You should arrive at your station a few minutes earlier than the timetabled service to allow enough time to board your train.

Please note that train doors may begin closing up to 20 seconds before the scheduled departure time to assist with on-time running.

If you are travelling on a Monday or after a public holiday, there may be queuing for tickets so allow additional time to purchase your ticket.

Remember, you can buy your 7 Day RailPass on any day of the week and add an extra week (top up) at any ticket machine located between your two stations.

Alternatively, you can purchase a FlexiPass, available from 28 to 366 days travel.

Information on delays to services can be found in the Service Interruptions section on this website. We will update this section whenever there are significant delays that affect several services on one or more lines. As we operate over 2,500 services daily it is difficult to provide information on individual trains.

In 2005 we installed large plasma screens at CBD stations to provide you with the latest train running information, including any delays and their causes. Messages are kept brief and to the point to allow you to view this information as you enter the station.

Alternatively, you can phone the Transport Infoline on 131 500 and press 2.

Station staff and train crews also make announcements and can assist you with any information regarding delays or service alterations.

A train service can be delayed or cancelled for a number of reasons, including:

• Train or infrastructure problems
• Vandalism or anti-social behaviour
• Severe weather conditions
• Sick customers or train crew.
  

The rail network is very complex and delays on one line can impact on other lines. The Rail Clearways plan is designed to remove bottlenecks and junctions, reduce congestion and delays, and allow for simpler timetables to create more reliable and frequent services.

For more information visit What affects our performance?

Sometimes a decision is made to skip smaller stops in order to limit the overall impact of late-running services. This means we can avoid much wider disruption and inconvenience to our customers as trains can be returned to normal timetables sooner.

Skipping stops is a last resort in managing network delays and is used on rail networks throughout the world in such circumstances. Our aim is for less than one per cent of all scheduled stops to be skipped during peak periods.

Performance information on skipped stops can be found in the Our performance section of this website.

In some circumstances train controllers are required to make quick decisions to alter timetabled services in order to prevent much wider disruption and inconvenience. This may include cancelling, re-routing or altering stopping patterns on our services.

Due to the nature of such incidents, it is not always possible to provide you with the details of service changes before they occur. However, CityRail staff will make their best endeavours to provide this advice as soon as possible.

No. We do not guarantee connecting trains and we do not hold trains in the event of late-running trains. Doing so would cause further problems within our network, affecting train running times and causing overcrowding. Our aim is to provide reliable point-to-point services for the majority of our customers. There is one exception: the weekday 6.22pm service from Campbelltown to the Southern Highlands is a guaranteed service.

Some Intercity services during the morning and afternoon peaks are 'pick-up' or 'set-down' services only. These are specified in timetable booklets and on this website.

This is necessary to provide enough capacity for customers travelling to outer stations with fewer services. Fines apply to customers travelling inappropriately on these services. Services with set-down and pick-up restrictions are indicated by a 'd' or '‘u' in our timetables.

Some services to outer stations on the Blue Mountains, Newcastle & Central Coast and South Coast Lines stop on demand only. They are defined by an ‘a’ symbol in the timetable.

To disembark at one of these stations, please notify the guard when you board the service.