Bankstown Line | |||||||||||||
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Overview | |||||||||||||
Owner | Transport Asset Holding Entity | ||||||||||||
Locale | Sydney, New South Wales | ||||||||||||
Termini | |||||||||||||
Stations | 33 | ||||||||||||
Service | |||||||||||||
Type | Commuter rail | ||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Sydney Trains | ||||||||||||
Depot(s) | Flemington | ||||||||||||
Rolling stock | K, M, A and B sets | ||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||
Opened | 1 February 1895 | ||||||||||||
Technical | |||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||||||||||
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The Bankstown Line (numbered T3, coloured orange) is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves Canterbury-Bankstown and parts of the Inner West and Western Sydney. The Bankstown railway line is the physical railway line which carries the section of the Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Birrong.
T3 route diagram | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Bankstown railway line opened between Sydenham on the Illawarra railway line and Belmore in 1895. [1] This was the second solely suburban line to open in Sydney, following the North Shore railway line in 1890–all other rail lines were mainlines carrying traffic into and out of Sydney. In 1909, the line was extended to Bankstown, with intermediate stations at Lakemba and Punchbowl. In 1916, the Metropolitan Goods Line was constructed, running parallel to the Bankstown Line between Marrickville and Campsie. A second extension, from Bankstown to Birrong, opened in 1928. This provided connections to the main suburban railway at Lidcombe and the main south line to Liverpool. A new station between Lakemba and Punchbowl at Wiley Park opened in 1938.
In 1926 the Bankstown Line became the second line in Sydney to be electrified and a maintenance depot was constructed at Punchbowl. Electrification was extended from Bankstown to Regents Park in 1939. [2] The Punchbowl Maintenance Depot closed in 1994.
In January 2006 a four-year project to upgrade the line was completed.[ citation needed ] The work included the resleepering of the entire line, replacing the former wooden sleepers with the more durable concrete ones, replacement and upgrade of the signalling, and also replacement of the ageing catenary, mostly with the more modern double contact wire variety. The lengthy upgrade process was noted for its "January Closedowns", in which the entire line was closed in January for the bulk of the upgrade work to take place.
Electric passenger services operated along the Bankstown Line to Wynyard station until the 1956 opening of Circular Quay station and the completion of the City Circle. In 1979 with the opening of the Eastern Suburbs line the direction around the City Circle reversed with trips from Bankstown going to St James first and vice versa.
Operation of the Bankstown Line had been tied to the operation of all stations services on the Main Suburban railway line between Lidcombe and the city (marketed as the Inner West Line). Services consisted of a mixture of "Bankstown loop" trains (City - Sydenham - Bankstown - Lidcombe - Strathfield - City) and trains from both sides of the loop (Birrong or Regents Park) heading to Sefton and then further west. Until the early 2000s, a number of Bankstown trains continued via the Western Line to Blacktown via Granville and Parramatta.
A new timetable released in October 2013 broke the loop between the two lines. As part of the Rail Clearways Program, new turnbacks were constructed at Lidcombe and Homebush to allow the separation of both lines and increase their reliability and frequency. Services were also changed to operate mostly around the City Circle via Town Hall on weekdays (rather than via Museum). As part of the timetable change, a new numbering system was also introduced and the line was given the number T3. A sextuplication project between Erskinevile and Sydenham was also proposed as part of the Rail Clearways Program, but was cancelled in 2011. It was intended to separate Bankstown line services from those operating towards East Hills. The 2013 timetable sees most East Hills line trains using the Airport line to access the city.
The line was depicted in a brown colour in the early 1990s [3] before being changed to a purple colour around 2000, [4] before it became the current orange colour.
Sydney Metro City & Southwest is a plan to convert the Sydenham to Bankstown section of the line to use single deck metro trains. A new tunnel will be constructed between Sydenham and Chatswood, for access to the city. The stations of St Peters, Erskineville and the stations west of Bankstown towards Lidcombe / Liverpool will not be served by the metro. [5] The NSW Legislative Council Inquiry into the Sydenham-Bankstown line conversion recommended that the direct train to City via Lidcombe be restored for commuters west of Bankstown. [6] The NSW Government rejected most recommendations from this report. [7]
In December 2020, Transport for NSW announced it was considering when the Bankstown Line closes for conversion to metro in 2024, the Liverpool to city service via Regents Park and Lidcombe will be reinstated and a shuttle branch service will run between Lidcombe and Bankstown. [8] Regents Park will be the main interchange point between both lines as the direct train between Bankstown and Liverpool will be withdrawn.
In November 2022, Transport for NSW released plans to close Birrong, Yagoona, and other stations in the West of Bankstown after the opening of Sydney Metro City & Southwest. Buses would replace trains in the West of Bankstown towards Lidcombe and Liverpool, however this no longer appears part of revised planning for opening of Sydney Metro City & Southwest [9] .
In April 2023, the NSW Government announced an independent review into the Sydney Metro project [10] .
In August 2023, the NSW Government in response to the recommendation of the Sydney Metro Review Interim Report, announced the continuation of the Sydney Metro Southwest project with the conversion of the Sydenham to Bankstown line including a 12 month temporary closure from mid-2024 onwards. [11]
The Bankstown line begins at Sydenham railway station on the Illawarra line. The line branches at Sydenham Junction and passes in a westwards direction to Bankstown, where it heads north to Birrong. Between Marrickville and Campsie, the Metropolitan Goods line runs in parallel. At Birrong, the line meets the Main South Line which runs from Lidcombe to Cabramatta via Regents Park.
Passenger services begin at Town Hall station on the City Circle. Most services operate around the City Circle in a clockwise direction to Central, then through Redfern. However both inbound and outbound trains can also travel in the counterclockwise direction around the City Circle, as of the November 2017 timetable. After Central, trains enter the Illawara railway line, using the local (western pair) tracks, stopping at St Peters and Erskineville stations. Just south of Sydenham, all trains take the turnout onto the Bankstown railway line. At Sefton Park Junction (west of Birrong), trains can turn onto both directions of the Main Southern railway line, running to Liverpool or Lidcombe.
The line serves two major centres in Western Sydney, namely Bankstown and Liverpool.
Name | Distance from Central | Opened | Railway line | Serving suburbs | Other lines | |
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Town Hall – Birrong | ||||||
Town Hall | 1.2 km | 1932 | City Circle | Sydney, Darling Harbour | ||
Wynyard | 2.1 km | 1932 | Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point | |||
Circular Quay | 3.0 km | 1956 | Circular Quay, Sydney The Rocks, Millers Point | |||
St James | 4.3 km (dist via Town Hall) | 1926 | Sydney | |||
Museum | 5 km (dist via Town Hall) | 1926 | Sydney | |||
Central | 0 km | 1855 | Central, Strawberry Hills Ultimo, Surrey Hills | |||
Redfern | 1.3 km | 1878 | Illawarra | Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington The University of Sydney | (T8 peak hours only) | |
Erskineville | 2.9 km | 1884 | Erskineville, Macdonaldtown, Newtown | none | ||
St Peters | 3.8 km | 1884 | St Peters, Alexandria, Erskineville, Newtown | (T8 peak hours only) | ||
Sydenham | 5.3 km | 1884 | Sydenham, Marrickville, St Peters | (T8 peak hours only) | ||
Marrickville | 6.6 km | 1895 | Bankstown | Marrickville, Marrickville South | none | |
Dulwich Hill | 7.9 km | 1895 | Dulwich Hill, Marrickville, Hurlstone Park | |||
Hurlstone Park | 8.8 km | 1895 | Hurlstone Park, Canterbury | |||
Canterbury | 10.2 km | 1895 | Canterbury | |||
Campsie | 11.7 km | 1895 | Campsie | |||
Belmore | 13.3 km | 1895 | Belmore | |||
Lakemba | 14.5 km | 1909 | Lakemba | |||
Wiley Park | 15.4 km | 1938 | Wiley Park, Lakemba, Punchbowl | |||
Punchbowl | 16.5 km | 1909 | Punchbowl | |||
Bankstown | 18.7 km | 1909 | Bankstown | |||
Yagoona | 20.6 km | 1928 | Yagoona | |||
Birrong | 22.1 km | 1928 | Birrong | |||
Birrong – Lidcombe | ||||||
Regents Park | 19.9 km | 1912 | Main South | Regents Park | none | |
Berala | 18.4 km | 1912 | Berala | |||
Lidcombe | 16.6 km | 1858 | Lidcombe | |||
Birrong – Liverpool | ||||||
Sefton | 21.2 km | 1924 | Main South | Sefton | none | |
Chester Hill | 22.3 km | 1924 | Chester Hill | |||
Leightonfield | 23.7 km | 1942 | Villawood | |||
Villawood | 24.5 km | 1924 | Villawood | |||
Carramar | 25.9 km | 1924 | Carramar | |||
Cabramatta | 28.4 km | 1870 | Cabramatta | |||
Warwick Farm | 34.2 km | 1889 | Warwick Farm | |||
Liverpool | 35.7 km | 1856 | Liverpool |
The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Trains network for the year ending 30 June 2022.
41 980 000 | |
23 077 000 | |
11 198 000 | |
27 775 000 | |
3 503 000 | |
605 000 | |
16 879 000 | |
10 415 000 |
The Sydney Trains M sets, also referred to as the Millennium trains, are a class of electric multiple units that operate on the Sydney Trains network. Built by EDi Rail between 2002 and 2005, the first sets initially entered service under the CityRail brand on 1 July 2002 after short delays due to electrical defects. The M sets were built as "fourth generation" trains for Sydney's suburban rail fleet, replacing the 1960s Tulloch carriages and providing extra capacity on the suburban rail network. The sets currently operate on the T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown, T5 Cumberland, T7 Olympic Park and T8 Airport & South lines.
The Rail Clearways Programme was conceived in 2004 with the aim of easing congestion of Sydney's suburban railway network, by reducing the amount of infrastructure shared by multiple services. The disparate projects at pinch points throughout the network were designed to increase passenger capacity and improve reliability. All projects were delivered by the Transport Construction Authority until it was subsumed in November 2011 by Transport for New South Wales. A new timetable was introduced in October 2013 that realised the benefit of many of the projects, and by January 2014—the programme was complete.
Sefton railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Sefton. The station is heritage-listed in the state heritage register for New South Wales. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Bankstown railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Lidcombe railway station is located on the Main Suburban line, serving the Sydney suburb of Lidcombe. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western, T2 Inner West & Leppington, T3 Bankstown and T7 Olympic line services.
Villawood railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Villawood. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Carramar railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Carramar. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown Line services.
Punchbowl railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Punchbowl. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Leightonfield railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Villawood. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Birrong railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Birrong. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Berala railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Berala. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Yagoona railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Yagoona. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Belmore railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Bankstown line at Burwood Road, Belmore in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services. It was designed and built by NSW Government Railways from 1895 to 1937. It is also known as Belmore Railway Station Group and Burwood Road. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Erskineville railway station is located on the Illawarra line, serving the Sydney suburb of Erskineville. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Regents Park railway station is located on the Main South line, serving the Sydney suburb of Regents Park. The station is heritage-listed in the state heritage register for New South Wales. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Sydney, the largest city in Australia, has an extensive network of passenger and freight railways. The passenger system includes an extensive suburban railway network, operated by Sydney Trains, a metro network and a light rail network. A dedicated freight network also exists. Future expansion of the light rail network includes the Parramatta Light Rail. Existing light rail services are the Inner West Light Rail and the CBD & South East Light Rail.
The Inner West & Leppington Line is a commuter rail service currently operated by Sydney Trains, serving the inner west and south-western regions of Sydney, Australia. Consisting of 37 stops, the service commences from the City Circle, then heads west to Granville. The line branches at this point; services either head northwest to Parramatta or south to Leppington. A third terminus at Homebush is used when the part-time Parramatta branch isn't operating. The line commenced operations on 26 November 2017, replacing the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line.
The Bankstown railway line is a railway line serving the Canterbury-Bankstown and Inner West regions of Sydney between the stations of Sydenham and Lidcombe.
Sydney Metro City & Southwest is a 30-kilometre (19 mi) rapid transit project currently under-construction in Sydney, Australia. The project will extend the Metro North West Line from Chatswood on the North Shore, to Bankstown in the city's south-west via the Sydney central business district.
The Metro North West Line is a rapid transit rail line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The first and currently the only line on the Sydney Metro network, it commenced operation on 26 May 2019, running between Tallawong and Chatswood.