Using online booking
Online bookings are available for services up to approximately 11 months in advance. For full details view the booking restrictions page.
Who can book and pay online with CountryLink
- Adult (full fare)
- Children (half fare)
- Students (half fare)
- Study fare
- Family fare
- Infants
- Senior Card holders
- Holders of NSW Half Fare entitlement cards (Job Search)
- Holders of Retired NSW Transport Employee cards
- Travel passes
- NSW and Victorian Pensioner Travel Voucher
- RailCorp (CountryLink, CityRail and RIC) employees
- CountryLink Accredited Travel Agents
- Corporate accounts
Refunds may not be available on certain discounted or promotional tickets, so please check at time of booking. If you need to change your travel arrangements, call 132 232 or visit a CountryLink Travel Centre, booking office or accredited agent. If you are travelling on a discounted fare you may be required to upgrade to a full fare and pay the fare difference.
If you would like to book any other type of ticket including sleeping berths or travel using a Country Pensioner Excursion ticket, please call our reservation centre on 132 232, visit a CountryLink CountryLink Travel Centre or agency or email a booking enquiry.
If you require special assistance while on board or are travelling in a wheelchair or with an assistance animal, please call 132 232, visit a Travel Centre or agency or email a booking enquiry.
While our online booking system seats people booking together as close as possible on the train, we recommend you call 132 232 if you plan to travel with small children to make sure you are seated together.
If you are making a group booking, please call our reservation centre on 132 232, visit a CountryLink Travel Centre or agency or email a booking enquiry.
What you can book online
- Your ticket
- Class of travel - economy or first class
- Request selected special meals
- Use of an onboard nebuliser
- Your return or continuing journey
Who can’t book online
The following are not included at the moment:
- Country Pensioner Excursion tickets
- Sleeping accommodation
- Passengers who wish to convey a bicycle, surfboard or snowboard
- People who require special assistance onboard (wheelchairs, vision impaired etc)
- Groups of more than nine people
- Former RailCorp (CountryLink, CityRail and RIC) employees
You can still use the online booking form to check fares and availability, but will need to call 132 232, visit a Travel Centre or agency or email a booking enquiry to finalise your journey with CountryLink.
What you'll need to book online
Make sure you have the following with you when you go to book online:
- your credit card if you intend to use it to pay;
- your concession ID if you are booking a concession fare (this includes students that are 16 and over); and
- your passport if you are an international visitor booking a travel pass.
- if you wish to book travel using Pensioner Travel Vouchers you will need to register for online booking beforehand by taking your concession card to a CountryLink travel centre, booking office or authorised travel agent and showing your card to a member of staff.
- if you are a RailCorp employee you will need to register for online booking beforehand by taking your employee travel pass to a CountryLink travel centre, booking office or authorised travel agent and showing your pass to a member of staff.
Credit cards accepted
You can use Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club and American Express credit cards to book online. Please note that Bankcard cannot be accepted as a form of payment from 1 January 2007.
About booking family fares
CountryLink offers a family fare deal which allows family groups travelling together to pay full adult fares and half fares for the first two children, with any other children travelling free of charge. Family fares can be booked online and given this discount automatically. If you are travelling with a student that is 16 and over, you will need to select "student" rather than "child" and enter the appropriate information from the student's travel ID when prompted. For students from NSW this is a NSW School Pupil Identification Card (with foil) and for students from Victoria it is their Victorian Public Transport Card. More about family fares.
Passengers with special needs
Please call 132 232, visit a CountryLink Travel Centre or agency or email a booking enquiry rather than booking online if you require special assistance during your journey with CountryLink. A customer service representative will speak with you about your requirements and make sure your details and requests are passed on to the crew on your train.
Online payment options and ticket receipt
When you book your CountryLink travel online you'll be given the option of paying by credit card or Pay it @Post. Please note that Bankcard cannot be accepted as a form of payment from 1 January 2007.
If you choose to pay using your credit card you will be sent an e-mail confirmation. Please ensure that you print the confirmation and carry it throughout your journey as this is your ticket.
When you choose the Pay it @Post option, it's simply a matter of printing out or writing down the Australia Post reference number you'll be supplied with, taking it to the post office and paying in cash or via EFTPOS. Once your payment has been processed you will be sent an e-mail confirmation. Please ensure that you print this confirmation and carry it throughout your journey as this is your ticket. Pay it @Post can only be used for fares $10 and over and for booking passage on services at least seven days in advance.
If your payment is accepted by the online booking system it means you have successfully booked your seat. Please reconfirm your reservation 48 hours prior to departure by calling the CountryLink Reservation Call Centre on 132 232.
If there are no seats available on the service you wish to take, the online booking system will tell you so and you will not be able to complete or pay for your booking.
Changing your travel plans
You can rebook or cancel tickets at any time. Read about the fees, terms and conditions that apply if you change or cancel your travel plans.
Safeguarding your personal and credit card information
All personal and credit card information collected during CountryLink's online booking and payment process is secure due to advanced encryption technology.
Before you enter personal or credit card details, check the bottom right of your browser window and make sure you can see a security icon. This icon is a small yellow padlock on most common browsers including Internet Explorer, Opera and Mozilla Firefox.
Please keep this window open for easy reference the first few times you book online with CountryLink and remember you can call 132 232 if you experience any difficulties with the system.
