Minister for Transport Gladys Berejiklian said customers could now use their Opal card to travel anywhere on the Sydney Trains network, as Opal goes live on an extra 70 stations today.
"This marks a significant milestone for commuters across Sydney, as Opal provides cheaper fares, modernises the way people use public transport and puts an end to the Monday morning queue for a ticket," Ms Berejiklian said.
"Around 150,000 Opal cards have now been registered - that’s around 15,000 new card orders this week alone.
"We are seeing more and more people sign up for an Opal card as readers are switched on at their local station and customers find out about the benefits of Opal - cheaper fares, daily caps, weekly rewards and discounts for off-peak train travel."
The latest rollout means customers from Green Square to Macarthur, Erskineville to Liverpool and Lidcombe, Sydenham to Waterfall and Cronulla can now use Opal.
By Friday 11 April – two weeks from now – Opal will be available across the entire NSW TrainLink network, including the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, Blue Mountains, Newcastle and the Hunter.
"Three years since coming to Government, we have completed the rollout of Opal electronic ticketing on the entire Sydney Trains network, after Labor promised it for the 2000 Olympics and failed to deliver," Ms Berejiklian said.
"I am pleased that in just two weeks’ time, customers travelling on intercity trains will get to use their Opal card. This is a benefit for local communities as well as Sydneysiders wanting to use free travel rewards or Opal daily caps to travel on trains– including to popular tourist locations such as the Blue Mountains, Hunter and the Highlands."
With Sydney Ferries already on line and trains near completion, the NSW Government will turn its attention to rolling out Opal to 5,000 buses in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, and Southern Highlands. Opal will be available on light rail in 2015.
Opal starts today on entire Sydney Trains network as 150000 cards registered.pdf (pdf 95KB)