Can a sprawling city make public transit work? Sydney may be on the right track

With transport set to be Australia’s top-emitting sector by 2030, officials have recognised the need to invest

At Penrith, a suburb on Sydney’s rural fringe 50km (30 miles) west of the central business district, you can catch a train to the city every four to eight minutes during the morning peak, and roughly every 10 to 15 minutes during off-peak hours before midnight.

On an express service, it takes 52 minutes to Sydney’s Central station, comparable to the journey by car, without factoring in the morning traffic on a tolled motorway.