Even taking Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the Easatern Distributor is a choke point which could have end up with 20 - 30 minute delay between Chatswood and Airport, where M11, M7 and M12 would have been a lot faster and smoother.
Google maps disagrees with you. M1 and Tunnel faster even at peak.
On the other hand, trains and metro are expensive and dangerous.
Expensive, maybe (depends on number of travelers) although probably not more than the tolls + airport parking fees depending on duration of your trip.
I mentioned PT because in peak times it can be the fastest from CHaswood i.e. metro + train.
I actually wonder how can passengers bring 3 x 32kg of baggage with kids etc onto a train, going up and down esclators to go to SYD?
Easily. I managed a 23kg wheeled case + 20 kgs travel Pack + 8kg wheelie carryon and a purse all by myself - navigating lifts, escalators and stairs from LHR and JFK on trains to the city.
When flat or on escalators, I balance travel pack on larger case is one hand, smaller case in other and purse on shoulder. When having to walk up stairs (unlike Sydney trains/metro - not all tube or subway stations have lifts) then Travel pack worn like a backpack, one wheelie case in each hand and hand bag on shoulder.
In Sydney the stations all have lifts and/or escalators - if they dont then they are probably already street level i.e. wheelchair accessible.
If you have a partner and kids then that's more hands to help. As the saying goes if you cant personally manage your own luggage you have over packed.
3 * 32kg per person is unusual for most passengers. Certainly not needed on any domestic route.
Also please don't get me started you may get punched, upskirted and stabbed with machete on public transport which I will never promote and participate in land public transport in Australia again.
Machete and knife attacks are rare in Sydney but also most concentrated in the West so getting train/metro to WSI via St Mary's (which has higher than average violent crime rates ) vs to SYD at Mascot (which has lower than average violent crime rates) is probably going to be higher risk, especially late night.
Upskirting again uncommon and no more likely on a train than say on an escalator or stairs in Westfields - do you never go shopping? Also easily avoided by just wearing pants/jeans or f you must wear a dress/shirt just wear tights or bike shorts under neath.
Based on your comments, I'd say you must be quite privileged since you seem to think avg income is Aus is $250K (which would actually put you in top 3%). Without PT the traffic would be so bad it would take a ridiculous time to get anywhere.
More than 1m Sydney siders use the Sydney train/Metro network everyday; the incidence of violent crime on Sydney train/Metro network is 0.3 per 100,000 trips. Compare that with serious injuries due to road accidents in Sydney which is 30 per 100k of population and road deaths which is 1.7 per 100k of population.
