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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Peak services are much more complicated, as they're less consistent and they vary by direction. I'd like to make a diagram of them, but I'm not sure if it would be possible to show them in this style.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A strange place in Sydney I recently visited: the foreshore path along the northern side of Botany Bay, close to Port Botany.

A shared pedestrian and cycling path, with bushes, fences, and trees on either side

Looking towards a body of water with plants and a fence in the foreground; on the other side of the body of water is a port with shipping containers

A lookout on a curved path elevated above plants

Looking over shrubs towards a beach, with a boat ramp and a port in the distance

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Thank you! It was fun to make, and it ended up being able to be surprisingly compact, with parallel corridors often taking up similar amounts of space.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I have made these diagrams of the Sydney suburban rail network that show each service pattern that runs every 30 minutes as a separate line. There are separate diagrams for weekday off-peak services and weekend services.

A diagram of the Sydney suburban rail network showing weekday off-peak service patterns. Each line represents a service pattern that runs every 30 minutes, except for thicker lines which represent more frequent service patterns, with the frequency for these lines noted. A dot on a line indicates that that service pattern stops at a station. Different stations have different combinations of dots on the lines that go through the station, showing how at some stations, certain service patterns stop at the station and certain service patterns skip it.

A diagram of the Sydney suburban rail network showing weekend service patterns. Each line represents a service pattern that runs every 30 minutes, except for thicker lines which represent more frequent service patterns, with the frequency for these lines noted. A dot on a line indicates that that service pattern stops at a station. Different stations have different combinations of dots on the lines that go through the station, showing how at some stations, certain service patterns stop at the station and certain service patterns skip it.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I learned about it on this page, but by the time I learned about it, it was already sold out. www.sydneymetro.info/events-commu...

sydneymetro.info

Events - Community Engagement | Sydney Metro

Find out more about Sydney Metro at various community events across Sydney.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

In New South Wales, the answers are Sydney, Parramatta, and Newcastle.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Simplified cross-sectional diagrams of train stations with platforms on multiple levels in Sydney, showing the general layout of platforms, concourses, and stairs/escalators.

4 diagrams made of colored rectangles, with white rectangles representing concourses, thin grey rectangles representing stairs/escalators connecting concourses and platforms, and rectangles in other colors representing platforms, where the color represents the line that that platform serves. Each diagram is labeled with the name of the station it depicts.
The Epping diagram shows a concourse at the top, connected to 2 red platforms below it, that are each connected to a single concourse below them, which is connected to a single turquoise platform below it.
The Wolli Creek diagram shows a concourse which on the left is connected to a blue platform above it, and on the right is connected to 2 green platforms below it.
The Wynyard diagram shows a concourse which on the left is connected to a yellow platform above it, and on the right is connected to a green platform below it.
The Town Hall diagram shows a concourse at the top, and on the left it is connected to a yellow platform below it which is connected to a platform below it split between green and blue, and on the right the concourse is connected to a platform below it split between yellow and green which is connected to a blue platform below it.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The line has so much potential for improvements. A tunnel from Waterfall to Thirroul could reduce the travel time to and from Sydney significantly. Within Wollongong, the line already has a great route, and with a higher frequency, it could be like a suburban line.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

That's a good way to number them. If the City Loop reconfiguration or a second Metro Tunnel was built, this would disrupt the order, but there's not much that can be done about this with consecutively-numbered lines.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

How did you choose the line numbers?

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I have not. However, while checking this I saw that there is about to be consultation on a proposal to name the Airport Terminal station on the Western Sydney Airport Line "WSI Airport". www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-sa...

nsw.gov.au

Proposed name in Liverpool LGA

The Geographical Names Board is seeking feedback on a proposal to name a railway station in Badgerys Creek in the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA).

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Western Sydney Airport hasn't opened yet, but bus routes to it have recently started operating, so it's possible to go there by bus and see the outside of the unopened terminal.

A large building with a glass façade and a high awning in front of it supported by tall pillars, with the words "Western Sydney International Airport" displayed at the top of the building. The building has a large plaza in front of it with seating, trees, and vegetation.

A large building with a glass façade and a high awning in front of it supported by tall pillars, and a large plaza in front of the building with seating, trees, and vegetation.

Looking along the front of a large building with a glass façade, with a high awning supported by tall pillars in front of the building.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The reason this is possible in Australia is that the Australian Constitution contains a provision in section 122 allowing territories to be given representation in Parliament. The United States Constitution only allows states to be represented in Congress, so it isn't possible there.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

For context, fares for heavy rail trips in Sydney are calculated based on the track distance between the origin and destination stations, and there are 5 distance bands that each cover a range of distances, each with a different fare.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

From 29 June 2026, the way distances between Sydney railway stations are calculated for the purpose of fare calculation is changing. I made a spreadsheet showing the distances between stations before and after this change and the difference between them. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

June 2026 station distance changes

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The Woronora Bridge in southern Sydney has a very cool walkway underneath the level of the road, with great views over the Woronora River. This bridge opened in 2001, replacing a smaller bridge just above the level of the river, which still carries local traffic.

Looking along a walkway curving to the left, with a wooden floor, a concrete ceiling, a concrete wall on the left, and an open side with a fence on the right, with a view over a river with a tree-covered hill on the side.

Looking along a walkway curving to the right, with a wooden floor, a concrete ceiling, a concrete wall on the right, and an open side with a fence on the left, with a view over a river with a tree-covered hill on the side.

2 bridges crossing a river, viewed from the side of the river. The closer bridge is a few meters above the level of the water, while the bridge further away is much higher up and is supported by tall piers.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

This open day is probably the only time that members of the public will be able to see along these tunnels, as they're part of a branch for accessing the maintenance facility so trains won't use them while in service.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

It's very interesting that the most-used station outside the city is a terminal station that opened in 2014. I wouldn't have expected a station like that to be one of the busiest on the network.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

This means that the transfer will be less convenient than the transfer between the Martin Place metro and train platforms, likely requiring using 3 escalators/lifts instead of 1. But it won't be too much less convenient; the distance will be similar. Presumably there's a good reason for this layout.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

This implies that the tunnel will connect to the Hunter Street eastern concourse, as if it connected directly to the Hunter Street platform, it would have to go down from the platforms to go underneath the tunnel going north from Martin Place, instead of going up.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

This video of the construction site shows the excavated tunnel towards the Martin Place platforms at 6:01, and it goes down towards the platforms. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwW...

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

As far as I can tell based on earlier documents, it will be necessary to go up and back down to transfer.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

The render does make it look like there will be 5 escalators from the underground concourse level to the level above the Hunter Street platforms, and it's good that there will be more escalators here because they will handle both entering/exiting and interchanging.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

4 escalators does seem like surprisingly few for this entrance, but looking at the plans, it doesn't look like it would be possible to fit more without reducing the number of escalators to the lobby of the over station development.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

www.sydneymetro.info/sites/defaul...

sydneymetro.info

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

We don't know the exact layout of the connection to Martin Place, but we know approximately where the tunnel is because it appears on construction update diagrams. From this, it can be assumed that it connects to the northeastern corner of the underground concourse level.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

It's interesting to see more details on the layout! Earlier documents gave a general idea about the layout and it was possible to see some details in them, but these documents show more details, and it's interesting to see how this entrance is integrated into the building above it.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

I think Sydney's public transport wayfinding would benefit from pointing to specific lines more often

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

There is some room on the existing line from Central to Parramatta, but not much, and using the line would likely prevent high-frequency high-speed rail services and increasing the frequency of existing suburban and intercity services.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

There's still some value in the current designations, as they indicate whether a train will stop at all the stops shown on that line on the map – it's "All Stops" if it will, "Limited Stops" if it skips at least 1, and "Express" if it skips many.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

The only way the stopping patterns are distinguished is by the stations shown as the destination and where the train is going via, and by the list of all the stops the train stops at. I think there should be a better way of designating stopping patterns in Sydney.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Next-train indicators say "Limited Stops" for all of these patterns, except at the last few stops where they say "All Stops", since each of these stopping pattern stops at all of the last few stops on the line.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

I agree that train designations should ideally do that, but in Sydney they don't really. For example, the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line has 3 stopping patterns in off-peak periods, all of which are limited-stops and stop at different combinations of stations.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

I assume so. "Limited Stops" is still accurate in this case, as it tells you that you can't go to every stop on that line in that direction on that train.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

I think Sydney Trains next-train indicators will say "Limited Stops" when at least 1 stop is skipped.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

While saying "all stops service" may not be strictly necessary if all services make all stops, I think saying it is fine, since it would reassure passengers that the train will stop at the stop they're going to, considering it's common for services on other lines in Sydney to skip stops.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

The regular announcements on trains still said "This is an all stops service" even though the train was skipping a stop, and the displays between the doors still said "All stops to [destination]", but there were special announcements about how trains were skipping Barangaroo.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

The line diagrams on trains still showed Barangaroo. But between arriving at the station before Barangaroo and arriving at the station after it, the station icon for Barangaroo was replaced with a different icon with an exclamation mark.

Close-up photograph of a passenger information display in a Sydney Metro train, showing a diagram of stations on the line. From left to right, Central, Gadigal, Martin Place, Barangaroo, Victoria Cross, and Crows Nest stations are visible, each with a dot on a line and a label above the line. An arrow icon pointing to the left is between the dots for Barangaroo and Victoria Cross, showing the location of the train and the direction of travel. The dots for Central, Gadigal, and Martin Place are turquoise. The dot for Barangaroo is dark grey with an exclamation mark inside. The dots for Victoria Cross and Crows Nest are light grey.

Close-up photograph of a passenger information display in a Sydney Metro train, showing a diagram of stations on the line. From left to right, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, and Martin Place stations are visible, each with a dot on a line and a label above the line. An arrow icon pointing to the left is between the dots for Barangaroo and Martin Place, showing the location of the train and the direction of travel. The dot for Victoria Cross is turquoise. The dot for Barangaroo is dark grey with an exclamation mark inside. The dot for Martin Place is light grey.

Close-up photograph of a passenger information display in a Sydney Metro train, showing a small section of a diagram of stations on the line. A dark grey dot with an exclamation mark inside is on a turquoise line, with the label "Barangaroo" above.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Next-train indicators didn't list Barangaroo as a stop and said the service was "Limited Stops" instead of "All Stops", though they weren't doing this at all stations, as at Sydenham I saw they were still showing the service as stopping at all stops.

Photograph of a next-train indicator display at platform 2 at Chatswood station. The destination of the train is shown as "Sydenham via City". Below this, the first 5 of the train's stops are listed: Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Martin Place, Gadigal, and Central. Normally, Barangaroo would be between Victoria Cross and Martin Place. On the right side of the screen, there is the text "Limited Stops" in a dark grey box; normally this text would say "All Stops".

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

On New Year's Eve 2024, Sydney Metro services didn't stop at Barangaroo between 17:00 and 23:45 due to large crowds. During this period, there were some changes to passenger information displays, since trains were skipping a station they'd normally stop at.

Close-up photograph of a passenger information display in a Sydney Metro train, showing a diagram of stations on the line. From left to right, Chatswood, Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, and Gadigal stations are visible, each with a dot on a line and a label above the line. An arrow icon pointing to the left is between the dots for Barangaroo and Martin Place, showing the location of the train and the direction of travel. The dots for Chatswood, Crows Nest, and Victoria Cross are turquoise. The dot for Barangaroo is dark grey with an exclamation mark inside. The dots for Martin Place and Gadigal are light grey.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

While extending the Parramatta Light Rail line from Carlingford to Epping would probably be possible, it would be difficult due to the steep topography in Carlingford and the width of Carlingford Road. And an underground rail line would be faster than a light rail line.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

However, branching also complicates services, and limits the frequency of each type of service. While diverting South Line services into a new tunnel would require changing trains on many trips, it would increase the overall capacity of the network.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Currently, South Line services join the Western Line north of Merrylands, branching in both directions. Branching like this allows the Western Line's capacity to be used for multiple types of services, allowing many kinds of trips to be made on a single train.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

But I've changed my mind on this, as diverting South Line services into a tunnel to Epping would allow significant simplification of services on the Western Line, and more services on the South Line as well.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

I thought this idea wasn't very good because I thought it wouldn't improve services on the South Line much, and I thought a Parramatta Light Rail extension would be a better way of creating a rail link between Parramatta and Epping.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

In the past, I thought the idea of building a rail tunnel from Merrylands to Epping via Parramatta and Carlingford (an idea implied in the Future Transport Strategy 2056 document) wasn't a very good one. However, over the first half of this year, I changed my mind on this.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

New Exploring Sydney's Railways video! In this one I visit Como Station on the Illawarra Line, which has a beautiful station entrance. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSpu...

youtube.com

Exploring Como

YouTube video by Exploring Sydney's Railways

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

When Sydney introduced line numbers on its train network in 2013, the T2 and T8 were the same line (before this they were separate named lines). But the lines were split in 2017, which was a good change as it made it clearer where a train was going when catching a train in the city.

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Gus @unspecificocean.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

The intersection of Hill Road and Stromboli Strait close to this sign is planned to have traffic lights added as part of the construction of the Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 line next to Hill Road, which will include a stop behind where this sign is now.

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