Most Sydney residents travel by car through the system of roads, freeways and tollways (known as motorways). The most important trunk routes in the urban area are the nine Metroads, which include the 110 km (68 mi) Sydney Orbital Network. Sydney is also served by train, taxi, bus and ferry networks.
Trains in Sydney are run by CityRail, a state-run corporation. Trains run as suburban commuter rail services in the outer suburbs, then converge in an underground city loop service in the central business district. In the years following the 2000 Olympics, CityRail's performance declined significantly. In 2005, CityRail introduced a revised timetable and employed more drivers. A large infrastructure project, the Clearways project, is scheduled to be completed by 2010. In 2007 a report found Cityrail performed poorly compared to many metro services from other world cities.
Sydney has one privately operated light rail line, Metro Light Rail, running from Central Station to Lilyfield along a former goods train line. The Metro Monorail runs in a loop around the main shopping district and Darling Harbour. Sydney was once served by an extensive tram network, which was progressively closed in the 1950s and 1960s.
Most parts of the metropolitan area are served by buses, many of which follow the pre-1961 tram routes. In the city and inner suburbs the state-owned Sydney Buses has a monopoly. In the outer suburbs, service is contracted to many private bus companies. Construction of a network of rapid bus transitways in areas not previously well served by public transport began in 1999, and the first of these, the Liverpool–Parramatta Rapid Bus Transitway, opened in February 2003. State government-owned Sydney Ferries runs numerous commuter and tourist ferry services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River.
Sydney Airport, in the suburb of Mascot, is Sydney's main airport, and is one of the oldest continually operated airports in the world. The smaller Bankstown Airport mainly serves private and general aviation. There is a light aviation airfield at Camden. RAAF Base Richmond lies to the north-west of the city.
The question of the need for a Second Sydney Airport has raised much controversy. A 2003 study found that Sydney Airport can manage as Sydney's sole international airport for 20 years, with a significant increase in airport traffic predicted. The resulting expansion of the airport would have a substantial impact on the community, including additional aircraft noise affecting residents. Land has been acquired at Badgerys Creek for a second airport, the site acting as a focal point of political argument.
Sydney's notably low population density can be traced in part to its public transport network. The city, founded in 1788 acquired its public transport system relatively early on in its life – rail services began in 1855. Working-class suburbs could thus be built far from the city centre, whereas in older cities the need to maintain walking distance between residential and employment centres kept sprawl to a minimum.
Utilities
Water storage and supply for Sydney is managed by the Sydney Catchment Authority, which is an agency of the NSW Government that sells bulk water to Sydney Water and other agencies. Water in the Sydney catchment is chiefly stored in dams in the Upper Nepean Scheme, the Blue Mountains, Woronora Dam, Warragamba Dam and the Shoalhaven Scheme.[108] Historically low water levels in the catchment have led to water use restrictions and the NSW government is investigating alternative water supply options, including grey water recycling and the construction of a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant at Kurnell. As of May 2009, the plant was 80% completed, and was due to start supplying fresh water to Sydney at the end of the year. In late January 2010, the NSW government announced that desalination plant was operating and people in different regions were being supplied with desalinated water. There were no complaints or reports about water odour, which people had previously perceived was going to be present. Sydney Water also collects the wastewater and sewage produced by the city.
Four companies supply natural gas and electricity to Sydney: Energy Australia, AGL, Integral Energy and Origin Energy. The natural gas supply for the city is sourced from the Cooper Basin in South Australia. Numerous telecommunications companies operate in Sydney providing terrestrial and mobile telecommunications services.
Heavy rail
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| CityRail, Railways in Sydney |
The waiting area at Central Railway Station, the main station on the CityRail network
Passenger rail services in Greater Sydney are provided by CityRail. Fares are calculated on the basis of distance travelled. Sydney's suburban commuter rail service consists of eleven railway lines. Sydney does not have a separate metro system, but most suburban lines run through the city centre. On most lines, there are two to four trains an hour at off-peak times.
In the years following the 2000 Olympics, CityRail's performance declined significantly. Public anger resulted in the continued poor performance of Sydney's commuter rail system, despite the introduction of new timetables, employment of more drivers and large infrastructure projects called the Clearways project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2010. In 2007 a report found Cityrail performed poorly compared to many metro services from other world cities. There are no train services to the Northern Beaches, lower Eastern Suburbs or parts of Western Sydney. Work is underway on the Rail Clearways Project, a series of infrastructure upgrades aiming to "untangle" the network and reduce the interdependence of the separate lines.
CityRail interurban trains to the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Newcastle leave from the network's hub, Central railway station. This station is also the terminus for CountryLink trains to country New South Wales, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as the Indian Pacific to Perth.
Trams
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The colonnade at Central Station - used by both the former and current tram systems.
Sydney once had the Southern Hemisphere's largest tram network. Patronage peaked in 1945 at 405 million passenger journeys. The system was in place from 1861 until its winding down in the 1950s and eventual closure in 1961. It had a maximum street mileage of 181 miles (291 km) in 1923. A short tramline linking Loftus station and the Royal National Park has operated since the 1990s as a museum and tourist attraction.
Light Rail and Monorail
As part of the Darling Harbour development, an urban renewal project timed to coincide with Australia's bicentenary celebrations in 1988 a monorail line was opened to link the harbourside's tourist attractions with the city centre. In 1997 a short light rail line was opened between Central and the Inner West. Both are now owned by Metro Transport Sydney and operated by Veolia.
Extensions of Sydney Light Rail, operated by Veolia Transport, were proposed in NSW Government 'Sydney Metropolitan Transport Plan'. When completed, extensions will result in almost doubling of current Light Rail system.
Taxi
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| Taxis in New South Wales |
New South Wales is served by a fleet of around 6000 taxis with over 22,000 taxi drivers. The network is the largest in Australia. Most taxis are Ford Falcons, with a smaller number of Holden Commodores, Ford Fairlanes, Holden Statesmen/Caprice, Toyota Camrys, Toyota Taragos, Volkswagen Vans, Chrysler Voyagers, Mercedes Vans, and Toyota Hiaces. In general, taxis run on liquid petroleum gas. Many taxis are owned by small-scale operators who pay membership fees to regional or citywide radio communication networks. These networks provide branding and telephone and internet booking services.
Ferry
Sydney Ferries
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| Sydney Ferry Freshwater with Sydney Harbour Bridge in background |
Sydney Ferries, another State government-owned organisation, runs numerous commuter and tourist ferries on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River. Harbour ferries are used in equal measure by commuter and leisure users; Parramatta River ferries are overwhelmingly used for leisure and tourist trips. Sydney Ferries operates nine routes, with approximately 14,000,000 passengers per year.Sydney Ferries operates from Circular Quay Ferry Terminal, a major transport hub in Sydney's central business district, with popular routes including services to the beachside suburb of Manly and to Taronga Zoo, a major tourist attraction. Sydney Ferries also operates sightseeing cruises for tourists.
Other passenger ferry operators
Several private sector companies run passenger ferries in the Sydney region. These include:
Church Point Ferry, from Church Point to Scotland Island
Cronulla and National Park Ferry, from Cronulla to Bundeena
Dangar Island Ferries, from Brooklyn to Dangar Island
Matilda Cruises, from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour and Lane Cove
Palm Beach Ferry, from Palm Beach to Great Mackerel Beach and the Basin, and to Ettalong Beach and Wagstaffe
Palm Beach & Hawkesbury River Cruises, from Palm Beach to Patonga
Vehicle ferries
Several car ferries form part of Sydney's road system. These ferries are controlled by a combination of the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority and local government, and are toll-free. They include:
Berowra Waters Ferry, across Berowra Creek
Lower Portland Ferry, across the Hawkesbury River
Mortlake Ferry, across the Parramatta River
Webbs Creek Ferry, across the Hawkesbury River
Wisemans Ferry, across the Hawkesbury River
Sackville Ferry, across the Hawkesbury River
All about Sydney
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