Sydney to Melbourne train: XPT train times and fare prices

It is possible to travel on a Sydney to Melbourne train, using the twice-daily XPT service from Sydney Central Station to Melbourne Southern Cross Station. But you’re almost certainly better off flying than taking the Sydney to Melbourne train.

The Sydney to Melbourne train is not used as often as it might be. As a general rule, train services in Australia are set up for commuters. Australian trains do a half-decent job of connecting big cities with the surrounding towns. But for connecting the big cities, trains are slow, laborious and not especially comfortable. That, alas, applies to travelling on the Sydney to Melbourne train.

Sydney’s enormous collection of experiences includes all-inclusive sunset dinner cruises, behind-the-scenes tours of the Opera House, jet boat thrill rides and historic walking tours. To get the best deals on Sydney accommodation, book here. To find Sydney tours and experiences that suit your tastes, step this way.

To book a Sydney to Melbourne train ticket, click HERE.

Sydney to Melbourne train: XPT service timetable and fare prices

The XPT service runs twice a day – once in the daytime, once overnight. It travels between Sydney’s Central Station and Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station.

Going from Sydney to Melbourne by train takes just under 11 hours, with the cheapest one way Sydney to Melbourne train tickets costing about $90. You can book online.

Sydney to Melbourne train alternatives

By contrast, driving between Australia’s two largest cities takes around nine hours if you don’t take any breaks at all, and is mostly along the phenomenally tedious Hume Highway. The drive is only worth taking on if you’re planning to make a road trip out of it and make a few detours.

Consequently, the vast majority of people travelling between Sydney and Melbourne fly. There are scores of flights between the two cities every day – making it both quicker and more flexible than taking the train. It’s often cheaper, too – one way flights tend to cost from around $60 when booked in advance.

Given the Sydney to Melbourne flight takes around an hour and 35 minutes, blowing a whole day of your holiday on a not especially interesting train journey seems absolutely senseless. Unless you’ve got a genuine fear of flying or want to do things the environmentally-friendly way (in which case, why are you going to Australia in the first place?), then a domestic flight is going to be the best way to get from Sydney to Melbourne.

Melbourne activities

Once in Melbourne, why not check out laneway street art, do an Aboriginal tour of the Botanic Gardens, visit the iconic MCG and check out the historic buildings on Collins Street? You can also walk around the Formula One Grand Prix circuit, nip into Cooks’ Cottage, go barefoot bowling in St Kilda and feast at a superb Peruvian restaurant.

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