At a glance
- Central to Gosford
- Adult peak fare $10.66; off-peak $7.46
- Central to Woy Woy
- Adult peak fare $8.28; off-peak $5.79
- Central to Wyong
- Adult peak fare $10.66; off-peak $7.46
- Journey time
- 1h 10min to 1h 13min to Woy Woy, 1h 18min to 1h 25min to Gosford, 1h 36min to 1h 47min to Wyong (Trip Planner, Thursday morning departures)
- Peak times
- Monday to Thursday, 6am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm on Intercity trains
- Daily cap
- $19.30 Monday to Thursday; $9.65 Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays; $50 a week
- How to pay
- Contactless card or device, or an Opal card; tap on and tap off
An adult travelling from Sydney’s Central station to Gosford pays $10.66 at peak times and $7.46 off-peak with Opal, according to Transport for NSW’s fare table and Trip Planner as of 22 October 2026. The trip takes about 1 hour 18 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes on the Central Coast and Newcastle line services that Trip Planner showed for Thursday morning.
The same fares apply to Wyong, and the fare to Woy Woy is lower. This guide explains which fare you pay, when off-peak starts, how the daily cap works for a day trip, and what changes for children, concession holders and seniors.
How much is the train from Sydney to the Central Coast?
Opal train fares in the Transport for NSW adult fare table depend on distance. For a train trip the table lists these adult fares:
| Distance | Adult peak fare | Adult off-peak fare |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10km | $4.33 | $3.03 |
| 10 to 20km | $5.38 | $3.76 |
| 20 to 35km | $6.20 | $4.34 |
| 35 to 65km | $8.28 | $5.79 |
| 65km and over | $10.66 | $7.46 |
On Thursday 22 October 2026, the Transport for NSW Trip Planner priced an adult trip from Central to Gosford at $10.66, which is the fare in the 65km-and-over band, and Central to Wyong at the same $10.66. It priced Central to Woy Woy at $8.28, the fare in the 35 to 65km band. Those were the morning departures it listed, so they were peak fares.
| From Central to | Peak fare | Off-peak fare | Journey time in Trip Planner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woy Woy | $8.28 | $5.79 | 1h 10min to 1h 13min |
| Gosford | $10.66 | $7.46 | 1h 18min to 1h 25min |
| Wyong | $10.66 | $7.46 | 1h 36min to 1h 47min |
The off-peak figures come from the fare table for the same distance bands. The journey times are from the morning departures Trip Planner showed that day, and the services listed were Central Coast and Newcastle line trains travelling via Strathfield towards Newcastle Interchange. Times change with the timetable and trackwork, so check Trip Planner for your own date.
When is the train peak and off-peak?
The peak and off-peak page says peak times apply Monday to Thursday, excluding public holidays. For Intercity trains the peaks are 6am to 10am in the morning and 3pm to 7pm in the evening. The page notes that morning peak times can vary for some Intercity stations depending on where you tap on.
Your fare is worked out from the time you tap on. You get a 30% discount when you travel on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, and outside the peak times. The page adds that there is no off-peak discount with an Opal single trip ticket.
How does the daily cap work on a day trip?
Opal sets a maximum you pay each day. According to the adult fares page, the caps are $19.30 a day from Monday to Thursday, $9.65 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and $50 a week, and the Opal week runs from Monday to Sunday. Two adult peak trips to Gosford at $10.66 each come to more than the Monday to Thursday cap, so the cap applies to a peak return day trip. On a Friday, two off-peak adult trips at $7.46 would come to more than the $9.65 cap, so $9.65 is the most you pay for that day on Opal.
The Opal benefits page lists the caps for other fare types:
| Fare type | Monday to Thursday | Friday to Sunday and public holidays | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $19.30 | $9.65 | $50 |
| Child/Youth and Concession | $9.65 | $4.80 | $25 |
| Gold Senior/Pensioner | $2.50 | $2.50 | $17.50 |
The caps count travel on metro, train, bus, ferry and light rail within the Opal network, so a Central Coast bus ride on the same day counts towards them.
How do I pay, and what if I forget to tap off?
Adults pay with a contactless card or device, or with an Adult Opal card. If you have neither, you need an Opal single trip ticket, which Transport for NSW says is more expensive and carries no Opal benefits. Tap on at the start of your trip and tap off at the end. If you do not tap off, you are charged a default fare, which is the maximum possible fare for the trip.
Adult fares apply from age 16, except for school students and people eligible for a concession fare. The Trip Planner and the Opal Travel app both estimate fares before you travel.
Do I pay more if I change trains or buses?
Switching between Sydney Metro, Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity services counts as one journey, so you do not tap off and on between them and you pay a single fare. If you change between a train and a bus, ferry or light rail within 60 minutes of your last tap-off as part of one journey, an adult gets a $2 discount, and Child/Youth, Gold Senior/Pensioner and Concession fares get $1. If you make several trips on the same mode within 60 minutes of your last tap-off, Opal treats them as one journey with one fare based on the distance.
What if I am driving to the station?
Parking at Gosford depends on how you travel. Transport for NSW’s Park&Ride at Showground Road is free for up to 18 hours when you complete a public transport trip, and our Gosford Park&Ride guide explains the rules. If you are heading into the city centre by car instead, our Gosford City Car Park fees and hours guide has the council’s rates.
Which other stations can I travel to?
Trip Planner shows these services as going via Strathfield towards Newcastle Interchange, and the same services were listed for Wyong. Fares to those stations follow the distance bands above, and Trip Planner shows the exact fare for each station when you enter it as your destination.
Which days are cheapest for a trip to the Central Coast?
Friday, weekends and public holidays are the cheapest days on the fare table. On those days adults get the 30% off-peak discount all day, so Central to Gosford is $7.46 and Central to Woy Woy is $5.79 with Opal, and the daily cap falls to $9.65. From Monday to Thursday, the peak fare applies for trips that start from 6am to 10am and from 3pm to 7pm, and the off-peak fare applies to trips that start between those windows and after 7pm.
Because the Opal week runs from Monday to Sunday and the weekly cap is $50 for adults, repeated trips to the Central Coast in the same week stop costing extra once you reach it. The caps for concession, senior and child fares are in the table above. If you travel with a child, check which Opal fare they pay on the Transport for NSW child fares page before you leave.
Sources
- Transport for NSW — Adult Opal fares (fare table and caps; checked 22 October 2026)
- Transport for NSW — Opal peak and off-peak fares (checked 22 October 2026)
- Transport for NSW — Opal benefits (checked 22 October 2026)
- Transport for NSW — Trip Planner (fares and journey times from Central to Woy Woy, Gosford and Wyong; checked 22 October 2026)
Featured image: Central railway station, Sydney (photo: Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Transport for NSW or NSW TrainLink. Fares and timetables can change; check the official pages above and the Trip Planner before you travel.