Interstate travellers take to the train as air fares between Melbourne and Sydney soar
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Exclusive: Seats on 11-hour Sydney-Melbourne service regularly sold out over holiday period, as one-way flights to Tullamarine average almost $500. The 11-hour Sydney-Melbourne train has become so popular services are selling out – even with extra carriages added – as travellers seek alternatives to an aviation duopoly that is stronger than ever, with carriers charging $900 for one-way economy tickets.
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Ridership on the Sydney-Melbourne rail corridor has exploded in recent months, with 203,000 passenger journeys between July and December. Data for the 2023-24 financial year revealed 393,000 passenger journeys, a 14% increase on the previous year and just 7,000 shy of the annual record.
While many of the passengers on the twice-daily New South Wales government-run XPT services travel only part of the trip from regional centres, Sydneysiders and Melburnians faced with significantly higher air fares on Australia’s busiest air route are increasingly turning to the train.
The popularity of the train – currently operated with decades-old stock that lacks device charging or wifi but boasts window tinting that helps block mobile reception for the entire journey – has seen Transport for NSW routinely add a sixth carriage to the service, bringing capacity up from 215 to 285.
Despite the extra carriage, services have continued to sell out. In 2023-24, an average of 277 passengers rode each service. Beyond the lure of flat pricing on one-way tickets – $117 during peak holiday periods and $83 at other times – travellers do not need to pay to check in large suitcases or for airport transfers at both ends.
