Inner West railway line, Sydney
Encyclopedia
The Inner West Line is a railway line located in the Inner West
region of Sydney
, Australia
. It runs on the section of track sometimes known as the Main Suburban railway line.
, Australia
, but now generally refers to the section between Redfern and where the Old Main South Line
branches off at Granville Junction. This term distinguished this trunk line from the Illawarra Line
which branched south from the Illawarra Junction to Wollongong, and later the North Shore tracks which carried trains north over the Harbour Bridge
.
This section of railway line is Sydney's oldest, opening in 1855. The line was quadruplicated to Flemington
in 1892. The line saw its most dramatic change in the period 1926-1927, when the section from Redfern to Homebush was expanded from four to six tracks by the addition of two tracks initially intended for non-electric express trains. Prior to 1926, all stations on the line had platform faces to all four tracks, and the tracks were labelled as 'fast' and 'slow'. After the completion of works in 1927, only Redfern and Strathfield had platform faces on all six tracks. The four tracks now known as the 'Up and Down Local lines' and the 'Up and Down Suburban Lines' were electrified in 1928. It was not until 1955 that the 'Up and Down Main Lines' were also electrified to coincide with the opening of the Blue Mountains electrification programme.
and Strathfield stations (six tracks in total), designated as Main (the northern-most pair), Suburban (the inner pair) and the Local (the southernmost pair) lines. At Strathfield, the Main North Line
branches off, and four tracks continue westwards. At Lidcombe, the Main South line
branches off towards Regents Park and on to Cabramatta where the line meets the Old Main South from Granville, continuing south to Liverpool and beyond. What CityRail currently markets as the Inner West Line are services which originate from an anti-clockwise direction around the City Circle, passing through Redfern and along the 'local' pair of tracks to Strathfield, then on through Lidcombe to Regents Park. Here trains alternately operate along the 'Main South' to Liverpool via Cabramatta, or to Bankstown, becoming Bankstown line services.
. Capital was raised, shares were sold, and a route was surveyed. The first sod was turned by Mrs Keith Stewart (daughter of the Governor) at Cleveland Paddocks (an area between the southern end of the current Sydney station
and Cleveland Street
) on 20 May 1850.
The original engineer appointed was Francis Webb Sheilds
, an Irishman. He persuaded the New South Wales
legislature to pass an Act on 27 July 1852 requiring all railways in the colony to be of gauge. This was the gauge in use in Ireland
and is now referred to as 1600 mm gauge. After Shields resigned because of the difficulties, a Scot named James Wallace
was appointed. Wallace persuaded the legislature to repeal the previous act and replace it, on 4 August 1853, with one requiring a gauge of - the current standard gauge
. (Unfortunately for Australia
, the legislation requiring the broad gauge
had been noted in the colonies of Victoria
and South Australia
and some rolling-stock ordered.)
The Sydney Railway Company encountered many troubles: engineers came and went; real estate required became expensive and difficult to acquire; money, supplies and manpower ran short, partly because of a gold rush. Eventually the property of the Sydney Railway Company was transferred to the government of New South Wales on 3 September 1855.
The line opened on 26 September 1855, from Sydney to Parramatta Junction (near Granville Station), with stations at Newtown
, Ashfield
, Burwood
and Homebush.
The Sydney terminal station was on the south side of Devonshire Street, just south of the current Central Station
. Although the vicinity was sometimes referred to as Redfern
, it was not near the current Redfern station.
is complete, and it is anticipated that services will operate from a new platform and turnback at Homebush, then clockwise around the City Circle onto the East Hills Line or Bankstown Line. In 2009-2010, 96.4% of all Inner West services ran on-time ranking 4th out of all the Cityrail lines.
The current off-peak service pattern is as follows:
Inner West (Sydney)
The Inner West is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia...
region of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It runs on the section of track sometimes known as the Main Suburban railway line.
Main Suburban Line
The Main Suburban railway line is the technical name for the trunk railway line between Redfern railway station and Parramatta railway station in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but now generally refers to the section between Redfern and where the Old Main South Line
South railway line, Sydney
The South Line is a railway line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and is part of the CityRail suburban network...
branches off at Granville Junction. This term distinguished this trunk line from the Illawarra Line
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
which branched south from the Illawarra Junction to Wollongong, and later the North Shore tracks which carried trains north over the Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
.
This section of railway line is Sydney's oldest, opening in 1855. The line was quadruplicated to Flemington
Flemington railway station, Sydney
Flemington Railway Station is a railway station in Sydney Australia. It is located near the area known as Flemington; the station itself is located in an area now officially known as Homebush West. On the north side of the station are the Flemington markets, and on the south side is a local...
in 1892. The line saw its most dramatic change in the period 1926-1927, when the section from Redfern to Homebush was expanded from four to six tracks by the addition of two tracks initially intended for non-electric express trains. Prior to 1926, all stations on the line had platform faces to all four tracks, and the tracks were labelled as 'fast' and 'slow'. After the completion of works in 1927, only Redfern and Strathfield had platform faces on all six tracks. The four tracks now known as the 'Up and Down Local lines' and the 'Up and Down Suburban Lines' were electrified in 1928. It was not until 1955 that the 'Up and Down Main Lines' were also electrified to coincide with the opening of the Blue Mountains electrification programme.
Description of route
The route of the Inner West Line consist of three pairs of tracks between CentralCentral railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Strathfield stations (six tracks in total), designated as Main (the northern-most pair), Suburban (the inner pair) and the Local (the southernmost pair) lines. At Strathfield, the Main North Line
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
branches off, and four tracks continue westwards. At Lidcombe, the Main South line
Main Southern railway line, New South Wales
The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...
branches off towards Regents Park and on to Cabramatta where the line meets the Old Main South from Granville, continuing south to Liverpool and beyond. What CityRail currently markets as the Inner West Line are services which originate from an anti-clockwise direction around the City Circle, passing through Redfern and along the 'local' pair of tracks to Strathfield, then on through Lidcombe to Regents Park. Here trains alternately operate along the 'Main South' to Liverpool via Cabramatta, or to Bankstown, becoming Bankstown line services.
History
The Inner West line between Redfern and Granville is the route of the first railway line to be constructed in New South Wales. The first company to start rail transport in New South Wales was the Sydney Railway Company which was incorporated on 10 October 1849 with the aim of building a railway from Sydney to ParramattaParramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
. Capital was raised, shares were sold, and a route was surveyed. The first sod was turned by Mrs Keith Stewart (daughter of the Governor) at Cleveland Paddocks (an area between the southern end of the current Sydney station
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Cleveland Street
Cleveland Street, Sydney
Cleveland Street is a busy thoroughfare in the city of Sydney, Australia. It runs from City Road in Chippendale, across the railway line between Central and Redfern stations and east through Surry Hills to Anzac Parade....
) on 20 May 1850.
The original engineer appointed was Francis Webb Sheilds
Francis Webb Sheilds
Francis Webb Sheilds was an early civil engineer on the Sydney Railway Company during its construction but before its opening.In England, Shields worked on a number of railway projecrs, including the then Dublin and Kingstown Railway. He considered himself to be a born railway engineer...
, an Irishman. He persuaded the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
legislature to pass an Act on 27 July 1852 requiring all railways in the colony to be of gauge. This was the gauge in use in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and is now referred to as 1600 mm gauge. After Shields resigned because of the difficulties, a Scot named James Wallace
James Wallace
James Wallace may refer to:*James Wallace , English football player*James Wallace , British Member of Parliament for Horsham, Attorney-General...
was appointed. Wallace persuaded the legislature to repeal the previous act and replace it, on 4 August 1853, with one requiring a gauge of - the current standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. (Unfortunately for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the legislation requiring the broad gauge
Irish gauge
Irish gauge railways use a track gauge of . It is used in* Ireland * Australia where it is also known as Victorian Broad Gauge* Brazil where it is also known as Bitola larga no Brasil....
had been noted in the colonies of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and some rolling-stock ordered.)
The Sydney Railway Company encountered many troubles: engineers came and went; real estate required became expensive and difficult to acquire; money, supplies and manpower ran short, partly because of a gold rush. Eventually the property of the Sydney Railway Company was transferred to the government of New South Wales on 3 September 1855.
The line opened on 26 September 1855, from Sydney to Parramatta Junction (near Granville Station), with stations at Newtown
Newtown railway station, Sydney
-Transport links:Sydney Buses runs nine routes via Newtown station:*Route 352 - weekdays daytime services - between Bondi Junction Interchange and Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre...
, Ashfield
Ashfield railway station, Sydney
Ashfield railway station is a station located on the Main Suburban railway line of the CityRail network. It is located in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield and features five platforms...
, Burwood
Burwood railway station, Sydney
Burwood is a major station on the main suburban line in the suburb of Burwood in Sydney. The station is located on Burwood Road, close to major shops and schools, and consists of platforms on all six of the tracks through the station. The concourse is situated below the platforms with access to...
and Homebush.
The Sydney terminal station was on the south side of Devonshire Street, just south of the current Central Station
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
. Although the vicinity was sometimes referred to as Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, it was not near the current Redfern station.
Current services
The current line runs from City Circle to Central, then to Strathfield, Lidcombe, Regent's Park, Cabramatta, and Liverpool. Services only operate over the entire route length of the line during weekday peak hours only. Peak hour operation consists of two trains per hour between Liverpool and the City operating express between Ashfield and Redfern, two trains per hour between Ashfield and the City and two trains per hour between Regents Park (from Bankstown) to the City. Off peak service consists of the latter two service types only (that is, no service between Liverpool and Regents Park- this section is serviced by the Bankstown Line at these times). Weekend service consists only of two trains per hour between Regents Park (from Bankstown) to the City and an additional two all station services per hour from Ashfield to the City between 7:30 am to 5:30 pm. When the CityRail Clearways ProjectCityRail Clearways Project
The CityRail Clearways Project is a $1.8 billion program of public works on Sydney's CityRail suburban railway network to "untangle" the excessively intertwined and complicated rail network...
is complete, and it is anticipated that services will operate from a new platform and turnback at Homebush, then clockwise around the City Circle onto the East Hills Line or Bankstown Line. In 2009-2010, 96.4% of all Inner West services ran on-time ranking 4th out of all the Cityrail lines.
Nomenclature
Prior to 1996, the Inner West line was considered part of the Bankstown Line and was coloured brown on promotional material and directional signage. A timetable named Parramatta Line carried details of all services between Parramatta and the City, including Northern, Southern, Western and Bankstown line services. The section between Lidcombe and Cabramatta via Regents Park was considered part of the Macarthur Line (what is now the South Line), and was colour-coded green. From 1996, when the Merrylands to Harris Park Y- Link opened and the timetable was re-written, the Lidcombe to Cabramatta via Regents Park section was colour coded brown and a new timetable labelled Liverpool- City via Regents Park was published. The August 1999 timetable revision saw the term Inner West Line used for the first time, and the line was colour coded purple which it has maintained to the present day.Inner West Line stations
| Name of Station | Code | Distance from Central |
Opened | MyMulti Zone |
Serving Suburbs | Pattern stops at this station |
Connections | ||
| through service continues from | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inner West Line | |||||||||
| Town Hall | THL | 1.2 km | 1932 | One | Sydney, Darling Harbour |  |
|
|
(peak hours only) |
| Wynyard Wynyard railway station, Sydney Wynyard is a major underground CityRail station in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, 2.05 km from Central. Wynyard averages 108000 passenger movements per day Monday to Friday.-History:The station opened on 28 February 1932... |
WYD | 2.1 km | 1932 | One | Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point | |
|
|
|
| Circular Quay | CQY | 3.0 km | 1956 | One | Circular Quay, Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point | |
|
|
|
| St James | SAJ | km | 1926 | One | Sydney | |
|
|
|
| Museum | MSM | km | 1926 | One | Sydney | |
|
|
|
| Central Central railway station, Sydney Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services... |
SBO | 0 km | 1855 | One | Central, Strawberry Hills, Ultimo, Surry Hills | |
|
|
(peak hours only) |
| Redfern | RDF | 1.3 km | 1878 | One | Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington, The University of Sydney | |
|
|
* * * * |
| Macdonaldtown | MAC | 2.5 km | 1878 | One | Macdonaldtown, Erskineville, Newtown, Redfern | |
|
|
|
| Newtown Newtown railway station, Sydney -Transport links:Sydney Buses runs nine routes via Newtown station:*Route 352 - weekdays daytime services - between Bondi Junction Interchange and Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre... |
3.1 km | 1855 | One | Newtown, Erskineville, Macdonaldtown | |
|
|
||
| Stanmore Stanmore railway station, Sydney Stanmore railway station is a railway station located on the Inner West Line of the CityRail network in Sydney, Australia. It serves the inner-western suburb of Stanmore. Stanmore has an average of 5540 weekday commuters.... |
SMN | 4.7 km | 1878 | One | Stanmore | |
|
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| Petersham | PSM | 5.5 km | 1857 | One | Petersham | |
|
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|
| Lewisham Lewisham railway station, Sydney -Transport links:Sydney Buses runs one route via Lewisham station:*Route 413 - east to King Street ferry wharf via Leichhardt, Annandale, Camperdown, University of Sydney, Railway Square, Town Hall, Wynyard; west to Campsie station via Ashbury... |
LWI | 6.3 km | 1886 | One | Lewisham, Petersham | |
|
|
|
| Summer Hill | SMH | 7.0 km | 1879 | One | Summer Hill | |
|
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| Ashfield Ashfield railway station, Sydney Ashfield railway station is a station located on the Main Suburban railway line of the CityRail network. It is located in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield and features five platforms... |
AFD | 8.4 km | 1855 | One | Ashfield | |
|
|
|
| Croydon Croydon railway station, Sydney -Transport links:NightRide runs two routes via Croydon station:*Route N50 - Between Liverpool and City *Route N60 - Between Fairfield station and City -Neighbouring stations:-References:... |
CYD | 9.4 km | 1875 | One | Croydon | |
|
{South line}} | |
| Burwood Burwood railway station, Sydney Burwood is a major station on the main suburban line in the suburb of Burwood in Sydney. The station is located on Burwood Road, close to major shops and schools, and consists of platforms on all six of the tracks through the station. The concourse is situated below the platforms with access to... |
BUW | 10.6 km | 1855 | Two | Burwood | |
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||
| Strathfield | SFD | 11.8 km | 1876 | Two | Strathfield, Homebush | |
|
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| Homebush | HSH | 12.7 km | 1855 | Two | Homebush | |
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| Flemington Flemington railway station, Sydney Flemington Railway Station is a railway station in Sydney Australia. It is located near the area known as Flemington; the station itself is located in an area now officially known as Homebush West. On the north side of the station are the Flemington markets, and on the south side is a local... |
FMG | 14.3 km | 1884 | Two | Flemington | |
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| Lidcombe | LDC | 16.6 km | 1858 | Two | Lidcombe | |
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| Berala | BAA | 18.4 km | 1912 | Two | Berala | |
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| Regents Park | RGP | 19.9 km | 1912 | Two | Regents Park | |
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| Most Inner West Line trains run via the , with limited weekday services continuing to Liverpool via the following stations. | |||||||||
| Sefton | SFT | 21.2 km | 1924 | Two | Sefton | |
|||
| Chester Hill | CHH | 22.3 km | 1924 | Two | Chester Hill | |
|||
| Leightonfield | LHF | 23.7 km | 1942 | Two | Leightonfield | |
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| Vilawood | VWD | 24.5 km | 1924 | Two | Villawood | |
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| Carramar | CMR | 25.9 km | 1924 | Two | Carramar | |
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| Cabramatta | CTT | 28.4 km | 1870 | Two | Cabramatta | |
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| Warwick Farm | WKF | 34.2 km | 1889 | Two | Warwick Farm | |
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| Liverpool | LPO | 35.7 km | 1856 | Two | Liverpool | |
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||
| Limited services continue to Glenfield Glenfield railway station, Sydney Glenfield railway station is an important junction station serving the small Sydney suburb of Glenfield. To the north of the station is a junction between the Main South line and the East Hills Line. To the south, a junction between the Main South and South West lines will be constructed. The... and Campbelltown via the . |
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Stopping Patterns
- Pattern 1: All stations to Ashfield (& vice-versa) (off-peak & peak).
- Pattern 2: All stations to Regents Park (& vice-versa) (off-peak & peak) then continues to run onto the Bankstown line to Bankstown and the City Circle via Sydenham.
- Pattern 3: All stations to Liverpool, via Regents Park (& vice-versa) (peak hours only).
The current off-peak service pattern is as follows:
-
- 2tph AshfieldAshfield railway station, SydneyAshfield railway station is a station located on the Main Suburban railway line of the CityRail network. It is located in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield and features five platforms...
- Lidcombe (Bankstown Line) - 2tph Regents Park - Liverpool (Bankstown Line)
- 2tph Ashfield