My boyfriend & I vacationed, in Sydney, Australia, in May 2016. We traveled to the Central Railway Station, from The Museum Train Station (which is one stop over), to transfer to trains which took us on the outskirts of Sydney. This train station was easy to navigate through. There is a counter to purchase fare cards and it's open daily. We preferred this over purchasing the tickets at a kiosk machine. The customer service staff is very friendly and helpful and there are ample free maps to select from which has train information. Sunday is the best day to travel, for excursion trips,, because the fair is only approximately $2.50 all day no matter how many stations you go to. You can't beat that price! The commuter trains were comfortable and spacious and they also have restrooms on the train itself. The best trip was when we traveled briefly alongside the ocean. When we went to the Blue Mountains, there were a few stations which were closed, that Sunday, due to track maintenance. However, there were ample buses, which were similar to Greyhound buses in the U.S., available for the rest of the trip. This was a great alternative because these buses were comfortable and the bus driver was playing nice mellow music (from the 1970s & 1980s) while we traveled. The bus drivers were also friendly and helpful.
I flew back into Sydney early on a Monday morning and trained to Central to catch the Canberra express service due at lunchtime. Having been here several times before, I expected to be able to get breakfast up on the country rail main concourse (the Grand Concourse???).
Sadly, no food outlets save for a temporary kiosk serving tea/coffee/drinks and cakes. Everything else had been closed down including the rather large coffee shop cum fast food outlet previously located on the concourse. I eventually headed down to Eddy Avenue and found a proper sit-down cafe for breakfast.
Back up on the Grand Concourse, I discovered that the several dozen seats for waiting passenger - previously there in front of platforms 2 and 3 - had been removed for a children's function. In fact, there is absolutely no seating at all on the Concourse, and on a very cold morning waiting through the 4-hours before train time, I thought this was and remains a disgusting oversight by TrainLink. Where do they expect people to sit and wait ... in Belmore Park???
I will have to use Central Station again as the hub for my travels, but honestly, I wish it were not so. The old fashioned charm I remember from my schooldays has been overtaken by a bare, uncomfortable area. Bah humbug, Central Station !
People live in Central station, it's a travesty in a country like ours. And no I don't think they should be moved so they are out of sight. At least they have shelter here.
The women at the info desk st Central were so rude and unhelpful I was amazed. I got the third degree for asking about concession fares and was put through the wringer to apply for an opal card.
Rude and unhelpful.
The train services seem to be regular and plentiful and it was reasonably easy for us visiting to navigate.
Several times lately I've used the left-luggage facility at Central. You enter a room near the grand front façade of the building (where it looks down to Railway Square and George Street). The women's toilets are next-door. There's a table and a bit of space where you can re-pack and deal with your luggage, and then there's the counter where you hand over the items you want to leave. For a small, pull-able suitcase the charge was $9 for 1-4 hours, $11 for the next time period, and so on. You have to show ID when paying. You are given a paper ticket which you have to be able to show when reclaiming your luggage.
When we where up in Sydney we used this station to travel on the trains . We found the staff to be very helpful and kind. It is very easy to travel around town.
