Got off one station earlier than usual because this station has a lift and I had holiday luggage. I…read morecould then catch a bus to my home destination. If you are visiting Westmead Hospital or Children's Hospital Westmead you can try the 5 minute walk or catch a bus. The bus stop is at the bottom of the ramp & across the road. This station would be great for those wanting to explore Parramatta Park. You could get off here and amble through the park back to the Parramatta city centre. In fact when you plan to attend a Parra Park event, like Australia Day, this would be easier than Parramatta Station......and I'm pretty sure all trains stop here!

FREE! Yep, free bus, every 10 minutes around the main area of Parramatta…read more Number 900, they're usually bright green. Although the transport website claims they've only been in operation since earlier this year, I think it was just called something else previously. I'm pretty sure this was the first free bus loop in Sydney, and I remember going on it for the first time quite a few years ago. It goes from the interchange at the train station to Argyle and Macquarie Streets west, up O'Connell, past the Leagues Club to north Church Street, Prince Alfred Park, Lennox Bridge, Phillip Street, Parramatta Wharf (where you can catch the Rivercat), Charles and Macquarie Street and back to the interchange again. Phew. Actually, the whole loop only takes about 25 minutes, so you can jump on anywhere and get to anywhere you want in pretty darn quick time. I'm all for walking, but to save some weary feet and to keep cars off the road, this is a fantastic initiative for the community and tourists alike. The driver of one I caught the other day seemed a little harried at the other less-than-perfect vehicular operators on the road, for which the solution, I think, is more buses. More free ones. Yay.

As far as train stations go this one isn't anything special…read more Its proximity to Westfields and the Parramatta Interchange make it a handy stop. Lifts to each platform are good for the mobility impaired (like me when I busted my ankle that time) and most each platform is under cover which will keep you dry when it's raining. With only four platforms though, the real question will be how it will continue to handle the growth of western Sydney. This station can be a nightmare at peak hour already.

Parramatta Station is a Great station with access to a kiss and rides stopping area, bike lockers,…read moretoilets, baby change table, payphone, Opal card top-up or single ticket machine (cash and card payment), taxi rank, bike shed, wheelchair-accessible toilet, emergency help point, departure indicator screens, and an Opal card top-up machine (card payment only). The station is staffed 24 hours a day on weekdays, weekends/public holidays. The location has independent access, a hearing loop, platform edge tactiles, a lift, wheelchair ramp boarding assistance, a PA system for announcements, stairs, and an escalator. Parramatta station is located on Argyle Street, Parramatta, and can be contacted on 02 9848 9387. Parramatta Station is the main station with T1 City to Emu Plains or Richmond, T1 City to Berowra via Gordon, T1 Emu Plains or Richmond to City, T2 Parramatta to Leppington or City, and a wide range of other services.

I wouldn't necessarily consider this to be a major station in Sydney, however quite a few trains…read moreseem to stop here, including the train that I caught from the Blue Mountains (I believe, or I could have simply changed at Blacktown). Mind you, like many of the stations is in Sydney, it is actually quite accessible, and as I mentioned, trains do stop here quite frequently, particularly ones that end up running express into the city. The other cool thing about this station, in particular, is that not all trains actually head into the city, some head off in multiple other directions.

The residential suburb of Seven Hills is located 35 km west of the Sydney central business…read moredistrict. Locally known as 'Sevo'. Prior to British settlement in the 1790s, this area was home to Aboriginal peoples - apparently the Warmuli and Toogagal clans of the Darug nation. First European discovery of the area was in 1988 or 1989. The first land grant in the colony of New South Wales was in the local "District of Toongabbee" to an ex- Marine soldier, John Redmond in May 1793. His 60-acre land grant was alongside a track which later became Station Road. Matthew Pearce was granted 160 acres in 1795. The name Seven Hills arose about 1800 because his farm was near the seventh hill along the road from Parramatta. How come nobody ever told me this? I always wondered where the heck the seven hills were, cause I never saw them in the neighborhood. We didn't have the internet back then and fed on rumours and old wives tales. Seven Hills station opened in 1860, the same year the train line was extended from Parramatta station to Blacktown Road station (now Blacktown station). It appears that regular train stops began here in 1869. Became a pretty big station, even though it is next to the bigger Blacktown station. I attended Grantham High School for two years, located in Seven Hills. I have been here too many times, but likely never again. You can't go back, or least least you shouldn't. Not to here.

Free travel on trains this weekend! Yeah! This station is always clean and the Station Assistant…read moreis most helpful.

This is a fairly busy station on the Northern Line. During the peak morning hours, there is a fast…read moretrain to Central but it is pretty full by the time it gets to West Ryde having come from Newcastle. Entry points to the station are from Ryedale Road and West Parade. There are two ticket machines, one is exclusively for EFTPOS transactions. They've recently installed a CBA ATM near the top of the stairs coming in from Ryedale Road. There are lifts on all platforms, and two toilets near the ticket counters. There are plenty of benches along the platforms, especially on the platform going to the city. There are food and drink vending machines on both platforms if you're feeling peckish while waiting for your train. A large section of the platforms is covered to protect you from rain when the weather's sour. The station is well lighted at night so you don't feel afraid for your life when catching public transport in odd hours. There's a coffee shop on the upstairs bridge open on weekdays for a quick brekky fix before catching the train. There are bus stops right outside the station with buses going to the city via Ryde, Parramatta and Chatswood. There's plenty of public parking on Ryedale Road for those coming to the station by car. You can also leave your bicycles at both the Ryedale Road or West Parade side but I would advise against it especially if your bike is expensive. I once saw a lonely bike frame chained to the fence near the carpark in Ryedale Road and it was missing its other parts which i suspect were taken off and stolen.

Burwood Station is an inner west station of Sydney. It is very close to Mini Chinese Town, Burwood…read morePlaza and Burwood Westfield. Therefore a good shopping area. The station itself has a lift and is well posted . There is good signage to tell you when and which platforms are the next trains. You must have an Opal Card to travel on trains, buses and ferries in Sydney. There is concession cards and a senior card that you can apply for on line.

Like many of the stations in Sydney, especially the ones closer to the city, this station is a very…read moreaccessible station, and is also pretty close to the shopping district which, once again, seems to be a common factor with a lot of these stations. The other thing is that the trains through here are fairly frequent, though not all of them stop. Then again, this is a major line so I am not all that surprised since this isn't a major station.

30 km west of Sydney's Central Station is Toongabbie Station, serving the local residential suburb…read more There are two platforms, one for the two eastbound lines and one for the two westbound lines. Basic but functional design. The suburb is often locally referred to as "Toonie" or "Toonga Bay". My god, how many times have I waited for trains here. I had to sprint up the ramp more for not wanting to miss a train -- typically 30 minutes apart (more at peak hours). I deserve to get a First Review on this one. Maybe they ought to give me a plaque or something - a gold-plated one with a diamond studded border. Then I can sell it and retire in Oahu. The sooner the better! Toongabbie is noted for being the third mainland settlement (after Sydney and Parramatta) set up after the British occupation of Australia began in 1788. Funny how I never knew that till I read it on Wikipedia, even though I went to the local high school for two years. Great local pride, huh? Toongabbie is derived from an Aboriginal word, meaning place by the water or the meeting of the waters. It was named in June 1792 after Governor Arthur Phillip asked the local Aborigines what they called the place. Per Wikipedia, Governor Phillip established a government farm and convict station on 640 acres (259 ha) in 1791 to grow food for the colony. It was supplement to the farms already established at Rose Hill. By December 1791 there were 500 men working at clearing the land. After eleven years, the government farm was closed and the land was given as grants to settlers and convicts who had done their time.