Sydney (Central) - Melbourne (Southern Cross)
Countrylinks Melbourne XPT train runs twice each day from Sydney Central station to Melbourne Southern Cross station. The journey takes about ten and a half hours. There is a day train that departs Sydney at 7:45am in the morning and arrives Melbourne at 6:55pm in the evening, and there is a night train that departs Sydney at 8:40pm in the evening and arrives in Melbourne at 7:35am early the following morning. You can also board these trains at Strathfield or Campbelltown station in Sydneys suburbs, or at one of many other stations along the way. In Summer, the day train runs to a slightly altered schedule - so check the online timetables carefully.
Daily
- 07:42 - 18:55 : 11hr 14mins
- 20:40 - 07:35 (Next Day) : 10hr 55mins
Fares
- Economy : A$91.18
- First Class : A$128.30
- Sleeper : A$216.30
The sleepers are twinette in style(berth dimensions: 1,850 millimetres 720 millimetres), with bed linen, towels and toiletries provided.
Complimentary breakfast is available for sleeper passengers and share toilet and shower facilities are located between compartments. Each compartment also has a 240-volt power outlet for shavers. Call buttons are provided and a passenger attendant is on call through the night.
Sleeping berths are only available to first class passengers, cost an additional $88.00 per person and must be booked when you make your reservation.
Sydney to Canberra
Countrylinks Canberra Xplorer train runs twice each day from Sydney Central
station to Canberra station.
The journey takes a little over
four hours.
- On
Mondays to Saturdays there is a train that departs Sydney at 6:58am in the early
morning and arrives in Canberra at 11:21am.
- On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
and Sundays, there is another train that departs Sydney around midday at 12:10pm
and arrives in Canberra mid afternoon at 4:29pm,
- On Mondays, Wednesdays,
Fridays and Sundays there is a train that departs Sydney at 6:15pm in the
evening and arrives in Canberra at 10:31pm late in the evening.
You can also
board these trains at Strathfield or Campbelltown station in Sydneys suburbs, or
at one of a few other stations along the way.
Fare : A$39.54
Time-Table
Canberra to Melbourne
You can travel from Canberra to Melbourne all the way by train - but it’s a bit
longer than the co-ordinated bus/train services.
- On Mondays to Saturdays, you
can catch the Countrylink Canberra Xplorer train from Canberra station to
Goulburn.
- This departs earliy in the morning and takes a little over an hour and
a half to reach Goulburn.
- After a one and a half to two hour wait you then catch
the Sydney to Melbourne XPT train for the journey to Melbourne. You then travel
through the day to arrive in Melbourne late that evening.
- You can also do this
trip by travelling overnight - departing Canberra at 5pm on Tue, Thu, Sat or
Sunday and having about a 5 hour layover in Goulburn before travelling overnight
to arrive in Melbourne early the next morning.
Whilst you can travel all the way from Canberra to Melbourne by train (via
Goulburn), the most direct routes are co-ordinated bus/train connecting services
operated by Countrylink and V/Line.
- Countrylink offer a daily daytime journey by
bus from Canberra to Cootamundra - picking up at Canberra Railway Station and at
Canberra Jolimont bus terminal, then travelling to Cootamundra.
- The bus leaves
in the mid morning every day of the year.
- In the early afternoon, you arrive at
Cootamundra railway station, and board the Melbourne XPT train service for the
afternoon journey to Melbourne Southern Cross station where you arrive in the
early evening.
- This is a connecting service so you don’t need to worry if the
bus is running late, and you can book one ticket for the full Canberra to
Melbourne journey.
Queanbeyan to Cootamundra :
Time Table
Source :
Rail Maps
Other links:
http://www.131500.com.au/
http://www.seat61.com/Australia.htm
http://www.internationalrail.com/australia.aspx
http://www.railaustralia.com.au/explorer.php
http://passes.railaustralia.com.au/
http://www.statravel.com.sg/rail-australia.htm
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1425997
