This was posted 8 years 8 months 21 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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NSW Trainlink Economy Travel One-Way for $50 ($45 Online), includes SYD/BNE and SYD/MEL

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NSW Trainlink Economy Travel One-Way for $50 ($45 Online), includes SYD/BNE and SYD/MEL
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retiredfeline on 02/04/2016 - 20:29 nswtrainlink.info (1630 clicks)
Last edited 02/04/2016 - 20:32

Actually this deal started Feb 1. Similar to last year's deal.

I did a quick check and some trip and date combinations are sold out.

Conditions

Adult and Child economy class seat $50.00 one way - $100.00 return.
Available to full adult & child fare passengers only, no further concessions apply.
Available for single and/or return journeys.
Cannot be used in conjunction with 'Children pay $1.00' Fare.
Can be used in conjunction with the ‘Family Fare’.
Valid for travel from 1 February 2016 through until 30 April 2016 inclusive.
Available on NSW TrainLink Regional train and coach services.
Reservations made on day prior to travel must be paid for and ticketed at time of booking.
Changes to the journey after the ticket has been purchased are permitted; however, the applicable rail fare and fee will apply when the ticket is exchanged.
Tickets are non-refundable.
No break of journey.
Subject to availability.
The $50.00 fare applies to travel wholly within any of the four regions covered by NSW TrainLink's Regional services i.e. North Coast, Southern, North West or Western regions including any guaranteed connections which appear in any of the printed regional timetables - e.g. Dubbo to Melbourne (DBO-CMD-MEL CLK792/623), Moree to Grafton (MRZ-GFN CLK142).
If the journey crosses from one timetable region to another, e.g. Albury to Grafton, the fare calculated will be $100.00 one way i.e. $50.00 Albury-Sydney and $50.00 Sydney-Grafton.
Customers who present a ticket booked online at a sales outlet and wish to make a change to the travel date will be charged $5.00 plus the applicable rebooking fee.

Travel 40kg Luggage Allowance Train

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Transport for NSW
Transport for NSW

closed Comments

  • scrimshaw on 02/04/2016 - 20:50
    +2

    Are they still using the crappy ol' XPT trains from like a decade back? Where the average speed is something like 80km/h?

    edit: looks like they still are — 11.5 hour train ride Syd to Melb.

    • pull the lever on 02/04/2016 - 20:56
      +4

      Yep, until we have high speed rail, the rest of us will simply fly.
      A good deal if you book a night timeslot, then sleep on the train.

      • scrimshaw on 02/04/2016 - 21:03
        +2

        There's no way I can manage to sleep on the XPT. I used to travel very regularly on the economy class (used to study in Bathurst and visit parents in syd on weekends) and it is a 4 hour train ride.

        Having to sit in the XPT again will trigger my phobia of long train rides…

      • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2016 - 00:02
        +1

        For someone who has been on both night and day trips night is better. More quiet and peaceful. Just make sure you board the train really tired or take a sleeping pill once in your seat.

      • killergreely on 03/04/2016 - 08:12
        +1

        Been on it, there's not a lot of sleep to be had… Kids running about, really uncomfortable seats, drunk people talking/playing music and no scenery (all you can see is the lit interior reflected in the windows).

        We found the day one to be better, at least you had things to look at outside, just hope it's not a hot day, or they halve its speed and Bris - Syd balloons from 12 to 18 hours.

    • rawm on 02/04/2016 - 21:00

      Eg: Wednesday April 6th, Wed 07:32 DEP SYD Central Wed 18:30 ARR MEL Souther Cross 10h 58m Direct.
      So not fast by any means, but for those who can't fly etc, it's under 11 hours. Not absurd.

    • syousef on 02/04/2016 - 22:30
      +4

      The XPT trains are from when I was a kid in the 80s. The first entered service in '81 when I was in primary school. So you're out by 2 decades or so.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_XPT

    • Jabba the Hutt on 02/04/2016 - 23:34

      It's a trip I'd have enjoyed three decades ago in a private roomette/twinette on the 'proper' Melbourne and Brisbane trains that existed at the time. They'd have to pay me the $45-50 just to consider doing the same trip on an XPT.

  • rawm on 02/04/2016 - 20:56
    +2

    Melbourne - Sydney Normally $130.26, Book online and save an extra 10% brings it to $45.00. Total saving $85.26.
    Train journey from Sydney to Melbourne is approx. 10h 58m Direct - barring delays.
    Good find OP!

  • retiredfeline on 02/04/2016 - 21:07
    +1

    I once did an overnighter when I had to take a lot of luggage to BNE, that was the main reason. Wasn't terribly comfy but I've experienced worse backpacking.

    • [Deactivated] on 02/04/2016 - 21:54

      As a kid I used to do Sydney to Brisbane every year like this, it's not too bad

      • killergreely on 03/04/2016 - 14:45

        As a kid I used to bicycle 20km to go surfing… I used to think that wasn't so bad either.

        • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2016 - 15:08

          Bet you were fitter than you are now!

  • Ronnnie on 02/04/2016 - 21:44
    +10

    It was $46 return from gc to Sydney via tiger on selected dates earlier today. Really though I'd rather pay 10 times the amount and fly than be on train for 12 hours. Not very ozbargain of me I know.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/04/2016 - 22:22
    -2

    Pretty sure you're on a bus for part way Syd to Melb. Waste of time and money.

    • Lacerta on 02/04/2016 - 22:58

      Only if there is trackwork happening.

      • [Deactivated] on 02/04/2016 - 23:00
        -1

        Nope. The tracks from Albury to Shepparton are stuffed.

        • dyziplen on 03/04/2016 - 06:34
          +1

          LOL. This ain't Vline. Countrylink trains goes Wodonga, Wangaratta, Benalla and down to Melbourne. They don't go to Shepparton AT ALL.

        • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2016 - 07:44
          -1

          @garratt torlesse: actually it is… Do you think they have a different set of tracks just to get to Melb???

        • dyziplen on 03/04/2016 - 08:13
          +1

          @sqeeksqeek:

          Sigh.. Vic is broad gauge NSW is standard gauge, so yeah, they DO have a separate set of tracks.

          Besides, Countrylink runs pretty much parallel to the Vline's Albury line down to Seymour, not the Shepparton line.

          https://www.vline.com.au/getattachment/f8a1e2c3-5d60-4abe-b6…

          In short, there is NO Albury to Shepparton train. EVEN ON VLINE.

  • Davo1111 on 02/04/2016 - 22:59
    +4

    people were warned last time about this.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/04/2016 - 23:00

    Still a fairly cheap way to travel on a budget, it's about time they were actually price competitive with flying.

  • Kamsi on 02/04/2016 - 23:33
    +5

    For me it was a torture experience I never forget. Never again no matter how cheap it is.

    • cyssero on 03/04/2016 - 00:30
      +5

      I absolutely agree. I even paid for the class above economy on a recent experience and it was harrowing.

      Having the doors between carriages open and close as frequently as they did and some people not closing their blinds at night there were sudden bursts of street light at random moments.

      It was noisy and plain impossible to sleep on the seat, the positioning was completely ridiculous. And then overhearing people argue about who's seat belongs to who.

      I took the train because it was about 1/4th the cost of a flight. But I'd gladly have paid for the flight in hindsight.

  • fantombloo on 03/04/2016 - 00:36

    If you want to lower your contribution to greenhouse gas emissions then training rather than flying is a worthwhile consideration.

    • [Deactivated] on 03/04/2016 - 02:46

      A fully booked flight is fairly efficient per passenger, and those XPTs are quite old and I don't know how good their occupancy usually is (most people would choose to fly), so I am not so sure.

      • dyziplen on 03/04/2016 - 06:40
        +1

        Last time I took it. It was full.

        Its pretty much a flight to the US or Europe. You get on, you sleep, you get off. Good way to avoid paying for an extra night's accommodation as well.

        • miarn on 03/04/2016 - 08:00

          Good way to avoid paying for an extra night's accommodation as well.

          Not really when you could just fly out the next morning instead

        • dyziplen on 03/04/2016 - 08:07
          +1

          @magicmoose:

          Thats a really early start though. The train gets you there around 7 in the morning. Either way its cheap, and for people that can sleep on trains/planes, why not?

        • Jackson on 04/04/2016 - 14:15

          @garratt torlesse: This, I am a pretty good sleeper on transport, unfortunately the people I travel with usually aren't and so if we are travelling together I don't get much out of it

  • donotuse on 03/04/2016 - 10:14

    Meanwhile, the e320 Eurostar train from London to Paris costs only $90, with cozy seats, free wifi and less than 3 hours ride. And the Sunday first class Thalys ride from Paris to Amsterdam is even cheaper!

    • retiredfeline on 03/04/2016 - 10:21
      +3

      Though to be fair, those are shorter distances and Europeans have the advantage of denser population -> more customers -> more services -> economies of scale. But good intercapital services are missing in this country. Not sure I'll live to see them.

      • wackedupwacko on 03/04/2016 - 12:56
        +7

        I honestly believe, if they created a high speed rail between Sydney and Melbourne that goes via Canberra (with a few stops at major city/towns along the way) that takes about 4 hours (Bullet train speeds of ~250kph) it would see a lot of use. Time wise it would be a little bit slower than flying but not very much. Time taken flying is about 3hours from Sydney CBD and Melbourne CBD (assumes 30mins leeway to board the flights). Not to mention you could stop off anywhere in between with less time.

        • StewBalls on 03/04/2016 - 13:07
          +3

          I tend to agree.

          Time wise it would be a little bit slower than flying but not very much.

          Agreed. If you factor in the exorbitant check-in & transit times even for domestic flights now, I think the difference would be minimal.

        • captobvious on 03/04/2016 - 15:08

          no way, thats 20 status credits in Economy or 40 in Business that I wont be accumulating anymore ;)

        • Jackson on 04/04/2016 - 14:17
          +1

          @StewBalls: not to mention the cost of a cab to and from the airport which could help balance out cost differences

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 03/04/2016 - 10:35
    +1

    While this deal is good I wish they would give proportional discounts on in between stations. Sydney to Taree is almost a third of the way to Brisbane but still expensive at $45/50. I understand why but it still sucks.

    The other frustration is that you still have to pay $12.10 to bring your bike (http://www.transportnsw.info/en/travelling-with-us/using-pub…) and you can't book online (meaning you add another $5 to make it $50), making it $62.10. Unless you have 40 kg of other luggage it's not really worth it with Jetstar prices as cheap as they are now. You could fly to Tullamarine for $85 or Avalon late at night for $75 with 30 kg of luggage (with bicycle allowed). If you're paying for a hostel in Sydney you might save money using the train but chances are the next day would be a write off due to exhaustion.

    • Jackson on 04/04/2016 - 14:18

      I agree with most of it, but the bike pricing is reasonable. What would it cost to take it on a plane, is it actually free or are you sacrificing a piece of luggage? And could you imagine if everyone had a bike on the train? But there is a lot more wrong with our transport system than just that

      • peterpeterpumpkin on 04/04/2016 - 19:22

        Yeah I agree it's fair (there's only a couple of spaces actually). I meant the no-online-booking option (ala "we couldn't update our server with that feature so we'll punish you") defeats the savings margin even more by forcing another $5 on top. In Holland it's 6 euros for a bike day pass and they have a special compartment. I suppose in 50 years we'll finally have bike culture in Australia and update the needs accordingly.

        Our airline charges suck even more for bikes (OK, mostly Tiger, others fair by international standards), but Jetstar is the cheapest and fairest alternative in most circumstances (but they don't even sell bike boxes). I pay $30 for 30 kg of check-in luggage. I put my camping gear and some filler in my bike box to make up 30 kg and take my 7kg of clothing in the cabin as I normally would. I'm super cheap but love a good sleep too so the plane wins out for such a small margin (especially since the train station is further than the airport in my case and the destination is building and riding time).

        And yeah, as Sydney-siders we're used to having historically illogical pricing structures.

  • rgr on 03/04/2016 - 19:07

    lol the interstate rail system in this country is suchhhhhhhh a bloody joke. australia just never gets on well with the idea of efficient land travel. who on god's earth would take an overnight train from melb to sydney?

    • scrimshaw on 05/04/2016 - 14:15
      +1

      We won't be getting a bullet train that goes from Syd - Newcastle until the year 2045 apparently.

      By that time, self driving cars would be mainstream. But I wonder if our technology illiterate politicians will even pass legislation for self driving cars by then….

  • Williwill on 04/04/2016 - 00:22
    +1

    If you are tall, trust me, dont travel in this train, it's terrible, you will suffer. Avoid.

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