The Australian train system is very efficient. The trains are also very clean. Lately, due to…read moreCovid, there aren't as many passengers as usual. Riders buy an Opal card and load money on it. Then whenever you use it, you "tap on" at a little device that records your fare and how much you have left before you top it up. You can also tap directly with your credit card for contactless payment if you have the symbol on your card. Hornsby is a larger town so it is has a number of trains passing through the smaller villages on the way to Hornsby. It's also a very popular stop because it's right across from Westfield shopping mall and the Hornsby outdoor mall. I have been getting on the train at Lindfield since it's about a 10 minute walk from my bnb. It's fun to look at all the interesting village names: Turramurra, Warrawee, and Waroonga for example. I enjoy riding the train because it gets me where I want to go so no driving is needed.

A part of me considers Hornsby to basically be out on the far edges of Sydney, but it doesn't feel…read morelike it when you arrive at the station because it looks like, and in a way is, one of those major interchange stations. Actually, being next to a major shopping centre also helps. Yeah, this station is quite accessible and has quite a few facilities as well, and certainly makes you feel like you are in the suburbs.

For some reason I have it in my head that this is one of the largest suburban stations in…read moreAustralia. Well, considering that it is on the convergence of two lines, and that trains pass through here regularly (and pretty much they all stop here as well) is probably one of the reasons why it is so large. Also, there happens to be a major shopping centre a short walk from here as well. I guess that is one of the reasons why the Sydney Rail network is so convenient - the stations are pretty close to, well, everything.

With a name that would cause a race riot in America, it seems anti-climactic to sit here and wait…read morefor your train connection. But don't harass the locals - they breed 'em tough out here. I hail from close to here. Never liked Blacktown Station. Just sayin'. But they did refurbish it in the 1990's. Blacktown station opened on 2 July 1860 as Black Town Road with the construction of the Main Western railway line. Blacktown is an Easy Access (handicapped-accessible) station, with lift/elevator access to all platforms. The station is known as the "Mother Ship" as it looks like a UFO when lit up at night. As a major transport terminus, you can get to a lot of places from here, so it is a means to an end. A huge bus interchange is adjacent. Fast trains to Sydney from here are a godsend. The Sydney metropolitan area has one of the best public transport systems of any city in the world.

If I were to describe this as a major transport hub, it is actually pretty major. In fact, pretty…read moremuch all trains stop here, there is a huge bus interchange, and even interstate buses will even pick up passengers here as well. However, I do believe that the interstate trains don't stop here, but that doesn't make it any less of a major station. Mind you, Liverpool is probably not the place that you'd want to get off the train and go for an explore.

I thought this was a major station, but often waiting an hour for trains, as many skip this…read morestation. It's also grubby, busy, with people smoking on platforms.

This is a seriously major railway station in that I believe that literally all of the trains end up…read morestopping here, or at least all of them with maybe the exception of the countrylink trains. However, you can be certainly guaranteed of getting a train here - maybe not a seat on the train, particularly during peak hour, but you can certainly get yourself a train. It is also one of those stations where you can catch trains to different parts of the city, without having to go in, and then out again.

FREE! Yep, free bus, every 10 minutes around the main area of Parramatta…read more Number 900, they're usually bright green. Although the transport website claims they've only been in operation since earlier this year, I think it was just called something else previously. I'm pretty sure this was the first free bus loop in Sydney, and I remember going on it for the first time quite a few years ago. It goes from the interchange at the train station to Argyle and Macquarie Streets west, up O'Connell, past the Leagues Club to north Church Street, Prince Alfred Park, Lennox Bridge, Phillip Street, Parramatta Wharf (where you can catch the Rivercat), Charles and Macquarie Street and back to the interchange again. Phew. Actually, the whole loop only takes about 25 minutes, so you can jump on anywhere and get to anywhere you want in pretty darn quick time. I'm all for walking, but to save some weary feet and to keep cars off the road, this is a fantastic initiative for the community and tourists alike. The driver of one I caught the other day seemed a little harried at the other less-than-perfect vehicular operators on the road, for which the solution, I think, is more buses. More free ones. Yay.

After giving it some thought, I truly believe Granville is the dirtiest, most disgusting station I…read moreknow. In that it excells like no other. Gritty. How could it be so bad, when pretty much all the others are acceptable? Kinda reminds me of those elevated stations on the Jamaica Line in Queens New York. Unpleasant. If I had a dollar for each time I was freezing my ass off in winter waiting for a train at Granville as the wind seems to rip through the place... Always hated it when I was on a Liverpool train and had to get off at Granville for the Western line. They did have the shop on the platform though, and you can get a drink or a Paddle Pop or something. Imagine working there? My friend from Homebush Boys High would get off at Granville while I continued on to Toongabbie. I envied him for that 'cause I had so much further to go, but was still glad that Granville Station was not my local. Lucky to get two stars from me, but nothin' "bad" ever happened to me there.

Stock standard train station. You can change here for a number of different lines including…read moreCampbelltown and City Circle. There are a few food joints around the station mostly dishing out deep fried fast food. There's also a newsagent as well. Lifts for each platform make it good for the mobility impaired.

Marayong Station, is a very local station, with few customers on the platform. Just one station…read morefrom Blacktown, it is perfectly situated on the T1 Richmond Line. Unfortunately, due to this, trains will come less frequently and have more stops. When staffed, the staff members are extremely helpful and friendly and will assist at any time. I definitely recommend Marayong Station.