Beat the Bus #10
The Slow Train to Cronulla
Commuter Challenge: eBike vs. Train (Cronulla to Bondi Junction)
When a brisk southerly buster wind storm rolled into Sydney, I decided to test a theory: Could an eBike, with a massive tailwind pushing it along, beat the winding, “round-the-horn” T4 train trip from the Shire up to Bondi Junction?
The strong wind was behind me the entire way, acting like a booster rocket for the eBike and clearing the bike paths of meandering walkers who preferred to stay indoors. Tracking my journey using my Google Maps timeline, I compared three different ways to make the trip.
The Contenders & Results
Option 1: The Pure Train Trip (The Control)
The Route: Walk from North Cronulla beach to the station Train all the way to Bondi Junction.
Time Breakdown: 67 minutes on the train + 10 minutes of waiting/transferring.
Total Time: 1 hour 17 minutes
The Verdict: The Winner on Speed. Purely on raw time, the train takes the crown. Sydney is just too sprawling for a bike to beat a long train unbroken line.
Option 2: The Pure eBike Ride (The Hard Way)
The Route: Cycling the entire distance from Cronulla to Bondi Junction.
Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
The Verdict: 16 minutes slower than the train. Even with a powerful southerly tailwind clearing out the paths and pushing me along, a full bike commute over this massive distance falls short of the train.
Option 3: The “Cheater’s” Hybrid (eBike + Train)
The Route: Ride the eBike from Caringbah to Wolli Creek. Catch the train from Wolli Creek to Bondi Junction.
Time Breakdown: 57 minutes of cycling + 28 minutes on the train.
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
The Verdict: 8 minutes slower than the train, but the best overall experience.
Final Verdict: Why the Hybrid Wins
While the train is technically 8 minutes faster than the hybrid option, the Bike + Train combo is the smartest way to travel.
Why it works: The bike leg from the Shire to Wolli Creek is flat, fast, and highly enjoyable—especially with a brisk southerly blowing you north. However, the final cycling leg from Wolli Creek to Bondi Junction takes 40 minutes on a bike and gets much hillier and the cycling paths are less than perfect.
By pulling the pin at Wolli Creek and letting the train do the heavy lifting for the last 28 minutes, you bypass the worst hills and still get a great, wind-assisted cruise for the first half of the trip. It completely beats sitting on a train for over an hour!
Nostalga - GSBT with my wife
My very first lap of Sydney which has become the famous Greater Sydney Bike Trail included a very casual ride with my wife from Wolli Creek to Cronulla on day 2. That looked something like this. The Cronulla Ride truly is a great part of Sydney
