Liverpool & Inner West Line

Last updated

Liverpool & Inner West Line
TfNSW T3.svg
Sydney Trains B Set (20231004).jpg
B sets passing at Summer Hill.
Overview
Service type Commuter rail service
StatusOperational
Locale Sydney, New South Wales
Predecessor
  • Inner West (1999–2013)
  • Bankstown (2013–2024)
First service30 September 2024;36 days ago (2024-09-30)
Current operator(s) Sydney Trains
Route
Termini City Circle
Liverpool
Stops30
Average journey time1 hour
Line(s) used
On-board services
Disabled accessYes
Technical
Rolling stock K, M, A and B sets
Track gauge Standard gauge
Electrification 1,500 V DC from overhead catenary [1]
Track owner(s) Transport Asset Holding Entity
Timetable number(s)T3

The Liverpool & Inner West Line (numbered T3, coloured orange) is a commuter rail service operated by Sydney Trains in the Inner West and Western suburbs of Sydney. It operates from the City Circle to Liverpool via the Main Suburban railway line to Lidcombe and the Main Southern railway line from there to Liverpool.

Contents

History

Early history

The section of the Main Suburban railway line used by Liverpool & Inner West Line services is the oldest railway in New South Wales, having opened in 1855. The section of the Main Southern railway line from Lidcombe to Cabramatta via Regents Park that it also uses is newer, having opened between 1912 and 1924 as deviation to provide a more direct route to Liverpool. [2] [3] Electrification to Liverpool was completed by 1929, after which electric passenger suburban services began operating the same route from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park as they do today.

T3 Bankstown Line (2013–2024)

Following the 2011 state election, the newly elected O'Farrell government embarked on reform of transport in New South Wales, creating a new organisation, Transport for NSW, in November of that year. This was followed up with another government reform, which saw Sydney Trains take over operation of the Sydney suburban rail network from CityRail in July 2013. [4]

Transport for NSW developed a new rail timetable, which was put into effect on 20 October 2013. [5] The 2013 timetable was designed to integrate the projects of the Rail Clearways Program, a 2004 plan to divide the network's fourteen metropolitan rail lines into five independent "clearways" by installing extra tracks, passing loops, turnouts and turnbacks at pinch points around the network, such as at Homebush and Lidcombe. By 2013, the Rail Clearways Program was substantially complete. [6]

The 2013 timetable saw services from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park, which had previously been operated by CityRail under the name Inner West Line, phased out. Instead, from 2013 stations on the Main Southern railway line between Lidcombe and Cabramatta were only serviced by the T3 Bankstown Line, a Sydney Trains continuation of earlier CityRail services on the Bankstown railway line. This service operated as two branches, one from Liverpool and one from Lidcombe, connecting to the City Circle via Bankstown and Sydenham instead of via the Main Suburban railway line. This configuration utilised the new turnback at Lidcombe, and reduced bottlenecking on the Main Suburban railway line. However, the changes attracted criticism due to the increased number of interchanges and increased travel time for passengers from stations west of Bankstown. [7] [8] [9]

T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line (from 2024)

From 30 September 2024, a new Sydney Trains timetable was introduced which restored services from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park and the Main Suburban railway line, branded as the T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line. [10] [11] This coincided with the partial closure of the Bankstown railway line between Bankstown and Sydenham for its conversion as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project. [12] The restoration of this service was informed by community consultation undertaken by Transport for NSW in 2020, in which 85% of respondents favoured the option of restoring services from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park. [13]

Operation

Route

T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services begin in the Sydney CBD on the City Circle. After leaving Central, T3 services use the Main Suburban railway line to travel through the Inner West. At Lidcombe T3 services branch off from the Main Suburban, and use the Main Southern railway line via Regents Park to complete their journey to Liverpool.

T3 stations
NameDistance from
Central

[14] [15] [3] [16]

Opened

[14] [15] [3]

Railway lineServing suburbsOther suburban lines
Museum – Liverpool
Museum 5 km

(dist via

Town Hall)

1926 City Circle Sydney
T8
St James 4.3 km

(dist via

Town Hall)

1926Sydney
Circular Quay 3.0 km1956Circular Quay, Sydney
The Rocks, Millers Point
Wynyard 2.1 km1932Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point
T1
T2
T8
T9
Town Hall 1.2 km1932Sydney, Darling Harbour
T1
T2
T4
T8
T9
Central 0 km1906Central, Strawberry Hills
Ultimo, Surrey Hills
T1
T2
T4
T8
T9
M1
Redfern 1.3 km1906 Main Suburban Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington
The University of Sydney
T1
T2
T4
T8
T9
Macdonaldtown 2.5 km1892Macdonaldtown
T2
Newtown 3.1 km1855Newtown
Stanmore 4.7 km1878Stanmore
Petersham 5.5 km1857Petersham
Lewisham 6.3 km1886Lewisham
Summer Hill 7.0 km1879Summer Hill
Ashfield 8.4 km1855Ashfield
Croydon 9.4 km1875Croydon
Burwood 10.6 km1855Burwood
T2
T9
Strathfield 11.8 km1876Strathfield
T1
T2
T9
Homebush 12.7 km1855Homebush
T2
Flemington 14.3 km1855Homebush West
Lidcombe 16.6 km1858Lidcombe
T1
T2
T6
T7
Berala 18.4 km1912 Main Southern Berala
T6
Regents Park 19.9 km1912Regents Park
Sefton 21.2 km1924Seftonnone
Chester Hill 22.3 km1924Chester Hill
Leightonfield 23.7 km1942Villawood
Villawood 24.5 km1924Villawood
Carramar 25.9 km1924Carramar
Cabramatta 28.4 km1870Cabramatta
T2
T5
Warwick Farm 34.2 km1889Warwick Farm
Liverpool 35.7 km1856Liverpool
Diagram of the T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line T3 Sydney Trains diagram.png
Diagram of the T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line

Patronage

The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Trains network for the year ending 30 June 2024.

2023–24 Sydney Trains patronage by line [n.b. 1] [17]
T1
86,736,689
T2
47,048,199
T3
20,178,194 [n.b. 2]
T4
54,802,802
T5
8,028,853
T6
– [n.b. 3]
T7
1,345,017
T8
37,691,564
T9
22,303,028
  1. ↑ Figures based on Opal tap on and tap off data
  2. ↑ T3 patronage from former route via Bankstown.
  3. ↑ T6 services commenced on 19 October 2024.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Trains M set</span> Class of electric train operating in Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Trains M sets, also referred to as the Millennium trains, are a class of electric multiple units (EMU) 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 Leppington & Inner West, T3 Liverpool & Inner West, T5 Cumberland, T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown, T7 Olympic Park and T8 Airport & South lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail Clearways Program</span> Australian railway infrastructure project

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sefton railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Sefton railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Main Southern railway line in the Sydney suburb of Sefton. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Hill railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Chester Hill railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Main Southern railway line in the Sydney suburb of Chester Hill. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland Line</span> Rail service in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Cumberland Line is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It connects Schofields and Leppington stations in the western suburbs. Limited services extend from Schofields to Richmond. The line opened in 1996, following the construction of a 'Y-link' track between Harris Park and Merrylands stations. The intention of this link was to allow direct services to operate from the south west suburbs to Parramatta and Blacktown without requiring a change of trains at Granville. The line takes its name from the Cumberland Plain on which much of Western Sydney was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankstown railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales

Bankstown railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Bankstown railway line in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown. It is currently the southern terminus of T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown services, and will in future be the southwestern terminus of M1 Metro North West & Bankstown services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lidcombe railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Lidcombe railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Suburban line, serving the Sydney suburb of Lidcombe. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western, T2 Leppington & Inner West, T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line, T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line and T7 Olympic line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villawood railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Villawood railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Main Southern railway line in the Sydney suburb of Villawood. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carramar railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Carramar railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Main Southern railway line in the Sydney suburb of Carramar. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leightonfield railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Leightonfield railway station is a heritage-listed railway station on the Main Southern railway line in the Sydney suburb of Villawood. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birrong railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Birrong railway station is located on the Bankstown line, serving the Sydney suburb of Birrong. It is served by Sydney Trains T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berala railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Berala railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Southern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Berala. It is served by Sydney Trains T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line and T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yagoona railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Yagoona railway station is a station serving the Sydney suburb of Yagoona. It is served by Sydney Trains T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashfield railway station, Sydney</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Ashfield railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Suburban line, serving the suburb of Ashfield, in Sydney, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T2 Leppington & Inner West Line and T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regents Park railway station</span> Railway station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Regents Park railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Southern 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 Liverpool & Inner West Line and T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown Line services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railways in Sydney</span>

Sydney, the largest city in Australia, has an extensive network of passenger and goods railways. The passenger system includes an extensive suburban railway network, operated by Sydney Trains, a metro system and a light rail network. A dedicated goods network also exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Trains</span> Operator of passenger rail services in metropolitan Sydney

Sydney Trains is the brand name and operator of suburban and intercity train services centring on Greater Sydney in New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leppington & Inner West Line</span> Rail service in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Leppington & Inner West Line is a commuter rail service 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 is not operating. The line commenced operations on 26 November 2017, replacing the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bankstown railway line</span> Railway line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Bankstown railway line is a suburban railway which traverses the Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown areas of Sydney. West of Bankstown it is used by T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown services, while east of Bankstown it is temporarily closed to facilitate conversion for its future use by M1 North West & Bankstown services.

The Lidcombe & Bankstown Line is a commuter rail service operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, Australia. The service runs between Lidcombe and Bankstown via the Main Southern railway line and the Bankstown railway line.

References

  1. ↑ Asset Standards Authority (19 March 2014). RailCorp electrical system general description, version 1.0 (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Opening of the Regents Park line, Cabramatta Railway Station". Fairfield City Heritage Collection. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "NSW Rail.net Lidcombe-Cabramatta line". Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  4. ↑ Saulwick, Jacob (1 July 2013). "All change as RailCorp is disbanded". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Transport for NSW. "October 2013 timetable changes". NSW Government . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  6. ↑ Transport for NSW (15 August 2014). "Rail Clearways Program – completed projects". NSW Government. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Saulwick, Jacob; Carroll, Lucy; Bodkin, Ed (21 October 2013). "New train timetable had a smooth start but not all commuters are happy". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  8. ↑ Khalil, Shireen (14 January 2015). "Roydon Ng isn't giving up on his year-long campaign to restore the Inner West line". Inner West Courier . Archived from the original on 13 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Beech, James (30 March 2015). "NSW Election 2015: Tania Mihailuk saves Bankstown for Labor and vows to fight state privatisation". Canterbury-Bankstown Express . Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Transport for NSW. "Southwest Link". transportnsw.info. NSW Government . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  11. ↑ Transport for NSW (October 2024). "Train and bus timetable changes FAQs: 2024 train and bus timetable" (PDF). NSW Government . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  12. ↑ Hathaway-Wilson, Joseph (27 September 2024). "What you need to know about the T3 Sydenham to Bankstown train stations closure". ABC News . Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  13. ↑ Transport for NSW (December 2020). "West of Bankstown rail services in 2024". NSW Government . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Main South line". NSW Rail.net. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  15. 1 2 "NSW Rail.net City Circle". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  16. ↑ "Driver Route Knowledge Diagrams - City Circle" (PDF). Railsafe. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Train Patronage – Monthly Figures". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
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