Sydney’s Dirtiest Train Stations, Ranked by Germs, Grime & General Grossness
We’ve seen things. We’ve smelled things. Here’s the truth.
Ah, Sydney Trains. Love them or loathe them, we all use them — and most of us try not to touch anything while doing so. But how dirty are Sydney’s train stations really?
We asked our Ultrix cleaners (and a few ex-cleaners who’ve gone on to therapy) which stations across the city make them gag, squint, or triple-layer their gloves.
This isn’t a scientific study. It’s worse — it’s based on years of cleaning callouts, industrial site cleans, and insider accounts from train staff who begged us to keep quiet.
Here are the 10 filthiest Sydney train stations, ranked by a potent combo of grime, foot traffic, pest sightings, and just general “ew.”
10. Sydenham
It’s giving abandoned airbase. Sydenham’s platforms are fine… until you look down. Ciggie butts, blackened tiles, and whatever lives under that vending machine — it’s a crusty little hub with big train energy and zero soap dispenser refills.
9. Central Station
You’d think the city’s biggest station would be spotless. You’d be wrong. Between 300,000 daily passengers, dodgy fast food, and questionable sleeper stains near platforms 24/25, Central is a glorious petri dish of urban life. The restrooms? Don’t. Just don’t.
8. Lidcombe
A transitional station… for diseases. Lidcombe sees thousands switching lines, which means lots of touching, coughing, dropping, and foot-dragging. It’s also got that faint scent of boiled hot dog water lingering around the ticket machines.
7. Bankstown
You can smell the grime before you hit the stairs. We once found an actual sandwich fossilised behind a locker room bin during a commercial job nearby. Bankstown’s station feels less like transport and more like a test of your immune system.
6. Parramatta
Flashy redevelopment can’t hide the layers of gunk beneath the surface. The bus interchange brings chaos, the lifts are sticky, and the bathrooms look like the plot of a psychological thriller. Don’t lean on anything.
5. Redfern
This station has character. It also has suspicious puddles, half-wiped graffiti, and handrails that feel moist even in winter. The platform gaps here aren’t the only danger.
4. Campsie
Graffiti, grime, gum… and that’s just the entrance. The ticket machines here look like they’ve been in a boxing match. We’ve heard cleaners rotate every few days because no one wants to keep this gig. That’s a red flag.
3. Mt Druitt
Mt Druitt is a strong contender for “most rogue object found in a public space.” Someone once dropped an entire bucket of chicken bones next to the Opal reader — and no one moved it for 48 hours. We've done multiple commercial cleans nearby, and the train station isn't far behind in horror.
2. Granville
Granville is what happens when a station gives up. Overflowing bins, wet floor signs that never leave, and a faint hint of someone once vomited here wafting through the stairwells. If you see a mop, run — it hasn’t been washed.
1. Lakemba
And here it is. The undisputed champ. Lakemba station is not just dirty — it’s spiritually unclean. Sticky, dimly lit, and covered in unidentifiable goo. It’s the only station where we’ve had cleaners request hazard pay. Lakemba isn’t just a commute — it’s a challenge.
🚆 What’s the Lesson Here?
We don’t clean train stations (yet). But we’ve cleaned every business near them — gyms, clinics, barbers, offices — and stations say a lot about a suburb’s cleaning culture.
If your commercial space is near one of these grimy giants, let’s make sure you’re not part of the problem.
🧼 Ultrix Cleaning
📍 Sydney’s Inner West, CBD, & surrounds
💪 Clinics, gyms, offices, and retail specialists
👉 www.ultrixcleaning.com — Clean where it counts.