The Cheaper Alternative to Sydney’s Airport Train

There’s no doubt that Sydney Trains provides a very convenient rail service between Sydney Airport and the city. Trains are frequent, fast and stop right underneath Sydney’s domestic and international airport terminals.

But Sydney’s airport train comes at a cost, with a “Gate Pass” fee adding $17.34 to the cost of a one-way adult train ticket or $15.50 to a child fare. In total, this means a one-way ticket from Sydney Airport to the city could cost between $20.28 (off-peak, using contactless payment) and $22.70 (with a single-trip ticket).

If you’re travelling in a group, it’s often cheaper just to take a taxi, Uber or DiDi instead of the train. You can even earn Virgin Australia Velocity points with DiDi, or Qantas points when riding with Uber to or from Sydney Airport.

But there’s another way to get to or from Sydney Airport using public transport that’s much cheaper, especially if you’re travelling on your own…

Public buses stop at Sydney Airport

Instead of catching the train or a cab, you could catch a public bus from Sydney Airport to a nearby train station that doesn’t add an expensive “Gate Pass” to the cost of your ticket.

Route 350 and 420 buses depart from outside Terminal 3, on the arrivals level, and can take you to Mascot train station on the T8 line in just a few minutes. Route 420 buses also depart from the international terminal, and can take you either to Mascot station or to Rockdale station on the T4 line.

The bus fare between Sydney Airport and Mascot (or Rockdale) is $2.24 off-peak or $3.20 during peak hours.

You can access the lowest fares by tapping on and off public transport in Sydney using either an Opal card or your credit card.

From Mascot station, you can catch a train for the rest of the journey into the city for a much lower price.

You can also walk to the nearby train stations

If you’re feeling like doing some exercise – as I often do after a long flight – you could even walk to the nearest train station. From the domestic terminals, it’s around a 20-minute walk to Mascot train station. Or if you’ve arrived at Terminal 1 on an international flight, you can walk 15-20 minutes to Wolli Creek train station.

From Mascot or Wolli Creek stations, the train fare to the city is either $2.94 (off-peak), $4.20 (during peak times) or $5.00 (with a single-trip paper ticket).

However, if you’re transferring from a bus to the train, or vice versa, you’ll get a $2 discount. So, if you’re travelling off-peak, it costs just $3.18 to take a bus to Mascot and then a train to the Sydney CBD. That’s 84% cheaper than taking the train directly from the airport!

It’s a bit of extra hassle, but the savings can really add up. When I lived in Sydney, I’d regularly walk or take a bus between the domestic terminal and Mascot station. At the end of each year, I would use the savings to fund a return flight to New Zealand!

Transferring between Sydney’s domestic and international terminals

If you need to get between the domestic and international terminals at Sydney Airport, you have a few options. The quickest method is the train, which takes two minutes, but this costs $9.70 for a one-way trip.

Qantas operates a “seamless transfer” bus service between Terminals 1 and 3 at Sydney Airport. This is a free service for Qantas passengers; you’ll just need to show your boarding pass. The airside buses run every 10-20 minutes, but there can be long lines during busy periods and it could take you around half an hour to get to the other terminal.

Otherwise, Sydney Airport provides a free Terminal Transfer Bus that runs every 15 minutes between Terminals 1 and 2/3. The trip takes around 10 minutes. Anyone can use this service; you don’t necessarily need to be flying.

Transferring between Terminals 2 and 3 at Sydney Airport is much easier. It only takes a few minutes and you can simply walk along the underpass, past the Domestic Airport railway station.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.