Member for Davidson Jonathan O’Dea has welcomed expansion of the Opal card ticketing system to include all North Shore Line stations, giving thousands more customers a cheaper, faster and more convenient journey.
From 31 January, Opal will be extended to 55 more train stations from Redfern to Strathfield, Strathfield to Hornsby, Chatswood to Wyong, and Epping to Chatswood.
Opal is already accepted on all Sydney Ferries services, on two bus routes including the busy 333 Bondi bus, and at 17 train stations north of the CBD to Chatswood, in addition to the City Circle and stations to Bondi Junction.
“This is great for the local community, as customers using public transport will find the Opal card convenient and easy, and when Opal is rolled out across the network they won’t have to queue up to buy a train ticket ever again,” Mr O’Dea said.
“Once customers have registered and received their free Opal card they simply turn up and tap on at the start of the journey and tap off at the end.
“Opal is transforming the way people are using public transport, and this is another major milestone for the Opal rollout, showing the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is getting on with the job of delivering this important project,” Mr O’Dea said.
For a customer travelling from Gordon to Town Hall using an Opal card the single adult fare is $4.10 compared to $4.60 with a paper ticket.
For a regular Gordon to Town Hall train commuter a weekly paper ticket costs $35.00. With Opal you will only pay $32.80, plus you are rewarded with free travel on any mode for the rest of the week after eight paid journeys.
There are even more savings for customers who travel in off-peak periods.
More than 45,000 Opal cards have already been registered, with more than 2 million trips already taken using the electronic ticketing system.
By the end of 2014, 40 ferry wharves, more than 300 train stations and more than 5,000 buses will have Opal operating in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, and Southern Highlands, with light rail coming on line in 2015.
