Sydney weekend train delays: Vivid disruptions, North Shore and Northern lines and rail replacements
How major train disruptions and huge lively crowds will plunge Sydney into chaos this long weekend: see which lines are affected
- Largest audience ever expected for Vivid
- Significant nuisance due to track works
Sydney commuters have been advised to plan ahead with major rail works and disruptions coinciding with Vivid’s biggest rush to date.
Festival organizers expect this long weekend to be the busiest weekend ever, with record attendances in the CBD and surrounding area.
There are also warnings of significant train disruptions as the repair scheme of Sydney’s rail network continues.
More than 60 ‘high priority defects’ will be removed and 150 kilometers of track will be repaired. Work on a number of lines is scheduled between 02:00 on Saturday 10 June and 02:00 on Tuesday 13 June.
Vivid is expected to draw the busiest crowd festival organizers have ever seen this weekend
Some lines will only be affected on Saturdays and Sundays from 2am to 4am.
Limited services will stop and allow passengers to alight at Circular Quay station due to heavy crowds on Saturday evening and Sunday, with passengers advised to use Wynyard, Martin Place or St James stations instead and walk to the festival .
There are no buses and light rail services to Circular Quay on Friday evenings from 6:00 PM and weekends from 5:00 PM.
Light rail services instead terminate at City Hall and buses are diverted to Martin Place.
Transport for NSW has also warned that train replacement buses could be hit by driver shortages.
Ongoing rail works and train delays have already left festival-goers stranded at stations around the CBD (pictured this week)
Ferry passengers are also urged to arrive early and plan ahead with the expected large crowds.
Transport for NSW says it will work hard to minimize the impact on passengers by focusing on ‘quieter parts of the network and off peak hours’.
“To help people get to and from Vivid, additional services are running into the city on the T2, T4 and T8 lines,” the trackwork warning read.
“There is also additional capacity for trains coming into the city from the Blue Mountains and South Coast.”
Which train lines are affected
Track work will be carried out on the following lines this weekend.
Central Coast and Newcastle Line:
Buses replace trains between Newcastle Interchange and Hornsby.
Trains run on a modified schedule between Hornsby and the city via the T1 North Shore Line.
T1 North Coastline:
Buses replace trains between Berowra and Hornsby.
Trains run between Hornsby and the town on a modified timetable.
T1 western line:
Richmond trains only run between Richmond and Olympic Park.
Passengers can transfer to trains to the city at Parramatta.
Track work is expected to cause significant disruption this weekend, with 150km of track being repaired between 2am Saturday 10 June and 2am Tuesday 13 June
T9 northern line:
Buses replace trains between Hornsby and Strathfield.
Trains run on a modified schedule between Strathfield and the city, and between Hornsby and the city via the T1 North Shore Line.
Blue Mountains Line:
From 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 10 until 10 p.m. on Monday, June 12, most trains only run between Blue Mountains Line stations and Blacktown, some on a modified schedule.
Bathurst trains start and end in Strathfield.
There are no trains on the City Circle or between Wynyard and Central from 4am to 6am on Saturdays and Sundays.