Agree that we should at least be happy that we at least have the option of travelling to the airport by train. Though like you, I avoid using this service if I can – due to the inconvenience and price. My usual trip to the airport is train to Rockdale and then 400 bus to airport. Your alternate routes of train to Mascot sounds interesting – will probably give them a go next time

I know it sort of goes against the concept of paying back AirportLink, but I think given the lack of good (and reasonably priced) public transport to/from the City/Airport, the government/131500 should clearly list the alternatives that people can take (eg. the broken journeys as discussed above). I think transparency is needed to reduce confusion involved with travelling to and from the airport – and hopefully make Sydney slightly more tourist friendly too!

pyko

ps. updated the price to the International Airport – thanks

Central to the International Terminal Station is $15.00 by the way; not $15.40 since the recent CityRail price re-structuring. It is for City stations beyond Central that travellers pay a fare of $15.80. Recent discussions with the former state government (Labor) saw the private fees at Mascot and Green Square dropped, which is a start seeing as Mascot is a busy business area. I think people should stop thinking about the terminal train stations as train stations. The fares force one to differentiate between them and ‘normal stations’. It would be better to think of them (essentially) as private express-shuttles. The train is quicker than a cab and still slightly cheaper (depending on group size).

AirportLink contributed a large sum of money towards the construction of the four now-private stations, so there is no point complaining, seeing as if they had not paid anything there would be no train stations at either terminal, etc. The whining is senseless I think… If you don’t like the service, don’t use it. Personally, I would not use the train to get to the airport if I had any other choice. A train to Mascot is $3.20 when travelling from the City of nearby suburbs… From Mascot you can catch the 400 bus into the airport for an additional $2.00, or you can even take a train from Mascot to the airport separately, which costs $7.00 (two separate tickets ends up being cheaper than buying just one straight to the airport).

If you do your research and put in a little effort, travelling is not difficult. Tourists rarely research airport pricing, which is an issue. I always check transport prices when I travel around. I agree that the AirportLink ticket prices are a deterrent, and that were the prices cheaper then patronage would probably more than double. However, as was aforementioned, the company invested in the construction of those stations, so they have the right to charge however much they want. Simple as that.

I would like to say that overall I still liked this article. I couldn’t agree more that the idea of having NO direct public transport routes to the city is absurd and shameful. To think that bus routes have been directed away from the airport in an attempt to increase patronage at the private stations is disgraceful. 131500′s information is indeed poor at best when it comes to information regarding the AirportLink company, but many complaints have been made. It seems the government isn’t all that keen on providing accurate information though. Most CityRail staff, including those at my local station, don’t even know the different tickets which grant entry to the airport stations. That in itself is poor because it is indicative of poor transport knowledge. The government needs to spread the word about these private stations, so that customers stop paying so much, when they would not have, had they known any better (a cheaper route for instance).

Didn’t realise the taxis were such a big issue either until you posted! Some of my friends came a few weeks ago and they had to wait 30min+ for a taxi! Public transport was not even an option since they had heavy luggage.

I think to fix this Sydney government first needs to realise they made a mistake and then actually do something about it – rather than just talk and pass the blame on to someone else.

In my opinion, to start off, they really need to get rid of the gate charge for the train. Add more buses to the airport, having just one single 400 bus is just lame. With better public transport, hopefully it’ll reduce people waiting for the taxi (I mean if it costs more taking public transport who will take it?).

Personally I’ve never taken a taxi from the airport, but from the sounds of it they need better supply/demand scheduling as well.

pyko