Central West Express
Passenger train service in Australia
title: "Central West Express" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["named-passenger-trains-of-new-south-wales", "railway-services-introduced-in-1941", "1941-establishments-in-australia"] description: "Passenger train service in Australia" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_West_Express" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Passenger train service in Australia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rail service"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Central West Express |
| image | Central West XPT at Dubbo 03.jpg |
| caption | XPT at Dubbo railway station in January 2026 |
| type | Passenger train |
| status | Operational |
| first | June 1941 |
| operator | NSW TrainLink |
| start | Sydney |
| end | Dubbo |
| distance | 462 kilometres |
| journeytime | 6 hours 30 minutes |
| frequency | Daily in each direction |
| line_used | Main Western |
| stock | XPT |
| :: |
| box_width = | name = Central West Express | logo = | logo_width = | image = Central West XPT at Dubbo 03.jpg | image_size = | caption = XPT at Dubbo railway station in January 2026 | type = Passenger train | status = Operational | locale = | predecessor = | first = June 1941 | last = | successor = | operator = NSW TrainLink | formeroperator = | ridership = | start = Sydney | stops = | end = Dubbo | distance = 462 kilometres | journeytime = 6 hours 30 minutes | frequency = Daily in each direction | trainnumber = | line_used = Main Western | class = | access = | seating = | catering = | entertainment = | baggage = | otherfacilities = | stock = XPT | gauge = | speed = | owners = | routenumber = | map =
The Central West Express is the named Australian passenger train service operating on the Main Western line in New South Wales from Sydney to Dubbo.
History
The Central West Express commenced operating in June 1941 operating on alternate days from Sydney to Dubbo and Parkes. In the early 1950s it received air-conditioned RUB sets and began to be hauled by 42 and 43 class diesel locomotives, although steam locomotives of the 36 and 38 classes would regularly haul it until July 1967.
In September 1956 in a reorganisation of rolling stock, the Central West Express was cut back to operate as a day return service to Orange with the RUB sets replaced by a HUB set. From 1957, the service was hauled by 46 class electric locomotives between Sydney and Lithgow following the electrification of the Main Western line over the Blue Mountains.
The service was selected as the first to be converted to XPT operation. Rebranded the Central West XPT, it commenced operating in April 1982. Initially it operated six days a week to Orange extending to Dubbo on alternate days. From August 1983 all services ran to Dubbo and from December 1985 a Sunday service was introduced, a frequency it still maintains. The XPTs cut one hour and 54 minutes off the travel time from Sydney to Dubbo.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Dubbo_XPT_diagram.png" caption="Diagram of the Central West Express."] ::
Gallery
File:Central West XPT at Lithgow.png|At Lithgow in 2025 File:Orange railway station, New South Wales, Australia 21.jpg|At Orange in the snow in 2020 File:XP2002 leads WT28.jpg|At Rydal in 2013 File:Dubbo XPT at Bathurst.JPG|At Bathurst in 2006
References
References
- (1984). "Railmotors and XPTs". Australian Railway Historical Society NSW Division.
- "The XPT Turns 15" ''[[Railway Digest]]'' April 1997 page 43
- "1983/84 Annual Report" ''Railway Digest'' April 1985 page 93
- [https://transportnsw.info/document/1816/western-nswtl-tt2017.pdf Western Region timetable] Transport for New South Wales 26 November 2017
- Hely, Susan. (2022-04-07). "From the Archives 1982: First XPT was a minute late and two hours early".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::