Public transport

All aboard for NYE

Your best bet for travelling to the celebrations.

With thousands of extra services running and major road closures in place, public transport is the only way to travel on New Year’s Eve. Large crowds are expected so please plan your trip to and from the city ahead of time and consider all the available travel options.

You can tap on and off public transport services using an Opal card or American Express, Mastercard, Visa contactless card or linked device.

The way you arrive during the day may be different to the way you leave after the midnight fireworks.  Transport services will be affected by road closures and crowds throughout the night. Be patient and follow the directions of employees on site. Stay out later to avoid the largest crowds accessing transport hubs.

There’ll be no direct public transport access to Circular Quay and surrounding vantage points from 3pm. Be prepared to walk from other nearby transport hubs and allow extra time.

See detailed public transport information including service changes.

Trains

Extra trains will run during the day on New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of the new year.

These stations have different arrangements for New Year’s Eve to safely manage crowds:

  • Circular Quay: from 3pm until midnight trains will not drop off passengers at Circular Quay Station. Services will be pick-up only. For access to harbour foreshore vantage points, use Wynyard, St James or Martin Place stations and continue on foot.

  • Milsons Point : from 6pm until midnight, trains from the city to the north shore will not stop at Milsons Point. For access to vantage points or properties around Milsons Point and Kirribilli, get off at North Sydney station.

  • Domestic Airport and International Airport : from 12:30am to 4:30am, trains will not stop at Domestic Airport and International Airport stations. Sydney Airport will be closed during this time.

Metro

On New Year’s Eve, metro services will run every 10 minutes from around 4am then every 5 minutes from approximately 4pm until around 3am. Services run every 10 minutes on New Year’s Day.

  • For access to vantage points in the city, change at Epping for T9 Northern Line trains to Central, Town Hall and Wynyard stations. Trains to the City leave Epping every 8 minutes.

  • For access to vantage points around North Sydney, change at Chatswood to connect with T1 North Shore Line trains to North Sydney, or Milsons Point.

Buses

Thousands of extra bus services will run throughout the day and night to help you get to and from the celebrations.

Buses will be affected by road closures and will be using different routes and stops as roads close throughout the night. Be prepared to walk further than usual between bus stops and vantage points. The bus stop you arrived at is likely to be different to where you need to catch buses home after the midnight fireworks so plan your trip.

In the city: from 2pm buses that usually run to Circular Quay will relocate to Martin Place. From 5pm and 7pm all buses will use temporary terminals at Hyde Park, Wynyard, QVB and Town Hall. Some local buses will also be affected by closures earlier in the day.

In North Sydney : from 3pm buses will be diverting and using different stops around North Sydney station. Buses will not run to Milsons Point or McMahons Point due to road closures.

Buses in other local council areas will also be affected by road closures so plan ahead.

See full details and maps of bus changes  this New Year’s Eve.

Ferries

Ferries are a very popular way to travel on New Year’s Eve and services typically begin to reach capacity from mid-afternoon. If you’re looking to catch a ferry, plan to arrive early in the day as queues will be long and consider a plan B transport option including local bus services if ferries are full. Plan your trip before leaving home.

Access to some ferry wharves including Circular Quay, Milsons Point and McMahons Point will be affected on New Year’s Eve as surrounding vantage points reach capacity during the day. Some ferries will stop operating on the harbour from the early evening.

You may not be able to catch a ferry to your preferred destination and will need to consider other transport options including trains and continuing on foot instead.

Ferry service changes:

  • Ferries will not stop at Woolwich Wharf from 11.30am.

  • Ferries will not stop at McMahons Point wharf from 10am and Milsons Point wharf from 3pm. Catch trains to North Sydney or Milsons Point stations instead.

  • From around 5pm ferries will not run to or from Circular Quay.

  • Limited ferries operate after the midnight fireworks to Manly and Lower North Shore wharves only.

  • There are no late night ferries on the F3 Parramatta River, F4 Pyrmont Bay, F7 Double Bay and F9 Watsons Bay routes.

See details about ferry changes  on New Year’s Eve.

Light rail

Sydney light rail services run regularly through the city centre, south east and inner west suburbs. Services will run until 4am on New Year’s Day.

L1 Dulwich Hill light rail services run regularly between Dulwich Hill and Central Station (Grand Concourse).

L2 Randwick light rail services run between Circular Quay and Randwick via Central Station (Chalmers Street) and L3 Kingsford line services run between Circular Quay and Juniors Kingsford via Central Station (Chalmers Street).

Light rail service changes :

  • From 2pm L2 and L3 services will not run between Circular Quay and Town Hall,

  • From 7pm L2 and L3 services will start and end at Central due to road closures.

  • Change for trains to Wynyard from Central to get within closer walking distance of the harbour. For access to Darling Harbour and Pyrmont walk from Town Hall or Central.

  • From 8pm to 2.30am L1 services will not run between Convention and Central due to large crowds and road closures. Continue on foot towards Central for trains home.

See details about light rail changes on New Year’s Eve.

Secure taxi ranks

Security guards will be present at various taxi ranks on New Year’s Eve to help you get home safely.

  • 33 Bayswater Road, 9pm to 4am.

  • Oxford Street between Pelican and Riley Street, 9pm to 4am.

  • Darling Harbour, northern end of Lime Street, 9pm to 11pm, 1.30am to 4am, limited operation.

  • Sussex Street, between King and Market streets, 9pm to 11pm, 1.30am to 4am, limited operation

  • City centre 43-57 Goulburn St, 9pm to 4am.

  • Zollner Circuit, 9pm to 4am.

  • Pyrmont Bridge Rd, 9pm to 4am.

  • Liverpool St at Hyde Park, 9pm to 4am.

Walking and riding

Some roads will be closed to people walking and cycling. The Sydney Harbour Bridge walkway and cycleway will close from 6pm New Year’s Eve until 2am on New Year’s Day. The Cahill Expressway walkway over Circular Quay will close from 6am Sunday 31 December until 4am Monday 1 January.

Major cycleways in the city centre will be closed as major roads begin to close for safety throughout the day on New Year’s Eve. Spaces to lock up bikes in the city will be limited.

Don’t drink and ride. People riding bikes face the same alcohol restrictions as drivers.

Getting home

Getting out of the city is different on New Year’s Eve. The way you arrived will be different to the way you leave to get home as many roads will be closed to both pedestrian and motorists. Plenty of staff will be on the ground along with extra signage to help you find your way back to transport hubs to get home.

Be prepared for a longer walk to buses and trains. Some train stations may have different entry and exit points. Try to leave the city after 1am to avoid the crowds.

Live updates

Follow  @TrainsInfo ,  @SydneyMetro ,  @BusesInfo , and  @FerriesInfo  on on X (formerly Twitter) for real-time service information or use a  real-time transport app  such as the Opal Travel App to track your service.

From early December you can visit  Transport NSW  for more details on all the extra services and to plan your trip on New Year’s Eve.

For real-time updates on road closures and traffic conditions, follow  @LiveTrafficSyd .