Public transport

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.

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 may 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. Consider travelling home after 1am to avoid the crowds.

There’ll be no direct public transport access to Circular Quay and surrounding vantage points from around 3pm. Allow extra time and be prepared to walk from other nearby transport hubs.

See detailed public transport information including service changes.

View Transport for NSW Sydney New Year's Eve 2024 interactive map detailing road closures around Sydney.

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 these 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.

  • Martin Place: no access to train services from Martin Place metro station in the evening.

  • 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.

  • 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

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 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 these metro stations have different arrangements for New Year’s Eve:

  • Barangaroo: from 5pm to 11:45pm, Barangaroo station will be closed. Use Martin Place or Wynyard stations and continue on foot to Barangaroo.

  • Martin Place and Gadigal stations will have different entry and exit points.

  • Victoria Cross: from 8pm 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 their destination.

If you’re travelling to stations in the north, catch metro services from Victoria Cross via the Miller Street entry. If you’re traveling 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 after the midnight fireworks so plan your trip.

In the city: from 2pm buses that usually run to Circular Quay will relocate to Martin Place. From 5pm and 7pm all buses will use temporary terminals at Hyde Park, Wynyard, Queen Victoria Building and Town Hall. Some local buses will also be affected by closures earlier in the day.

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.

See full details and maps of bus changes this New Year’s Eve.

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:

  • Ferries will not stop at McMahons Point wharf from 10am and Milsons Point wharf from 3pm. Catch trains to North Sydney or Milsons Point stations instead.

  • Ferries will not stop at Woolwich Wharf from 11:30am.

  • From around 5.30pm ferries will not run to or from Circular Quay.

  • Limited ferries operate after the midnight fireworks to Manly and lower north shore wharves only.

  • There are no late night ferries on the F3 Parramatta River, F4 Pyrmont Bay, F7 Double Bay and F9 Watsons Bay routes.

See details about ferry changes on New Year’s Eve.

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 start and end at Central due to road closures.

  • Change at Central for trains to Wynyard or take the metro to Martin Place to get within closer walking distance of the harbour. For access to Darling Harbour and Pyrmont walk get off at Town Hall or 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.

See details about light rail changes on New Year’s Eve.

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 6am Tuesday 31 December until 5:30am on Wednesday 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 12:30am.

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 in the city east, Central, and Pyrmont 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.

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 (formerly Twitter) 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 @LiveTrafficSyd.