More than half of the lost revenue – or $3.8 million – occurred in the year to June.
The vast majority of revenue lost from passengers disposing of cards with negative balances occurred at the airport stations.
Thecost of catching the train to the airport is the most expensive on the city's rail network. A one-way journey from central Sydney to the domestic or international terminal costs an adult passenger $18.70 during peak hours due to a so-called station access fee.
However,train passengers can enter other stations on the network with a minimum balance on an Adult Opal card of just $3.46 during peak periods,or $2.42 at other times.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance said installing the technology to stop fare theft would enable the government to invest more into public transport.