisers need to contact NSW TrainLink on 13 22 32 to make the reservation.
- Arrive with plenty of time before departure, especially if luggage needs to be checked in.
- Tell your local station manager when you will be departing and returning and how many will be travelling.
- Ensure each child is aware of and adheres to luggage restrictions.
- While on board, school children are expected to maintain the same level of safe and courteous behaviour required of adult passengers.
- If travelling into Sydney, please try to avoid peak times on weekdays, 7am-9m and 4am-7pm.
Schools can charter buses for school excursions. To find out more about chartering a bus, contact your local transport operator.