Frequently asked questions

This can be for a variety of reasons, such as inoperative doors or graffiti damage.

As soon as it is operationally possible, the issue affecting the carriage is either rectified or the train is swapped with a spare one.

Trains cannot stop quickly or swerve to avoid obstacles, so train whistles (horns) are vital to the safe operation of the CityRail network. Drivers sound their horns when approaching level crossings, tunnels, cuttings and worksites. They also sound their horns in other situations, such as if there are people or animals on or near the track.

At RailCorp we take all practical measures to reduce noise emissions from trains, tracks and other structures on the network. These works include grinding rail and train wheel profiles when required and removing track surface irregularities that result in increased noise emissions.

RailCorp operates under an Environmental Protection Licence issued by the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW. The main objectives of the licence are to:

• minimise offensive noise levels to the extent practicable from railway operations, and
• minimise impacts on communities surrounding the railway network

Freight trains
A night-time curfew on freight trains is not feasible due to the high volume of commuter passenger trains using the network during the daytime. Wherever practical, we endeavour to schedule freight trains to operate during the daytime.

For any environmental complaints or enquiries, contact our 24 hour hotline "Greenline" on 1300 656 999.

CityRail is committed to providing you with clean trains. We:

• clean train interiors daily and exteriors fortnightly,
• remove litter from trains in service during off-peak day-time periods, and
• remove graffiti as quickly as possible.

Train cleaning is undertaken at a number of locations across the CityRail network including Bondi Junction, East Hills, Campbelltown, Liverpool, Gordon and Lindfield. These practices have resulted in an increase of over 300% more rubbish being removed from trains.

Please ring Transport Info on 131 500, press 5 and quote the carriage number to an operator. Mobile cleaners will attend to the problem as soon as possible.

The same as you knock off at the end of each day, so do our train crews, and while many businesses have set hours, train crews don't. Therefore, our driver and guards can be starting and/or finishing their shift at any time of the day and night. Additionally, as with other professional drivers, our drivers are required to have a break during their shift to prevent fatigue.

Yes. CityRail trains are available for private charter subject to operational requirements and fleet availability.

Please email special.events@railcorp.nsw.gov.au or contact (02) 8922 4392 for more information.

When surplus carriages become available their heritage value is firstly assessed. Should it be determined the carriage represents no heritage value it is sold by public tender.

Members of the public wanting to buy train carriages are now turning to private companies which specialise in their sale.

To qualify to drive a train on our network drivers currently complete a 10 month training program and safety induction process.

Drivers also complete safety refresher training on a routine basis to ensure they are in touch with new technology and processes we implement.

As part of the selection process applicants are medically assessed. This includes drug and alcohol screening, hearing, vision and mobility testing, as well as health, fitness and physical assessment.

For further information visit the careers section of the RailCorp website.

CityRail has responded to the growth in passenger numbers by funding the acquisition of 626 new suburban carriages. This is in addition to 194 Outer Suburbans Carriages, now being delivered, to service the Central Coast, South Coast and Blue Mountains lines.

About two-thirds of our approximately 1,650 carriages are airconditioned. These carriages are dispersed equally across the system.

The number of trains on the CityRail fleet with air-conditioning will increase steadily over the next five years as we introduce our new trains, which are all fully air-conditioned.

CityRail has introduced 120 new air-conditioned Oscar carriages into service since 2006. A contract for a further 74 Oscar carriages was executed in March 2009. The first of these carriages entered service in October 2010. An order of a further 25 Oscar carriages was announced in February 2011.

CityRail will also soon begin taking delivery of 626 new air-conditioned Waratah carriages. The train builder has advised that it now expects the first train to be ready for passenger service by June 2011. However there are a series of critical tests that need to occur to ensure the Waratah trains meet safety and reliability standards before the Waratah will be introduced into passenger service.

Please note that train crew are unable to adjust the air conditioning on trains.

The comfort and wellbeing of our customers is one of our top priorities. Should you become sick or injured while travelling on our trains we will take all reasonable steps to ensure you receive medical attention as soon as possible.

This may involve trains making additional stops to await the arrival of an ambulance.

Most intercity services have toilet facilities. Our suburban services do not have toilets.

The same as your car requires regular servicing, so do our trains. All trains are scheduled into a maintenance depot to receive regular routine and major periodic maintenance. This may involve replacing brake shoes to major rebuilds of components.

RailCorp undertakes a number of actions to continuously improve the safety of our operations. We benchmark our safety systems and performance against the best organisations in comparable, complex, high-risk industries. We seek to continuously identify, understand and manage our risks, and we strive to learn the lessons from incidents - both those in Australia and abroad.

The safety of our customers is a major priority for us and we are constantly reviewing our procedures to ensure the highest standards are met.

We have investigated the potential of doors that react to obstruction, similar to lift doors. However, it has been determined that their implementation would significantly affect our ability to meet customers' needs in regard to timeliness and reliability of services. Instead we have chosen to implement what is know as "traction interlocking", a system which prevents a train from powering if all the doors are not fully closed.

Train doors receive a significant amount of wear and tear. The failure of a door to open is generally caused by a temporary malfunction of the opening mechanism that usually rectifies itself before the next stop.

All trains are checked carefully before entering service as we recognise that it is inconvenient for customers to have to move to an alternative entrance when doors do not open.

The train guard will be immediately notified of your actions. The guard will then make contact with you via the intercom system located next to the help button, as soon as possible. All train guards have facilities to call for assistance should it be required.

Remain calm and contact the train guard as soon as possible. All train guards have been trained to deal with emergency situations. It is important that you follow any instructions given by the train crew.

In addition to their operational duties our guards perform a number of important passenger functions. First and foremost guards are responsible for overseeing the safe boarding and alighting of passengers. They make announcements as and when required, assist mobility impaired passengers on and off the train and assist the driver to maintain the train on-time. The guard is also the person who opens and closes the doors for you. The guard can also call for police assistance if and when required.