11 Hours, One Train, Zero Regrets: My Sydney to Melbourne XPT Economy Class Experience

A flight from Sydney to Melbourne takes a mere 90 minutes. So naturally, I decided to take the train instead. 11 hours of it. In economy class.

Look, I know how that sounds. But I didn't want the fast route — I wanted the scenic route. The poetic route. The economically viable route (okay, that one's just a bonus).

Everybody's always in a rush, so I figured I'd try doing the exact opposite for a day. Also, honestly? It was cheaper, and I needed content. Let's not pretend otherwise.

Check-In and Boarding

Sydney Central Station, platform 1. If you're checking in luggage, the drop-off is right there. Economy class gets you one hand luggage up to 10kg and one large piece up to 20kg — so pack accordingly.

There are two train services from Sydney to Melbourne each day: a morning departure around 7:40am, and an evening one around 8:40pm. I took the morning train, which meant I got to watch the entire day unfold from a window seat instead of sleeping through it.

The Economy Seat Situation

First impressions: the seat was actually pretty comfy. The legroom is generous enough that I could cross my legs like a boss — though to be fair, I've got short legs, so take that endorsement with a grain of salt. The seats recline to about 28°, there's a proper fold-out footrest, and the tray table is sturdy enough to actually be useful.

I also poked my head into first class out of curiosity. The honest difference? A bit more legroom and a slightly deeper recline at 40°. Some carriages even have fold-out beds for the overnight service, though during the day they just stay folded up and the cabin doubles as regular first class seating.

Eleven hours in a confined space with strangers is also a great way to accidentally make a friend with whoever's sitting next to you. Or not. Results may vary.

The Long Haul: Views, Vibes, and Existential Realizations

There's a buffet car serving hot and cold meals and drinks, and once the "740 XPT service through to Melbourne" announcement rolled through, the journey properly began.

As the train picked up speed out of the city and my phone signal started fading into nothing, something interesting happened: I realized just how dependent I'd become on having the internet to fill every idle moment. So I got up, took a walk, and checked out the toilet — which, for a train that's been in service since 1982, is impressively clean and well-maintained.

Back at my seat, the cityscape slowly gave way to countryside, and time genuinely seemed to slow down. I tried napping (lost count of how many naps, honestly), and every time I woke up it felt like Melbourne hadn't gotten any closer.

Alternate Ways to Pass 11 Hours

When the naps ran out, I got creative:

• Counting cattle — a farmer taught me a trick: count the legs in a field, divide by four. Efficient, but there's only so much cattle-counting a man can do before it stops being entertaining.

• Actual work — the fold-out table handled my 16-inch laptop just fine, though there's no real space for a mouse. Working without internet also exposed a habit I didn't know I had: opening my browser every few minutes purely out of reflex, not necessity.

• Snacks — bringing your own stash is a smart move for anyone too lazy to make the trek to the buffet car.

Eventually I did make it to the buffet car for lunch, and it was genuinely appetizing — plus there's a solid spread of fruit salad, juice, yogurt, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate if you're just after something light.

The Unexpected Part

Somewhere past the halfway mark, I realized this train was giving me something a flight never could. With the internet mostly out of reach, all that was left was the scenery gliding by, the people around me, and — a bit uncomfortably at first — my own thoughts.

The Australian countryside has a way of settling your mind that I hadn't felt in a long time. Drifting in and out of food-coma naps, I found a kind of relaxation I'd genuinely forgotten existed. That's when the trip stopped feeling like a long way to get to Melbourne, and started feeling like the actual point.

Arrival

Even an 11-hour epic eventually ends. After a lovely sunset somewhere along the way, we rolled into Melbourne around 7:00pm, greeted by the city lights.

Would I do it again? Genuinely, yes. This trip gave me more than just a way to get from Sydney to Melbourne — it nudged me into slowing down from the usual dizzying pace of life and just... not being available to the internet for a few hours. Turns out that's rarer, and more valuable, than I expected.

Would you take the train, or just fly? Let me know — and if you're curious about the return leg, I also took the XPT sleeper train back from Melbourne to Sydney, which is a whole different experience worth its own story.