Train Transfers To and From Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport is the busiest airport in Australia, and a major hub for the airline companies of Qantas, Virgin Australia and JetStar. The airport is found alongside Botany Bay, and just 8 km from the Central Business District of the city. It is also nearby many prominent areas such as Canterbury, Bankstown and Rockdale, and Cessnock and Newcastle lie to the north of Sydney, while Bathurst and Lithgow are to the northwest. Sydney Airport is also known as the Kingsford Smith Airport, in honour of Charles Kingsford Smith, a pioneering Australian aviator, and has the official airport code of SYD. Trains provide a valuable link from the airport to many areas within the city, and between the airport terminals as well. Sydney Airport has two railway stations easily accessible to all passengers.

Sydney’s airport handles over 44 million passengers per annum, and is a major gateway for both domestic and international passengers. It consists of three terminal buildings, and three runways. Terminal 1 is the international terminal, and is located at some distance from the two domestic terminals, known as Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. The two railway stations at Sydney Airport serve the international area of the airport, as well as the domestic terminals. The international railway station is located towards the north (city) end of the building, and is accessed from the arrivals area. In order to get to the entrance of the train station, passengers will exit the arrivals hall into the public area, and turn right. The station’s entrance is then 150 meters away, just past the McDonalds Restaurant. The domestic railway station is found between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, and is accessed from the arrival levels of the terminals. In Terminal 2, the station’s entrance is nearby Virgin Airlines Baggage Carousel 2.

Trains are one of the forms of transport available for passengers transferring between the international side of the airport and the domestic terminals. The Airport Link train runs at frequent intervals to both terminals between 05:00 and midnight, seven days a week, and the journey is two minutes. Passengers will however need to pay for the service, which costs around $5.00 per person for a one-way trip. Sydney Airport does not own or manage the railway stations or services at the terminals, as Airport Link is a completely separate company. Airport Link is therefore responsible for the train schedules and the fares for the various train journeys. Special arrangements may also be made for mobility-reduced passengers with the train staff on the day of travel.

The Airport Link provides a very efficient service between Sydney Airport and the Central Station in Sydney. Trains are available approximately every ten minutes, and the journey is just thirteen minutes. The train stations at the airport connect directly to the City Circle, from where many destinations are within easy walking distance. From the Central Station of Sydney, passengers will be able to change to trains for all areas in the city, and to the many other train stations in the area.

The Airport Link Company, or the ALC, manages a total of four train stations in Sydney. These include the two stations at Sydney Airport, Mascot Station and the Green Square Station. The stations are all located within the Airport Line tunnel, which is approximately nine kilometers long, and 23 meters underground. The nine kilometer tunnel links the airport with Sydney’s Central Station, the CBD and the 300 train stations in Greater Sydney and beyond. This part of Sydney’s railway system is relatively new, as it was constructed for the Sydney Olympics, and opened just in time on the 21st of May 2000. Construction of the railway tunnel and stations continued from 1995 to 2000, and was the largest single transport infrastructure project associated with the Sydney Olympics. The years following the construction of the railway tunnel were challenging, and business did not meet expectations, but the Airport Link has grown to become an important part of Sydney’s transport network, and has handled approximately 40 million passengers since it opened in 2000.

Passengers making use of the train at Sydney Airport should just keep in mind that these are normal suburban trains, and do not run specifically for the airport. Therefore, they may not provide special provisions for customers with luggage, and do not operate express to the airport. The trains may also be fully occupied upon its arrival at the airport’s stations. Since that the railway service is privately owned and funded by ALC, and is not subsidized by government and taxpayers, passengers will pay an extra fee over and above the ticket fare, of around $11.80, and this amount is known as the Gate Pass. Although passengers may not understand the extra charges, they should remember that whilst contributing to a greener city by reducing pollution and traffic congestion, they are also travelling through the longest twin-track rail tunnel in Australia, which has turned out to be a remarkable engineering achievement.

Passengers travelling to and from Sydney Airport will find the trains of Airport Link to be highly efficient, convenient and reasonably cost effective as well. Families will also only pay for one child between the ages of four and sixteen, and children under four travel for free. All further information is available from their official website found at http://www.airportlink.com.au. They can also be contacted directly, at +61 2 8337 8417.