NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian today announced Opal electronic ticketing would be rolled out to the entire Sydney Trains network by 28 March, making Opal active at 190 train stations and marking the delivery of a key election commitment.
On 28 March, Opal will become available to customers at an additional 70 Sydney Trains stations from Green Square to Macarthur, Erskineville to Liverpool and Lidcombe, Sydenham to Waterfall and Cronulla.
A further extension on 4 April will see Opal fast-tracked to another 52 stations on the NSW TrainLink South Coast Line to Wollongong, Port Kembla and Bomaderry and the Southern Highlands Line to Goulburn.
“Today’s announcement is a significant milestone for customers, meaning they will be able to travel anywhere on the Sydney Trains network without worrying about queuing for a ticket and access the benefits like cheaper travel for regular commuters,” Mr O’Farrell said.
“The rollout of the Opal card marks the delivery of one of our key election commitments and highlights the difference between this Government and Labor,” he said.
“Labor talked about electronic ticketing for 16 years but failed to deliver. We have.
“The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government has also successfully rolled out Opal to all Sydney Ferries services and now thousands more customers will be able to use Opal on the entire Sydney Trains network and parts of the NSW TrainLink network.
“The delivery of this Opal electronic ticketing system is a tribute to the Minister whose dedication and hard work has made this happen while Labor Ministers simply tossed it into the ‘too hard’ basket.”
Ms Berejiklian said more than 130,000 Opal cards have already been registered and more than five million journeys have been made, as customers take advantage of cheaper, faster and more convenient travel on trains, buses and ferries.
“Opal is a game-changer for public transport customers and I am very pleased to announce today the NSW Government has fast-tracked Opal across the whole Sydney Trains network,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Opal is modernising the way people use public transport and putting an end to Sydney’s Monday morning ticket queues.
“We have worked hard to get this complex rollout right for the people of NSW, and now more customers are being rewarded.
“Customers from areas such as Bankstown, Sutherland, Wollondilly and Wollongong will have access to benefits under Opal - such as lower fares, weekly travel rewards, daily caps and discounts for off-peak travel.”
For a customer with an Opal card travelling from Hurstville to Town Hall the single adult fare is $4.10 compared to $4.60 with a paper ticket, and only $2.87 if they travel off-peak.
For a regular Bankstown to Town Hall train commuter an Opal single fare is $4.70 instead of $5.20 and with an Opal Weekly Travel Reward, it costs only $37.60, a saving of $3.40 on a paper weekly ticket. In addition Opal customers get to travel free for the rest of the week after eight paid journeys.
To register for an Opal card, customers can visit www.opal.com.au
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Opal fast-tracked to all Sydney Train stations and to the Illawarra and Goulburn (pdf 157KB)