Services primarily operate to and from Central (Sydney Terminal) via Strathfield. During morning and afternoon peak periods on weekdays, some services will operate in the peak direction from either Wyong or Gosford to Sydney Central via the North Shore Line, then continuing on as a T1 service from the Central suburban platforms to Blacktown.[1]
Sometimes, when there is trackwork between Strathfield and Hornsby, trains will operate via the North Shore line between Central and Hornsby, then follow the Main North railway line as normal.[original research?]
History
Prior to electrification of the route, steam hauled passenger trains were varied.[2] From November 1929 until April 1988, the Newcastle Flyer operated on the route. From the time the line was electrified, services to Gosford were hauled by 46 class locomotives, their sphere of operation increasing as the wires were extended. After electrification to Newcastle, services were taken over by U and V sets. Later, the U sets were replaced by K and G sets which, in turn, were replaced by H sets.[citation needed]
The last electric locomotives were withdrawn in March 1998[3] with all services operated by electric multiple unit stock.
The section of the Newcastle railway line between Hamilton and Newcastle was closed on 25 December 2014. Until the opening of Newcastle Interchange in 2017, Hamilton served as the temporary northern terminus.[4] The closed section between Wickham and Newcastle was replaced with the Newcastle Light Rail that opened on 17 February 2019.[5][6]
On 27 June 2025, V sets completed operations on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line, following the rollout of the D sets.[7]
Once the H sets are fully replaced by the D sets to be converted to Sydney suburban services, it’s expected that CCN line trains will no longer operate services from Gosford or Wyong to Sydney Central via the North Shore line, due to the platforms being too short for the 10 car D sets and high rail congestion. The North Shore line is not a standard intercity rail line, which causes most CCN line trains to often run behind schedule due to being behind a slower T1 or T9 suburban train, since there is no rail bypass for quicker trains to overtake the slower services, unlike services that go via Strathfield to Sydney Terminal, which is a standard intercity rail line.
↑ The time taken for a train to reach the station from the previous stop. Based on the current Central Coast & Newcastle Line timetable, effective 20 October 2013.[11]
Upgrades
Completed
The line was electrified to Gosford in January 1960, Wyong in April 1982[12] and Newcastle in June 1984.[13]
Grade separation for southbound freight trains heading to Flemington
2013
June 2015
Epping to Pennant Hills third track
Third track for northbound trains climbing 1 in 40 grades
2013
Mid-2016
Gosford passing loops
One passing loop in each direction to allow fast trains to overtake slower trains
2013
April 2015
Proposed
Glendale station
A railway station is proposed to be constructed in Glendale as part of the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange project. The station will be located between Cockle Creek and Cardiff railway station and will have connections to buses. An extension of Glendale Drive leading to the proposed station has been built and completed in June 2017. However, construction of the station has not commenced.[citation needed]
New Warnervale station
A new station is proposed for Warnervale.[17][18] The draft Central Coast Transportation Strategy stated that construction of the new railway station was to be completed by 2016.[19] In October 2014 there were some differences between Wyong Council and the State Government over how a strategic piece of land should be developed at Warnervale.[20]
Patronage
The following table shows the patronage of each line of the NSW TrainLink Intercity network for the year ending 30 June 2024, based on Opal tap on and tap off data.[21]
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