Starting 1st July 2026, NSW TrainLink is rolling out an upgraded coach network designed to transform regional travel across the state. Featuring new routes, modern buses and smarter connections shaped by community feedback, the overhaul aims to make journeys across rural NSW faster, easier, and more comfortable.
Passengers will benefit from shorter travel times, improved accessibility and smoother links to trains and other transport services—helping communities stay better connected without the strain of long-distance road trips.
Train network expansion in NSW
14 operators will now service 49 routes with 638 weekly long-distance coach services—up from 592 services across 45 routes. Annual network coverage is also expanding by nearly 200,000 kilometres to more than 7.15 million kilometres, backed by a 36% funding increase to $290 million over nine years.
The investment is focused on delivering safer, more comfortable journeys while improving seamless connections between coaches, trains, and other transport options across regional NSW.
A new return service between Armidale and Port Macquarie will create a direct link between the Northern Tablelands and the North Coast, with convenient train connections at Wauchope to Coffs Harbour, Grafton, the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane.
Expanded Port Macquarie–Wauchope services will also boost both northbound and southbound travel, improving direct access along the coast and into Queensland.
Meanwhile, a new Yass–Young service will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with return trips on Thursdays and Sundays, cutting up to two hours from journeys between Young and Sydney via rail. Communities including Griffith and Temora are also set to benefit from improved connections to both Sydney and Canberra.
New everyday upgrades announced
Daily return services between Goulburn and Canberra will now operate every day of the week, including weekends for the first time. Services running through Nyngan, Bourke and Broken Hill will now stop at Dubbo Airport, strengthening connections between regional air travel and the coach network.
The Tamworth–Dubbo route will expand from one to three return services each week, while a new daily Tamworth–Muswellbrook return service (Route TM1) will make same-day rail connections to Newcastle faster and more convenient.
Armidale will gain a new CBD stop on services travelling via Tenterfield and Inverell, while the Taree–Newcastle route will expand from weekday-only operations to daily services, including stops at Manning Street and Newcastle Interchange. Ballina will also benefit from improved day and night rail connections to Casino.
Further south, Bombala passengers will enjoy faster direct services to Cooma and Canberra, while Jindabyne will see increased service frequency. In the state’s west, a new Monday Broken Hill–Mildura service via Menindee and Pooncarie will strengthen regional connectivity.
Passengers across the network can also expect upgraded coaches equipped with wheelchair accessibility, comfortable seatbelt-equipped seating, charging ports, defibrillators and onboard toilets for safer and more comfortable long-distance travel.
Chief Executive of NSW TrainLink Roger Weeks said: “After listening to passengers, local operators and the NSW Bus Taskforce, we’ve reshaped the network to make services more reliable, better connected and easier to use, matching service provision to community need.”
