Australia

Sydney

Australia's harbourside gateway. Ferries are part of the commute here, so getting around is sightseeing in itself.

Sydney Metro (M1 Metro North West & Bankstown Line)

Hold your contactless card or phone to the gate and you're on - nothing to buy first. The one gap is child fares - 4-15 year olds still need an Opal card. The trains are driverless, with screen doors at every platform.

Updated on August 2, 2026

How to ride

1
Tap your own card or phone at the gate

Hold a contactless credit or debit card - or the phone or watch it sits in - against the Opal reader at the gate to enter.
2
Travelling with kids? Get an Opal card

Child fares (ages 4-15) exist only on an Opal card. The card itself is free; buy one at a newsagent and top it up.
3
Wait behind the platform screen doors

Every platform has screen doors - stand where they open. The trains are fully driverless and the next one is never far off.
4
Tap off with the same card

At your destination, tap off at the gate with the same card or device you tapped on with.
5
Change to the trains without leaving the gates

At Central, Chatswood, Epping and other interchanges you switch to Sydney Trains without passing back through the gates.

Fares

Single fares6

Metro and train 0-10km

Lower figure is off-peak, upper is peak; Fri-Sun, public holidays and weekday off-peak are 30% cheaper

3.03〜4.33 AUD ≈ $2–3

Metro and train 10-20km

Off-peak to peak. Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains share one fare scale

3.76〜5.38 AUD ≈ $3–4

Metro and train 20-35km

Off-peak to peak. Distance is the shortest track distance between the two stations

4.34〜6.2 AUD ≈ $3–4

Metro and train 35-65km

Off-peak to peak - the band for a long run out into the suburbs

5.79〜8.28 AUD ≈ $4–6

Metro and train over 65km

Off-peak to peak - the top band on the Opal network

7.46〜10.66 AUD ≈ $5–8

Opal single trip ticket (metro and train)

Paper ticket across the same five distance bands - no off-peak discount and no transfer discount

5.2〜12.8 AUD ≈ $4–9

Card itself1

Minimum Opal card top-up (Adult)

The card itself is free. This is the minimum at shops and machines; online and in the app it drops to $10

20 AUD ≈ $14

Estimates use exchange rates as of September 5, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride

VISAMastercardAmex

Tap straight at the gate; child fares cannot be paid this way

IC card

The Opal card - buy it and top it up at newsagents and convenience stores

App tickets

No in-app tickets; the Opal Travel app is for balance and top-ups only

Paper tickets

Single trip tickets at some station machines only - no discounts or transfers

Cash

Station machines take cards only; shops selling Opal cards take cash top-ups

Quick facts

Hours

4:08am-12:24am approx.

Frequency

Every 4-10 min

Fares from

3.03 AUD+

Heads-up

Caps only build up if you always tap the same card

The daily and weekly caps only build up if you tap with the same card - or the same device - every single time. Mix an Opal card with a bank card, or a card with a phone, and your trips never count towards one cap.
Opal refunds go only to an Australian bank account

Money left on an Opal card can only be refunded into an Australian bank account. Top up only what you expect to spend, and run the balance down before you fly home.

Timetable

Operating hours 4:08am-12:24am approx.

Typical duration The turn-up-and-go north-south spine - CBD stations are only minutes apart

Check the official site for the latest times and service status

Route map

21 stations