NSW Minister for transport Gladys Berejiklian with the Opal electronic ticketing card. Picture: Phil Blatch Source: The Daily Telegraph
LONG awaited electronic tickets are due to make their debut on Sydney's trains within two weeks, transport minister Gladys Berejiklian announced today.
Opal cards, set to be in place at more than 300 train stations by the end of next year, will have their first trial on the city and Eastern Suburbs network from June 14.
Ms Berejiklian said yesterday that discounts compared to regular train travel and incentives like daily caps would lead to more passengers signing up for the cards.
The phasing out of paper tickets has been in the works since before the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The Opal cards have been trialled on some ferry services for six months.
The city circle to Bondi Junction route will be tested because it's not connected to the rest of the Sydney train network, making it a good choice to solve teething problems without inconvenience should they arise, Ms Berejiklian said.
"For those customers who battle the long queue on a Monday morning, you'll never ever again have to queue for a ticket," Ms Berejiklian said.
She said there would be an 8 per cent discount for Opal users compared to the standard price of a single ticket.
Passengers will also be given unlimited free travel on Fridays and the weekend if they do eight paid journeys from Monday to Thursday.
The cards can be linked to a bank account, and the money placed on it doesn't expire.
"We want to encourage people to use the Opal card and this is part of the process to make Sydney in line with other major cities around the world [including London and Hong Kong] who've had electronic ticketing for some time," she said.
She said there had only been "a few minor glitches" during the trial of Opal cards on ferries.
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