Key Details

Date: 2nd September 2022

Service Number: XPT 634

Route: Canberra to Sydney

Train Equipment: ABB Transportation – Explorer Class

Cabin: Economy

The Route

The distance from Canberra which is Australia’s national capital and its largest city of Sydney is not far at all. Coming in at shy under 300km by road, slightly longer by rail and even shorter as the crow flies there are four main modes of transportation linking the two cities. Many choose to fly with over 100 return services a week between the two services operated by Qantas, Qantas Link and Virgin Australia through Link Airways which operate there flights. This option can be particularly convenient for those connecting through to Canberra or Sydney when flying to or from other destinations which don’t have a direct link but flying purely between the two cities is debatable in the time saved if you consider the time needed to travel to and from airports and moving through them and also is way more costly.

For most travelling directly between the two cities driving, catching a coach service or one of the the 3 daily NSW TrainLink Explorer services is a more viable and cost effective option. Those driving should expect total travel time between 3 and 4 hours depending on exactly where in Sydney they are travelling to and from. Bus services operated by Murrays are operated on an almost hourly basis during the day whilst Greyhound offer several more. Prices have been known to be as low as $30 but can reach upwards of $50 during peak times and with the most flexible tickets. When taking the coach expect total travel time to be shy over 3 hours to Sydney Airport or 3.5 hours to downtown Sydney.

For those who wish to take the scenic route, The NSW Explorer TrainLink Service typically operates 3 times a day with a early morning, lunchtime and evening departure with the journey taking just over 4 hours. The route provides for a scenic journey through the NSW Southern Highlands and includes cities and towns such as Queanbeyan, Goulburn, Mittagong and Bowral before reaching Campbeltown on the outskirts of Sydney. Fares on the route are fixed price and cost $40.67 for economy class and $57.27 for First Class. It is not uncommon for services to completely sell out in the days before departure so we recommend booking at least a week in advance and not banking on being able to travel the service at the last minute.

Getting to Canberra Kingston Station

As Canberra does not have a suburban rail network (it does have one light rail line) this means all train services to and from Canberra depart from Canberra Kingston Station which is located in the suburb of Kingston which is located approximately 5km from the Canberra city center called Civic or 4km from Capital Hill.

Unfortunately your train ticket does not include a free local transfer to and from the station to elsewhere in Canberra. Unless staying nearby your best bet will be to get an uber or taxi to the station or otherwise its a affordable 15 minute bus ride from Civic.

Checking in at Canberra

Technically there is no need to check in for this train service as train staff or inspectors will typically validate or confirm your ticket and seat shortly after the service has left the station. You are more than welcome to simply take your luggage with you on the train as long as you can handle it yourself and find storage in the racks on a self serve, first come basis.

All up you are allowed 5kg of hand luggage that you can take to your seat and an additional 2 20kg bags that can either be checked or stored yourself in the racks at the end of each carriage. For those arriving with time to spare or are otherwise uncomfortable taking your own bags on the train it is well worth taking advantage of the free luggage check service although be sure to do this by at least 30 minutes before departure and strictly adhere to the maximum weight limits.

The Canberra suburb of Kingston is well worth checking out in itself and has a number of boutique shopping, dining and drinking options so it may well be worth arriving a few hours, checking your bags and exploring the trendy lakeside area before your journey.

Seating and Amenities on the Canberra XPT Explorer Service

The Canberra Explorer train service is typically operated by a 3 carriage train with the first carriage containing the buffet and first class cabin with 42 seats in a 2-2 configuration. The second carriage has 66 economy class seats in a 2-2 configuration whilst the third has just 38 economy seats with additional luggage storage, accessible seating and amenities.

The seating in economy was comfortable with a reasonable amount of leg room and recline was decent. A leg rest is also included which is a nice addition. The seats however are showing their signs of age and the seatback table was rather flimsy.

First class seats provide a slightly better leg room but the seat itself is only marginally better. With just a $15 price difference to upgrade from economy there is no real surprises here.

There is no seatback entertainment on this service so you are best focusing on admiring the scenic views of the rolling highlands of southern NSW along the way. There is no wifi on the route and mobile coverage can be sketchy at times. Each carriage has several toilets and a water fountain.

Food and Beverage Service

Food and beverage can be purchased on board form the buffet car and then taken to your seat to consume. As we were departing around lunchtime several hot meal options were available (similar to an economy class airline meal) and staff came out taken orders approximately 1 hour before they would be ready and would announce when they were ready to collect. A selection of pies, pastries, cakes and snacks were also available for purchase during most of the journey along with a small selection of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Prices were fairly reasonable although the food quality wasn’t the greatest.

Crew and on board Service

For this trip crew service is rather limited as everything on board is offered on a buy on board basis and you’ll need to go up to the buffet car if you want anything (exceptions are made for passengers with mobility issues). As there were plenty of delays and stoppages along the route due to track works the crew did well however to keep us updated of the delays and updated arrival times. They also efficiently validated everyone’s tickets shortly after the train left Canberra and whenever other passengers joined along the way.

Arriving in Sydney

Unfortunately despite leaving on time shortly before midday our arrival into Sydney was far from on time. Due to track works the train had to make several lengthy stops along the way to allow urgent track works to be carried out and then speed restrictions on the outskirts of Sydney further delayed our arrival. It wasn’t until around 5.30pm or 1.5 hours late that we arrived into Sydney’s busiest and bustling Central Station. These delays are quite common for the train service so it pays to allow a few hours extra buffer if you have any pressing plans for when you arrive into Sydney.

Arriving at Central Station its fairly easy to get to anywhere in the CBD on foot. I was staying in Darling Harbour which was about a 20 minute walk away. Alternatively for those living or staying elsewhere in Sydney you can easily connect to the suburban train network from Central Station and those living in the Western Suburbs may even find it more convenient to alight at Campbeltown.

Summing up: Is it worth taking the train?

The true answer is that it depends on the traveler’s own individual circumstances, budget, time constraints and purpose of travel. Objectively speaking, the train service is in most cases the slowest way to travel between Sydney and Canberra with a travel time of 4 hours and 10 minutes but on our journey today it took 5.5 hours which is significantly longer than the typical 3 hour drive time or 3.5 coach journey. Having to travel to Canberra Kingston Station also proves an extra hassle and time for most travelers as opposed to catching the coach which leaves from Canberra’s Jolimont Tourist Centre in the center of town.

Price wise, the cost of the journey is very competitive and it is typically a tiny fraction of the cost of flying and very similar to that of getting the bus which is a huge plus. The train service is also arguably more scenic then the coach that goes down the highway and is a great way to enjoy the scenery of NSW’s southern highlands. Additionally, catching the train can make for a more comfortable journey than the bus where you are free to move around, stretch your legs and buy and consume food and beverage on board.

Overall the train journey between Canberra is well worth taking at least once and is a great option for those who are not pressed on time and are taking the train at least partly for the purpose of enjoying the journey. The train service also gives you the ability to easily visit towns and cities along the way something the direct bus services won’t.

For those travelling regularly or commuting regularly between the two cities who are pressed for budget and still want to travel in a timely fashion catching the coach services or driving is going be the better option most of the time.