More than a million revellers are expected to ring in the new year watching Sydney’s incredible fireworks at vantage points around the harbour – and public transport will provide the smoothest start to 2025.
With the Sydney Metro open from Tallawong to Sydenham for the first time for the new year’s celebrations, thousands of extra high-frequency train, bus and light rail services will be laid across the whole transport network to bring hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders and visitors into the city and home again as the new year ticks over.
Sydney’s transport network will run continuously for almost 48 hours in what is its biggest operation of the year to make sure revellers have multiple safe and secure travel options, said Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins.
“The extra services will spring into action from early afternoon on New Year’s Eve, and with widespread road closures and parking restrictions in place from early in the day, public transport will absolutely be the key to a stress-free celebration,” Mr Collins said.
“But it’s essential to plan ahead, work out your options and be aware that the city is different on New Year’s Eve, with very large crowds, road closures and entry cut-off times at some vantage points to watch the fireworks.”
Most of the ever-popular vantage points around the harbour will not be ticketed this year and will open at various points during the day – meaning people can secure spots on a ‘first in, best dressed’ basis and spectators are encouraged to arrive early to avoid missing out.
Check the Sydney NYE website before heading out and during travel for the latest updates on vantage points. Once vantage points are full, they will be closed, so consider celebrating locally instead.
Mr Collins said customers should be aware of road and station closures that could necessitate a change of plans for their journey, especially those heading towards the Circular Quay precinct.
“There will be limited transport options to Circular Quay from mid-afternoon. From 2pm, buses and light rail services will not run to Circular Quay. Buses will end trips at Martin Place while light rail services will end trips at Town Hall.
“From 3pm, trains will not stop at Circular Quay. The last ferries arrive into Circular Quay around 5.30pm. Event goers heading to the harbour will need to catch transport to nearby Wynyard, Martin Place or Town Hall and continue on foot,” said Mr Collins.
“Also Barangaroo Metro Station will be closed from 5pm and reopen at 11.45pm to allow for the safe movement of people around the inner harbour precinct.”
On the harbour, some ferry wharves will begin closing from as early as 10am, with all ferries to stop running by around 5.30pm. Limited services will run after the midnight fireworks.
Visitors should prepare to walk further than usual between transport hubs and vantage points and be aware of pedestrian fencing and changed access to major transport interchanges in the city and north sydney. After the 9pm and midnight fireworks, getting back to transport hubs to continue your trip home will be different to the way you arrived. These changes are to safely manage crowd flow and get everyone home as quickly as possible after the fireworks.
“Every year, we help hundreds of thousands of people come into and move around the city for the fireworks, and I promise you that planning your journey and aiming to get to your destination nice and early will be the best investment of your time,” Mr Collins added.
“If you must drive or are catching rideshare and taxis, be aware of road closure locations and timings, plan ahead and expect heavy traffic.
“Part of that is the major roads that will close from as early as 6am on New Year’s Eve, plus widespread parking restrictions in effect – so it’s definitely best to leave the car at home.”
NSW Police Central Metropolitan Region and Operation New Year’s Eve 2024 Commander, Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna, said officers would be patrolling for anti-social and dangerous behaviour.
“We want people to have a good time, to drink responsibly, know their limits and use public transport to avoid driving,” Assistant Commissioner McKenna said.
“New Year’s Eve is Sydney’s premier public event and as always we are expecting high numbers of spectators to come to the city to view the fireworks.
“A high-visibility police operation will be in place, with officers both in uniform and plain clothes out in force patrolling the CBD and foreshore areas.”
Major road closures to be aware of on New Year’s Eve:
• The Cahill Expressway will be fully closed from 6am.
• Road closures in CBD North and The Rocks will start from 6am and continue through the day.
• From 2pm roads in Circular Quay and The Rocks will be closed.
• From 5pm major roads in Sydney CBD, Millers Point, Walsh Bay, North Sydney, Milsons Point and Kirribilli will be closed.
• By 7pm most roads in the Sydney CBD centre and some roads in Pyrmont will be closed.
• From 10pm major roads around Wynyard Station will close.
• The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be completely closed from 11pm until 1:30am, along with all major roads in the city, there will be no vehicle access after 11pm. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel remains open, as well as the Anzac Bridge.
Key transport changes:
Transport passengers are reminded road closures on New Year’s Eve will impact buses and light rail services, while harbour fireworks exclusion zones will affect ferries. Trains, metro, buses and light rail will operate close to a 24-hour timetable.
• Trains will run additional services across most lines from 2pm, with frequent services after the midnight fireworks through until New Year’s Day. Trains will not stop at Circular Quay from 3pm. Trains from the city to the north will not stop at Milsons Point after 6pm. There is no planned trackwork on New Year’s Eve. Station access points may also change.
• Metro services will run every 10 minutes then every 4 to 5 minutes from midday through until 2am on New Year’s Day then resume running every 10 minutes. Barangaroo Station will close from 5pm to 11.45pm for the safety of crowds as surrounding vantage points are expected to reach capacity. Passengers can use Wynyard Station or Martin Place Metro instead. Access to Martin Place, Gadigal and Victoria Cross stations will change.
• Buses will be affected by road closures in the Sydney CBD from 2pm and in North Sydney from 3pm. Some local bus routes in the city and North Sydney as well as various other local council area buses will be affected earlier in the day. Additional services will run to and from the city and North Sydney on key routes.
o From 2pm buses that usually run to Circular Quay will relocate to Martin Place.
o From 3pm buses that usually run to North Sydney station will relocate to stops on Miller St and Berry St due to the closure of Blue St.
o From 5pm Martin Place buses will relocate to Hyde Park.
o From 7pm all buses will use stops at Wynyard, Town Hall QVB, or Hyde Park only.
o From 11pm to 1.30am buses will not travel across the Harbour Bridge while it’s closed for the midnight fireworks. Change for trains or metro to travel across the harbour during this time.
o From 11pm to 4am some buses will terminate at Central
• Ferries will not run to or from Circular Quay by 5.30pm. Some wharves will close earlier in the day. Limited ferries will run after the midnight fireworks only.
• Light rail services will run from 5am and be extended until 4am on all lines, L1, L2, L3 and L4 (the new Parramatta Light Rail from Carlingford to Westmead). On L2 & L3, from 2pm services will run to and from Town Hall only, from 7pm services will run to and from Central only, change for trains or metro to continue your trip to the northern end of the city. From 8pm to 2.30am L1 services won’t run between Central and Convention.
With many spectators taking to the harbour to enjoy a Sydney New Year’s Eve, boating restrictions will be in place including a 6 knots speed restriction on the harbour from 3pm and exclusion zones/restricted areas from 8pm. Please check Transport Maritime’s dedicated New Year’s Eve page before you hit the harbour.
Check the Sydney NYE website before heading out and during travel for the latest updates on vantage points. Once vantage points are full they will be closed.
For New Year’s Eve travel advice, visit transportnsw.info/sydney-nye. For real-time updates on traffic conditions, including road closures, visit livetraffic.com.