Rising petrol prices are driving commuters onto Sydney's rail network, authorities have said as they announced a timetable and ticketing restructure.
NSW Transport Minister John Watkins said CityRail's passenger numbers had surged 4.4 per cent over the past 12 months.
"That's about double the normal growth on some lines, especially to western and south-western Sydney," Mr Watkins told reporters.
"So, people are either coming back to rail or trying rail for the first time, and it is important that we continue to improve the experience they have."
The changes, to take effect next month, will introduce an additional limited-stops "fast" train service from the city to Penrith at the end of the work day.
Mr Watkins said a series of trains operating to the city's west and south-west also would be boosted in size from six to eight carriages, following the delivery of new carriage stock.
A trial of a 14-day ticket - which allows unlimited travel between certain stations over a fortnight - will be expanded from 25 stations to 192 stations across greater metropolitan Sydney, and areas such as Dapto and Wollongong.
Premier Morris Iemma said the new ticket would reduce queues while the extra carriages would add 1,200 extra seats to network daily.
"With rising petrol prices and a strong jobs market, more people are choosing to travel by train," Mr Iemma said.
"What we're announcing today is more seats, more services and cheaper tickets as part of our plans to improve rail services," he said.
The new 14-day rail tickets start from $42 for travel on the city loop and up to more than $100 for travel between stations more than 100km from the city centre.
