Modernising NSW's Regional Booking System

Modernising an outdated booking experience

The new TrainLink Booking System replaces the legacy Amadeus platform while elevating the customer experience through improved booking channels and enhanced functionality.

Leadership, craft and principles

As UX Design Lead, I guided the team through a two-year program of work, establishing critiques, playbacks, and stakeholder forums to maintain alignment.

Alongside this leadership role, I contributed hands-on: designing interaction patterns, prototyping booking flows, and refining account and payment screens in Figma.

I also led the development of design principles that became core to the project, ensuring consistency and evidence-based decision making. These principles included:

Drawers

Defined as tools for focused, progressive interactions only. Testing showed overuse led to confusion, so guidelines were set - one layer maximum, avoid nesting, and use accordions where more appropriate.

Progressive disclosure

Steps revealed gradually to reduce overwhelm, but structured to prevent users skipping critical information.

Sticky CTAs

Primary actions remain visible on mobile, minimising scrolling and confusion.

Above-the-fold CTAs

Ensured older customers didn't miss actions buried at the bottom of the page.

Cognitive breaks

Loading states introduced between "departing" and "return" journeys to help customers recognise they'd moved into the next stage.

Snackbars and animations

Lightweight confirmations for completed actions, particularly valuable on mobile.

Research, prototyping and accessibility at scale

We mapped the end-to-end regional booking journey and identified key drop-off points. Low- to mid-fidelity prototypes were tested with real customers, including seniors and students, to validate flows before high-fidelity work.

Accessibility was embedded from the start - contrast, focus order, labels and screen-reader paths for flows and interactions - then verified with external checks. Regular playbacks with stakeholders kept complexity visible and decisions pragmatic. Proven patterns were fed back into the Transport Design System.

Outcomes delivered so far

The booking experience was simplified end-to-end, with clearer seat selection, concessions, and payment flows. Accessibility improvements were embedded from the outset and verified against WCAG 2.1 AA requirements. Design principles - such as drawers, progressive disclosure, and sticky CTAs - were codified and adopted across the project, setting a standard for future Transport work.

Business targets, in measurement post-launch:

• Increase checkout page conversions by 18%
• Reduce trip enquiry calls by 22%
• Achieve a CSAT target of 60%
• Increase online booking changes by 50%
• Improve concession conversion rates by 20%

Launched and ready to travel

The new Regional Booking System has recently launched, replacing the legacy Amadeus platform and delivering a more intuitive, accessible way for customers to book long-distance journeys. While metrics are still being measured post-launch, early feedback shows smoother journeys and fewer customer pain points.