SYD International Airport to Domestic/Mascot by train on Opal

[NoName]

And Gocard has a loophole in favour of the enterprise.

Paid $1.28 for Toowong-Milton then continuing journey got train to Eagle Junction and changed to Airtrain and was charged another $21. :shock: I had free travel te Eagle Junction and from there should only be $18 to domestic but the fare was calculated on full journey. It's a joke.

Won't be that one again in a hurry.

Unless they have changed it recently you should be able to do a similar thing with the Gocard. There's no minimum balance to tap on so use a card down to as close to $0.00 as possible and then save it for your next airport trip. Yes there is a $5 charge for a go card but you're effectively paying $5 for a $20 trip.

 

[moa999]

Too bad. If the fares were reasonable to begin with people wouldn't do this. When Governments sell off infrastructure like this to private enterprise of course commuters will be charged extortionate fares.

This line wasn't sold off.

It was built by private interests (not Macquarie, instead Bouygues/Transfield) under a 30-yr PPP.
Like a number of road tunnels it went broke as patronage didn't meet forecasts and got bought by Westpac in 2006.
Since 2014 some 75% of the Gate Fee goes to the governement.

 

[moa999]

. Yes there is a $5 charge for a go card but you're effectively paying $5 for a $20 trip.

Was one of the reasons they added the fee on GoCard

 

[JohnK]

Unless they have changed it recently you should be able to do a similar thing with the Gocard. There's no minimum balance to tap on so use a card down to as close to $0.00 as possible and then save it for your next airport trip. Yes there is a $5 charge for a go card but you're effectively paying $5 for a $20 trip.

I believe it's $10 now but yes one could rort in a similar way.

 

[kpc]

All those $12 add up. $1.3 million
Opal card loophole costs NSW government $1.3 million in lost revenue

Too bad. If the fares were reasonable to begin with people wouldn't do this. When Governments sell off infrastructure like this to private enterprise of course commuters will be charged extortionate fares.

Has this loophole been closed?

 

[moa999]

No changes to this as part of the July 3 fare increases

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Overcrowding on Sydney's trains rapidly getting worse as demand soars - Sydney Morning Herald

The Auditor-General's report has also urged the state's transport agencies to take steps to stop the loss of revenue from passengers using Opal cards with negative balances to tap off after trips on public transport.

Revenue from unregistered Opal cards with negative balances cannot be recovered unless passengers top-up their cards.

The number of Opal cards with negative balances increased to 776,771 – amounting to $2.6 million owed to the state – in the 12 months to June, from 363,000 ($1.3 million) a year earlier.

And the Auditor-General warned the amount of lost revenue would continue to grow if passengers discard unregistered cards without paying for the remaining negative balances.

 

[theblank]

Thats a good trick, my kids told me to do that whenever taking the airport trains.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Just tapped on at SYD Domestic Station with $13.54 and it said balance too low. Station staff said the min amount you need on a card to tap on at an airport station is $16.22.

Not sure if I was using an unregistered card or not as I've got a few floating around but I realise if planning on doing anything 'funky' you only do it with a throwaway card so to speak.

 

[kpc]

Just tapped on at SYD Domestic Station with $13.54 and it said balance too low. Station staff said the min amount you need on a card to tap on at an airport station is $16.22.

If not in a huge rush, I would catch the 400 bus to Mascot station, and then the train onwards from there. 2 pax can save more than $20 doing this...

 

[moa999]

Just tapped on at SYD Domestic Station with $13.54 and it said balance too low

From the Airport you need to have the Airport Gate fee plus the minimum fare (depends if it's peak or off peak)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

If not in a huge rush, I would catch the 400 bus to Mascot station, and then the train onwards from there. 2 pax can save more than $20 doing this...

Usually I would but had to go to a funeral so time was of the essence on this occasion.

 

[moa999]

Looks like the government is finally moving to close this
7 News Sydney on Twitter

 

[UP4014]

If not in a huge rush, I would catch the 400 bus to Mascot station, and then the train onwards from there. 2 pax can save more than $20 doing this...

If You have time and it's a nice day the walk T3 to Mascot station is 15 to 20 mins. I did it a couple of times to satisfy myself it wasn't a big deal to do. (Saving $15 each time)

 

[CaptJCool]

Looks like the government is finally moving to close this
7 News Sydney on Twitter

Not sure if they’re that bothered. Consider it a tourist concession

From the FAQs

 

[kpc]

Looks like the government is finally moving to close this
7 News Sydney on Twitter

Wonder what your options would be if the gate does not open? Are there topup machines prior to the gates (rail side)?

 

[Cryptarcadian]

Wonder what your options would be if the gate does not open? Are there topup machines prior to the gates (rail side)?

Yes, there have been top-up machines railside (in the paid area) for a while now. I suppose they've been acting as passive encouragement?

 

[moa999]

Article in the Telegraph this morning that the loophole ends on January 7 2019 for journeys to the airport.

So the 400 (and new 420 from Burwood) may get extra usage.

 

[kpc]

Article in the Telegraph this morning that the loophole ends on January 7 2019 for journeys to the airport.

So the 400 (and new 420 from Burwood) may get extra usage.

Free ride ends for train commuters caught rorting Airport Line
December 20, 2018
TRAIN passengers using a loophole to escape paying full fares to Sydney Airport will be stopped at the turnstiles in a state government crackdown on Opal fraud.

From January 7, gates at the domestic and international stations will not open for cardholders who don’t have enough credit for the trip, ending a practice Transport Minister Andrew Constance called “straight out theft”.

New “gate readers” will be installed inside the stations to show how much passengers owe on their Opal cards.

If they are the short, they will be forced to use new top-up machines near the exits

edit:...and Fairfax Media have finally caught up: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...m-loophole-to-be-stopped-20181223-p50nyb.html


Not sure what others will do but the bus from Mascot Train station to the airport comes quite frequently now that the 420 route had been added to the 400 route. If not in a rush, I will just get off at Mascot staion and catch the bus to the airport. Up yours AC!!

 

[mrsterryn]

Many get on at international and domestic to alight at mascot train station
The buses now having ones that start and finish at international seem to have picked up patronage