At a glance
- Central to Wollongong
- Adult peak fare $10.66; off-peak $7.46
- Journey time
- About 1h 27min to 1h 42min on the direct South Coast Line trains in the Trip Planner for Tuesday 27 October
- 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
- Line
- South Coast Line, for example trains to Kiama or Waterfall via Wolli Creek
- At the other end
- Wollongong station, about 15 minutes’ walk to WIN Stadium; free Gong Shuttle
An adult travelling from Sydney’s Central station to Wollongong 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 25 October 2026. The direct South Coast Line trains in the Trip Planner took about 1 hour 27 minutes to 1 hour 42 minutes.
This guide explains which fare you pay, when peak starts, how the daily cap works for a day trip, and what to check when trackwork changes the route. We read the Trip Planner and the fare pages on Sunday 25 October 2026.
How much is the train from Sydney to Wollongong?
Opal train fares in the Transport for NSW adult fare table depend on distance. The Trip Planner showed the Central to Wollongong fare as $10.66 or $7.46, which are the 65km-and-over fares in that table:
| 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 |
Adult fares apply to people aged 16 and over, except school students and people eligible for a concession fare. You pay an adult fare with a contactless card or device, or an adult Opal card. Transport for NSW says to tap off at the end, or you will be charged a default fare, which is the maximum possible fare for your trip.
How long does it take, and how often do trains run?
The Trip Planner listed these trips from Central on Tuesday 27 October. Most are South Coast Line trains via Wolli Creek, and the 8:20am option changes from a T4 train.
| Leaves Central | Trip time | Arrives Wollongong | Adult fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:23am (Kiama train) | 1h 29min | 8:52am | $10.66 |
| 8:13am (Kiama train) | 1h 42min | 9:55am | $10.66 |
| 8:20am (T4, then South Coast Line) | 1h 57min | 10:17am | $10.66 |
| 9:27am (Kiama train) | 1h 27min | 10:54am | $10.66 |
| 10:10am (Wollongong train) | 1h 27min | 11:37am | $7.46 |
| 10:23am (Kiama train) | 1h 28min | 11:51am | $7.46 |
| 11:23am (Kiama train) | 1h 28min | 12:51pm | $7.46 |
| 12:23pm (Kiama train) | 1h 28min | 1:51pm | $7.46 |
These are planned trips for a Tuesday, and the Trip Planner showed real-time information as unavailable for them, so treat the times as a guide and check again on the day.
How do I pay?
You can tap on and off with a contactless-enabled American Express, Mastercard or Visa debit or credit card, or a linked device, and Transport for NSW says adult Opal fare pricing and the daily and weekly caps apply. Premier Illawarra’s page lists the Opal card types as Adult, Child/Youth, Concession and Gold Senior/Pensioner, with reduced fares for eligible passengers. Transport for NSW suggests topping up an Opal card before you travel to avoid waiting at top-up machines, online or at an Opal retailer.
If you have neither an Opal card nor a contactless option, Transport for NSW says you need an Opal single trip ticket, which is available for metro, train, ferry and light rail. You can use the Trip Planner or the Opal Travel app to plan the trip and estimate the fare. Transport for NSW also says that several trips on the same mode of transport within 60 minutes of your last tap-off count as one journey with one fare based on the distance you travel.
When is the fare peak or off-peak?
On Transport for NSW’s peak and off-peak page, peak times are Monday to Thursday, excluding public holidays. For Intercity trains the morning peak is 6am to 10am and the evening peak is 3pm to 7pm. The page adds that morning peak times can vary for some Intercity stations, depending on where you tap on.
Your fare is calculated from the time you tap on, and you get a 30% discount on Fridays, weekends, public holidays and outside peak times. In the table above, the 9:27am train from Central is $10.66 and the 10:10am train is $7.46, because the first is tapped on before 10am. There is no off-peak discount when you use an Opal single ticket instead of a card or contactless payment.
What does a day trip cost with the daily cap?
Opal never charges more than a daily cap. Transport for NSW’s Opal benefits page lists these caps:
| Fare type | Monday to Thursday | Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $19.30 | $9.65 | $50 |
| Child/Youth and Concession | $9.65 | $4.80 | $25 |
| Gold Senior/Pensioner | $2.50 | $2.50 | $17.50 |
Using those figures, an adult who goes down on a Monday to Thursday morning peak train at $10.66 and returns on an off-peak train at $7.46 pays less than the $19.30 daily cap. Two peak trips at $10.66 each come to more than $19.30, so the cap applies. On a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, two trips at $7.46 come to more than the $9.65 cap, so the cap applies. The Opal week runs from Monday to Sunday.
What if there is trackwork?
Trackwork can change the route. When we looked on Sunday 25 October, the Trip Planner offered the M1 Metro from Central to Sydenham and then a South Coast Line train, with trip times of 1 hour 34 minutes to 1 hour 37 minutes and an adult fare of $7.46. The Trip Planner did not give a reason for that route. Transport for NSW’s event page for Saturday 24 October said South Coast Line trains ran to a changed timetable between South Coast Line stations and Sydenham only that day, and to change at Sydenham for T4 trains or metro services.
Transfers between Sydney Metro, Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity count as one journey, so you do not need to tap off and on between them. Check the Trip Planner or the Opal Travel app on the day, and look at Transport for NSW’s travel alerts and trackwork notices before you leave.
What is there to do when you arrive at Wollongong station?
Transport for NSW says WIN Stadium and WIN Entertainment Centre are about a 15-minute walk from Wollongong station via Burelli Street. You can also catch the free Gong Shuttle, routes 55A and 55C, which runs a loop from Wollongong Station to the University of Wollongong via Wollongong Hospital and Burelli Street. Our Gong Shuttle guide has the hours and the points where sources differ.
If you are coming for an event, see our guides to the Rugby League World Cup match at WIN Stadium on Friday 30 October, the Wollongong Hospital parking fees and the Wollongong CBD parking rates if you are driving instead.
Do I get a discount when I change modes?
Transport for NSW says a $2 discount applies to adult fares when you switch between metro or train, ferry, bus or light rail within 60 minutes of your last tap-off as part of one journey, and $1 for child, youth, concession and Gold Senior/Pensioner fares. The Gong Shuttle is free, so it does not add a fare.
Sources
- Transport for NSW — Adult Opal fares (distance table, caps; checked in Chrome 22 October 2026)
- Transport for NSW — Trip Planner (Central to Wollongong trips and fares; opened 25 October 2026)
- Transport for NSW — Opal peak and off-peak fares
- Transport for NSW — Opal benefits
- Transport for NSW — NBL: Illawarra Hawks v Brisbane Bullets (walk from the station, trackwork note)
- Premier Illawarra — Public Transport and Free Gong Shuttle
Featured image: View of the Royal National Park from the Illawarra railway line (photo: Orderinchaos / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Transport for NSW, Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink or Opal. Fares, times and trackwork can change; check the Trip Planner and the official pages above.