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.
Getting there
Large crowds are expected so it’s best to plan your trip ahead of time and consider all the available travel options. Remember to check vantage point capacity updates before you leave home and while you’re on your way to the event. Once vantage points are full, they will be closed.
You can tap on and off public transport services using an Opal card, debit or credit card or linked device.
The way you arrive during the day will 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 event staff and volunteers. Consider travelling home after 1am to avoid the crowds.
There’ll be no direct public transport access to Circular Quay from 3pm. Allow extra time and be prepared to walk from other nearby transport hubs to reach vantage points around the harbour.
Trains
Extra trains will run during the day on New Year’s Eve and into the early hours of the new year.
To safely manage crowds the following stations have different arrangements for New Year’s Eve:
· Circular Quay: from 3pm until midnight trains will not stop at Circular Quay station. 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 the Milsons Point and Kirribilli areas, get off at North Sydney station. Trains to and from the city will skip Milsons Point Station during the 9pm and midnight fireworks.
· 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
Sydney Metro services are high-frequency, driverless trains running between Sydney’s north-west and south-west via the city.
The M1 Metro North West and Bankstown Line operates turn up-and-go Metro services between Tallawong, Chatswood and Bankstown.
On New Year’s Eve metro services will run frequently throughout the day and into the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Metro stations in the city are in Barangaroo, Martin Place, Gadigal (near Town Hall) and Central.
· For access to Circular Quay vantage points, get off at Martin Place and continue on foot towards the harbour and Circular Quay.
· For access to Barangaroo Reserve and Dawes Point Park, get off at Barangaroo.
· For access to Darling Harbour, get off at Gadigal or Central stations.
· For access to North Sydney vantage points, including Blues Point, Bradfield Park and Mary Booth Reserve, Lavender Bay Parklands and Luna Park, the closest metro station is Victoria Cross.
To safely manage crowds the following metro stations will have different arrangements for New Year’s Eve:
· Martin Place: from 11pm entry and exit at Martin Place station will be via Hunter Street at Castlereagh Street only. Approach via Phillip Street at Bent Street.
· Gadigal: from 11pm entry and exit at Gadigal station will be via Park Street only.
· Victoria Cross: from 11pm Victoria Cross station will operate as one-way pedestrian entry via Miller Street only. Exit only via Denison Street.
To safely manage crowds after the midnight fireworks in the North Sydney, Milsons Point and Kirribilli areas, you will be directed to trains or metro services depending on your destination.
If you’re travelling to stations in the north, catch metro services from Victoria Cross via the Miller Street entry. If you’re travelling south back across the Harbour Bridge, catch trains from North Sydney station via Blue Street instead.
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 from after the midnight fireworks so plan your trip.
In the city: from 12pm buses that usually run to Circular Quay will relocate to Martin Place. From 5pm all buses will use temporary terminals at Hyde Park North, Wynyard, and Town Hall behind Queen Victoria Building. Some local buses will also be affected by closures earlier in the day.
If you’re catching a bus from Wynyard after 8:30pm you will need to enter the bus interchange from King St and then walk up York St or Clarence St to your bus stop. This is for the safety of patrons in a high bus movement area.
In North Sydney: from 3pm buses will be diverting and using different stops around North Sydney and Victoria Cross stations. Buses will not run to Milsons Point or McMahons Point due to road closures.
Buses in other local council areas including Inner West, Hunters Hill, Lane Cove, Mosman, Northern Beaches, Randwick, Waverley, and Woollahra will also be affected by road closures so plan ahead.
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 an alternative 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.
Service changes:
· McMahons Point wharf will be closed at 10am.
· Milsons Point wharf will be closed at 2pm.
· All ferries will stop running on the harbour from around 5pm. Some ferries stop operating earlier in the afternoon.
After the midnight fireworks limited ferries will operate to Manly and Lower North Shore wharves only. There are no late-night ferries on the F3 Parramatta River, F7 Double Bay,F9 Watsons Bay, and F10 Glebe routes, use trains or buses instead.
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 due to road closures.
· From 7pm L2 and L3 services will not run between Central and Circular Quay due to road closures.
Change at Central for trains to Wynyard or take the metro to Martin Place or Barangaroo to get within closer walking distance of the harbour.
From 7pm, patrons heading to Darling Harbour and Pyrmont on L2 and L3 services can change at Central for an L1 service to Convention until 8pm. From 8pm patrons will need to walk from 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.
Walking and riding
Some roads will be closed to people walking and cycling. The Sydney Harbour Bridge walkway and cycleway will close from 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 2am on New Year’s Day.
The Cahill Expressway walkway over Circular Quay will close from 4am Thursday 31 December until 6am on Friday 1 January. The Western Distributor walkway above Darling Harbour will be closed twice during the fireworks shows, from 8:30pm to 9:15pm and from 11:30pm to 12:15am.
Major cycleways in the city centre will be closed as roads begin to close for safety throughout the day. Spaces to lock up bikes in the city will be limited.
Bicycles (including share bikes and food delivery services) are not permitted to ride on closed roads. Be prepared to dismount and walk your bicycle to your destination once roads have closed. There is no way to see the fireworks by bicycle.
The City of Sydney will set up share bike hubs outside the road closures. Riders can complete their journey by public transport or on foot. Refer to the Sydney New Year’s Eve website for more information.
Don’t drink and ride. People riding bikes face the same alcohol restrictions as drivers.
Taxi ranks – Darling Harbour & Sydney CBD
Darling Harbour
Zollner Circuit
Northern side of road (from Darling Drive to end of rank)
Operating hours: 9pm to 4am
Lime Street
Western side of road (between Shelley Street and Erskine Street, outside Bungalow 8)
Operating hours: 9pm to 11pm, 1:30am to 4am
Sussex Street
Western side of road (between Market Street and King Street)
Operating hours: 9pm to 11pm, 1:30am to 4am
Pyrmont
Murray Street
Western side of road (between Union Lane and Bunn Street, opposite Ibis Hotel)
Operating hours: 9pm to 4am
Sydney CBD
Goulburn Street
Southern side of road (between George Street and Pitt Street, outside Scruffy Murphy’s)
Operating hours: 9pm to 4am
Liverpool Street
Southern side of road (between Elizabeth Street and Wentworth Avenue, opposite Hyde Park South)
Operating hours: 9pm to 4am
Getting home
Getting out of the city is different on New Year’s Eve. The way you arrived may be different to the way you get home as many roads will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles. Staff will be on the ground along with extra signs to help you find your way to transport hubs to get home.
Be prepared for a longer walk to buses, trains, metro and light rail. Some train and metro 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 X 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 TransportNSW.info 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 @LiveTrafficNSW.