I went to visit it yesterday afternoon and was wondering what was happening. Thanks for the clarification and glad to see it’s back up!

It’s based on this diagram. It shows the planned peak (off peak) frequencies are:

BMT: 4 (2) trains per hour
CCN: 10 (4) trains per hour
SCO: 6 (3) trains per hour

Currently those numbers are (from memory):

BMT: 4 (1) trains per hour
CCN: 8 (2) trains per hour
SCO: 3 (1) trains per hour

The Secret Plan To Fix Sydney Trains YouTube video by TheTrainGuy4

A few more intercity. This video explains it in way more detail than you probably need youtu.be/ovNcnwGu4eM?...

Budgetary constraints mean entirely new lines are unlikely. The track amplifications and, maybe, the Leppington to Bradfield extension, seem realistic. The line from Parramatta to Epping, let alone to Kogarah, seems far less likely unless the federal government provides funding.

Grade separation of the Wolli Creek junction (2036) and an extension from Campbelltown to Wollondilly (2041) are also planned. It's unclear if the latter is en electrification of existing track or a new alignment, perhaps to Wilton.

New track amplification are also listed (2036):
6. T1 Penrith to St Marys,
7. T4 Hurstville to Sutherland, and
8. T9 Rhodes to West Ryde.

The would allow the separation of express intercity trains from suburban trains, enabling increased frequencies (up to 24 per hour) on the suburban network.

The plan includes 2 new rail lines (2041):
4. Epping to Bradfield via Parramatta and Liverpool, through the building of the long planned Parramatta to Epping Rail Link, and
5. Kogarah to Parramatta, but not out to Norwest as previously touted.

Secret warning of Sydney rail overload and need for $10b in upgrades A leaked table reveals where bureaucrats are pushing for imminent upgrades to the city’s ailing rail network.

The immediate priorities (2031) include:
1. An extension from Leppington to Bradfield, previously costed in 2023 at around $7bn,
2. A partial duplication of the Richmond line past Schofield, and
3. Grade separation of the Strathfield Junction. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Further details of TfNSW’s future plans for Sydney’s rail network have leaked (link in replies). These don’t have government approval yet, let alone funding. But they give a good indication of the next “cab off the rank”.

Apparently you don't need any formal education at all to be a traffic engineer in the state of Missouri.

I was speaking to someone who works at ground crew at Kingsford Smith and she reckons the day WSI opens there are a lot of her colleagues who will jump ship as Badgerys Creek is a much shorter commute for them than Mascot

It appears that 50c fares in SE QLD have probably had a minimal impact on PT ridership (at least, this is my interpretation of Daniel's blog post).

Yes, patronage increased after the fare cut, but the increase doesn't appear to be dramatically above the existing trends.

Thank you Antony Green. Australian democracy is better off because of you and all of your work over the decades. You are a national treasure.

Why I’ve Decided to Retire from Presenting Elections Plus a few words of thanks Those watching News Breakfast this morning saw me announce that this year’s Federal election will be my last as an on-air analyst as part of ABC election coverages. The ABC has put out a pres…

Huge retirement announcement from a national treasure. I once heard Antony Green described as Australia's David Attenborough and I think that is a fitting comparison. I know few public figures as universally loved or respected as him. antonygreen.com.au/why-ive-deci...

And with that, my 2 week trip from Sydney to Brisbane and back was over, so I could finally head home and get some much needed rest

By sheer luck, I arrived into Central Station to coincide with the Elvis Express to the Elvis Festival at Parkes. So please enjoy this snippet of a performance by an Elvis impersonator.

As is customary, my train was late. Not only was it late to Coffs, arriving 15 minutes later than scheduled, but that then blew out to a half hour delay upon reaching the outskirts of Sydney and almost a full hour delay to Central.

Special shoutout to this graffiti mural of a Queensland Rail train that somehow got lost and ended up in Coffs Harbour

The laneways had a nice mix of street art in the form of murals, graffiti, and stickers. I was told that attempts to extend this to the laneway behind the City Square were opposed by the current mayor.

The old town centre has a nice “City Square”, across which you’ll find the Christmas Tree. I’m not sure when you’re supposed to take down a Christmas Tree, but every town I visited after 1 January still had its town tree up.

The Pacific Highway currently runs through the centre of Coffs. There is a bypass under construction that is set to open in the next 2 years or so. The locals I spoke to seemed supportive of the project and don’t think it will have negative economic impacts.

Coffs Harbour itself has some impressive examples of urban density. There was more than a handful of 6 to 10 storey buildings to be seen, generally either in the old town centre in the South or near the newer shopping centre area in the North.

The Big Banana is not designed to be reached on foot or by public transport. The walk requires crossing the Pacific Highway with no pedestrian crossing and though there is a bus that goes past, it doesn’t actually stop at the Big Banana.

The Big Banana complex itself was really impressive. It’s got the standard gift shop. And cafe, where I got a banana smoothie. But also a video games arcade, laser tag, ice skating, axe throwing, giant slide, escape rooms, and other activities that escape my memory.

From the shopping centre in the North it was a 40 minute walk to the Big Banana. Though a more direct route was available on the Pacific Highway. However, Google Maps did not recommend it. I took the shorter route back and it was fine.

I took a bus from nearby the station up to the main shopping centre in the North. The 365 does a loop of the main parts of Coffs, anchored by the town centre in the South and the shopping centre in the North.

My arrival to Coffs was right before the appearance of the “Rainforest Rattler”, which appears to be a repurposed red rattler that does trips that largely commence at either Coffs or Kyogle rainforestrattler.com

Day 13 (Wednesday 8 January): Coffs Harbour

We'd get way more bang-for-buck from a Federal "make regional rail not terrible" Authority. If Sydney-Canberra was 2 hours it'd be a winner. That's speeds our existing trains could do if the tracks allowed it.

Day 12: Grafton bsky.app/profile/theb...