More than a million people living along the T4, T8 and South Coast train lines will benefit from a significant increase in services and reliability when the new rail timetable comes into effect on 15 November.
Rebuilding rail reliability and increasing services is a key focus of the Minns Labor Government after a decade of neglect under the former Liberal government. The new timetable builds on a record $2.1 billion investment in rail maintenance and incident response.
The most significant change to this part of Sydney and the Illawarra’s rail network in more than a decade will deliver more trains, additional capacity and improved performance.
To facilitate the new timetable T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line and the South Coast Line will no longer operate on the same track between Arncliffe and Central.
Each line will have their own dedicated express track which will reduce bottlenecks, improve reliability and increase capacity.
Changes on the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line include:
- Citybound services every four minutes at Sutherland and every three minutes at Hurstville in the AM peak, up from 5 minutes at Sutherland and 3.5 minutes at Hurstville.
- Trains every 7.5 minutes on average during peak periods at Kogarah, Allawah, Arncliffe, Banksia, Rockdale, Penshurst, Mortdale, Oatley, Kirrawee, Gymea, Miranda, Caringbah, Woolooware and Cronulla – representing up to a 33% increase in frequency.
- All T4 services will stop at Sydenham for direct connections to Sydney Metro.
- St Peters and Erskineville stations will join the T4 line, connecting them to the Eastern Suburbs.
- Services for passengers in Loftus, Engadine, Heathcote and Waterfall will now have direct access to Kogarah Station, allowing access to St George Hospital and TAFE.
- Two addition late-night services between the Sydney CBD and Cronulla.
Changes on the T8 SYD Airport & South West Line include:
- Services every four minutes on average during peak periods between Green Square and Wolli Creek, up from every 6.5 minutes. These turn-and-go metro-like services will benefit high density housing communities and aiport travellers.
- The T8 Airport & South Line will be renamed the T8 SYD Airport & South West Line, better reflecting the destinations and communities it serves.
- Under the new timetable, all T8 services will operate through the Airport Tunnel via International Airport, Domestic Airport and Green Square, providing a simpler and more consistent service.
- Passengers travelling from the South West will no longer have direct access to Sydenham, St Peters, Erskineville and Redfern stations during peak periods. These passengers will be required to interchange at Wolli Creek to access these stations.
Changes on the South Coast Line:
- Peak services between Wollongong and Sydney CBD will have four trains per hour up from three. This will mean services every 15 minutes, up from 20 minutes.
- Off-peak and weekend services between Wollongong and Sydney CBD will be doubled, running every 30 minutes on average, up from a service every 60 minutes.
- Over 200 additional weekly services will provide a more consistent timetable across the week.
- All South Coast services travelling to and from Sydney will stop at Sydenham, providing direct connections to Sydney Metro.
- Completing the introduction of the Mariyung trains on the South Coast Line, delivering improved comfort, accessibility and customer amenities.
- A shuttle every 15 minutes in the 8-9am peak hour from the northern suburbs to Wollongong.
- Additional local services will operate between Wollongong and Thirroul. Passengers at Thirroul, Bulli, Woonona, Bellambi, Corrimal, Towradgi, Fairy Meadow, North Wollongong and Wollongong will benefit from improved local connectivity.
Changes on the T2 Leppington & Inner West Line:
- Inter-peak services that currently terminate at Homebush will be extended to Parramatta, providing an all-stops T2 Leppington & Inner West Line service between the Sydney CBD and Parramatta every 15 minutes.
- Passengers at Flemington, Homebush, Lidcombe, Auburn, Clyde and Granville will benefit from improved local connectivity as well as improved access to Parramatta during inter-peak periods.
In 2027 the Minns Labor Government plans to reinstate Kogarah as an express stop, improving access to St George’s Hospital and TAFE, whilst improving services for the increasing number of residents in the area.
While some journeys under the new timetable may take slightly longer due to revised stopping patterns and additional services, the vast majority of passengers will benefit from increased service frequency, improved reliability and better connections across the network.
Transport for NSW is encouraging passengers to check the new timetable and plan their journey before travelling when the changes take effect on 15 November 2026.
For more information on updated timetables click here.
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
“If you rely on the T4, T8 and South Coast Lines this timetable change you will get you more trains, shorter wait times and a more reliable service.
“The former government neglected the heavy rail netowrk but we know a million passengers rely on it everyday. That’s why we’re spending a record $2.1 billion on maintenance and increasing services with this new timetable.
“People living along these lines haven’t seen a signicant service upgrade in over a decade. They deserve better and now they’ll get it.”
Minister for the Illawara and the South Coast Ryan Park said:
“These timetable changes go a long way to ensuring more reliable and more frequent services for the region, making it easier for people to get where they need to go.
“These are services that were neglected for more than a decade under the previous Government. Our communities deserve better than that, that’s why we’ve invested record amounts in rebuilding rail reliability and improving network capacity.
“With these timetable changes, passengers will also benefit from more Mariyung trains on the line, delivering a more comfortable and accessible travel experience for communities across the Illawarra and South Coast.”
Labor Candidate for Oatley Elaina Anzellotti said:
“The Minns Labor Government is delivering more frequent trains across Sydney, and I’m thrilled that Oatley, Mortdale and Penshurst are part of that.”
“For people catching the train to work, heading into the city or getting home to their families, shorter waits and more frequent services will make a real difference.”
“This is a fantastic result for our area, and I’ll keep making the case for the investment and services our community deserves.”
