Bankstown railway line | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Owner | RailCorp |
Termini | |
Stations | 14 |
Service | |
Operator(s) | Sydney Trains |
History | |
Opened | 1 February 1895 |
opened to Belmore | 1 February 1895 |
extended to Bankstown | 14 April 1909 |
extended to Regents Park | 16 July 1928 |
Technical | |
Line length | 17 |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
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.
The line opened on 1 February 1895, branching from the Illawarra line from Sydenham to Belmore. [1] The line was originally constructed as an alternative route for goods traffic on the main southern railway, with planners intending the line to eventually link up with the main line at Liverpool. [2] The 1890s depression put this plan on hold; by the time funds became available again, it had been decided to make the Bankstown line a suburban-only line to service the growing population west of Canterbury.
On 14 April 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 Bankstown line from Marrickville to Campsie. On 16 July 1928, it was extended to Regents Park where it joined the Main South line via a triangular junction. [3] [4]
In 1926, the line between Sydenham and Bankstown became the second line in Sydney to be electrified which also saw Punchbowl Maintenance Depot built. Electrification was extended from Bankstown to Regents Park in 1939. [5] A new station between Lakemba and Punchbowl at Wiley Park opened on 19 June 1938. Punchbowl Maintenance Depot closed in 1994. [6]
In January 2006 a four-year project to upgrade the line was completed. The work included the re-sleepering 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. [7]
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.
All services operated as a loop, continuing from Lidcombe to the City via the Main Suburban line, until the early 2000s. At this point, this was changed with alternate services routed to terminate at Liverpool.
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).
The line was depicted in a brown colour in the early 1990s [8] before being changed to a purple colour around 2000, [9] before it became the current orange colour.
The line has had various stopping patterns since its introduction. Most services stopped at all stations, alternating between the two branches. Until late 2017, there were no express services except during peak hours. Most express services ran all stops between Liverpool and Campsie, then stopping Sydenham, Redfern, Central, continuing into the City Circle. In 2013, Marrickville and St Peters were added to this express pattern. As part of the More Trains More Services program, in November 2017, extra services on the Bankstown line were added. The express pattern was changed to all stops between Liverpool and Birrong, then Bankstown, Lakemba, Campsie, Marrickville, Sydenham, Redfern then City Circle. This pattern operates on weekdays at all times except for inbound trains during the morning peak. Inbound trains during the morning peak have 5 different stopping patterns, all of which skip at least one stop. Each pattern runs every 30 minutes, for a total of 10 trains per hour.
Trains can terminate at Sydenham (crossover), Bankstown (loop road without platform), Lidcombe (dock platform), Villawood (two crossovers) and Liverpool (loop road with platform). Campsie also has three crossovers, but have not yet been connected to the signalling system. Trains only terminate at Sydenham and Villawood during service interruptions or trackwork. Bankstown is also rarely used to terminate, other than for some late night services and during trackwork.
As part of the Sydney Metro project, the line from Sydenham to Bankstown will be converted by 2024 from its current double deck commuter rail configuration to a rapid transit line. [10] Using Alstom Metropolis rolling stock, [11] the line is expected to see higher frequency service with fewer seats per train. [12] Consultants have identified the curved steam train-era station platforms on the line as a challenge in its conversion, as straighter platforms are required for the operation of driverless, high-frequency metro services. [13]
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.
The Bankstown Line 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.
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.
Wiley Park railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Wiley Park. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Villawood railway station is located on the Main Southern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Villawood. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Leightonfield railway station is located on the Main Southern 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 Southern 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.
Campsie railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Campsie. 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.
Lakemba railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Lakemba. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Dulwich Hill railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services.
Marrickville railway station is located on the Bankstown railway line, serving the Sydney suburb of Marrickville. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Bankstown line services. It 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.
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.
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.
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