A 48-hour fare-free period on New South Wales train services will be available Thursday and Friday, July 31 and August 1, with fares on the Moree to Sydney train sold out both ways within hours of being issued.

The offer applied to the passenger to and from Moree, all Sydney trains, NSW TrainLink travel, Airport Link and Sydney Metro services.

More than 2.2 million people are forecast to benefit from fare-free trips across New South Wales over the two-day period.

The fare-free travel period is an acknowledgment of the disruption that occurred before the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Enterprise Agreement was agreed with the rail workforce earlier this month.

Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison encourages regional passengers to use the rail network over these two days to explore regional New South Wales.

“Fare-free days include regional routes to places like Melbourne and Brisbane. You will need to book in advance, but this is a fantastic opportunity to get out and explore this state and beyond.”

Minister for Transport John Graham said gates will be open Thursday and Friday.

“We are inviting people to get out and about on the rail system wherever they are,” Mr Graham said.

“This is acknowledgement to the travelling public that months of disruption took its toll, but it is also an invitation to support those businesses who had some lean days.

“The NSW Government is working overtime to raise the level of reliability across the state’s train network and restore the public’s faith in the service.”