Newcastle railway line, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
The Newcastle railway line is a branch railway
line in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales
, Australia
. The line branches from the Main North line
at Broadmeadow and travels in an easterly direction through the inner suburbs of Newcastle to Newcastle station. CityRail
operates electric passenger train
services over this line as part of its Newcastle and Central Coast line service, and diesel railmotors to Maitland and beyond as part of its Hunter line regional service.
A line between Newcastle and the then much larger settlement at Maitland
was first proposed in 1853 by the proponents of the original Sydney- Parramatta railway. The Hunter River Railway Company was formed later that year and the line was surveyed, however the private company
failed and was bought out by the NSW government. Construction continued until the line opened in 1857, and was electrified in the 1980s.
The terminus at Newcastle was moved to various locations throughout the years, and has variously been named Honeysuckle and Honeysuckle Point. It was moved to its current location in 1872 and took its final name of Newcastle in 1935 when Civic and Wickham stations opened. A mortuary station opened in 1883 to serve trains departing for the Sandgate Cemetery. It closed in 1933. A large goods yard, the Newcastle Goods yard was constructed east of Newcastle station in 1858. This has now been closed and almost no trace remains. The line was duplicated in 1864. The Main North Line
from Sydney connected at Hamilton Junction in 1887.
hub for the Newcastle region.
In 2005 there was a move pushed by business and property development interests to close the line with the proposal to redevelop the foreshore. This was widely criticised by among others Upper Hunter Valley
users, and former Deputy Prime Minister
and rail enthusiast Tim Fischer
. Originally the New South Wales
government had decided to close the line but later in 2006 and after a huge public outcry the Premier Morris Iemma
announced that the line would stay open although in 2007 tenders were placed for a study into the lines future, including possible removal of the overhead wires
and 'dieselisation' of services.
In October 2008 in response to demands from the development group General Property Trust that the rail line be removed from the city centre the Minister for the Hunter, Jodi McKay MP commissioned a consultation with the online consultation
website Bang the Table. It yielded over 90,000 page view
s and 2800 comments from the community. A survey on the site showed in excess of 70% of respondents favoured the removal of the line from the current city centre terminus.
diesel railcars were introduced to provide local suburban service to Maitland on the Hunter line and south to Fassifern and Toronto
on the Toronto branch line. Long haul trains to Sydney were operated by steam haulage until their final withdrawal from Sydney-Newcastle services in 1971, and from goods haulage in 1972. Diesel haulage was introduced, reaching a peak in 1982 when the 81 class locomotives for foods traffic were introduced.
In 1984, the line was electrified when the electrification project from Wyong to Newcastle was completed and electrified local and long distance services were introduced south to Sydney. Local services to Maitland and beyond continue to be served by diesel railcars. The implementation of the Endeavour cars
from 1994, and the Hunter cars
from 2006, allowed the final withdrawal of the long running 620 & 720 railcars.
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
line in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, 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 line branches from 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...
at Broadmeadow and travels in an easterly direction through the inner suburbs of Newcastle to Newcastle station. CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
operates electric passenger train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
services over this line as part of its Newcastle and Central Coast line service, and diesel railmotors to Maitland and beyond as part of its Hunter line regional service.
History
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
was first proposed in 1853 by the proponents of the original Sydney- Parramatta railway. The Hunter River Railway Company was formed later that year and the line was surveyed, however the private company
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
failed and was bought out by the NSW government. Construction continued until the line opened in 1857, and was electrified in the 1980s.
The terminus at Newcastle was moved to various locations throughout the years, and has variously been named Honeysuckle and Honeysuckle Point. It was moved to its current location in 1872 and took its final name of Newcastle in 1935 when Civic and Wickham stations opened. A mortuary station opened in 1883 to serve trains departing for the Sandgate Cemetery. It closed in 1933. A large goods yard, the Newcastle Goods yard was constructed east of Newcastle station in 1858. This has now been closed and almost no trace remains. The line was duplicated in 1864. 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...
from Sydney connected at Hamilton Junction in 1887.
Threatened closure
A criticism of the line has been that it cuts Newcastle off from its own harbour foreshore. As a proposed solution to this, since 2003 there have been studies to close the line and have Broadmeadow station become the major rail transportRail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
hub for the Newcastle region.
In 2005 there was a move pushed by business and property development interests to close the line with the proposal to redevelop the foreshore. This was widely criticised by among others Upper Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
users, and former Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
and rail enthusiast Tim Fischer
Tim Fischer
Timothy Andrew Fischer, AC , is a former Australian politician. He served as Deputy Prime Minister in the Howard Government from 1996 before retiring from Cabinet in 1999...
. Originally 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...
government had decided to close the line but later in 2006 and after a huge public outcry the Premier Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
announced that the line would stay open although in 2007 tenders were placed for a study into the lines future, including possible removal of the overhead wires
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
and 'dieselisation' of services.
In October 2008 in response to demands from the development group General Property Trust that the rail line be removed from the city centre the Minister for the Hunter, Jodi McKay MP commissioned a consultation with the online consultation
Online consultation
Online consultations or e-consultations refer to an exchange between government and citizens using the Internet. They are one form of online deliberation. Further, online consultation consists in using the Internet to ask a group of people their opinion on one or more specific topics, allowing for...
website Bang the Table. It yielded over 90,000 page view
Page view
A page view or page impression is a request to load a single HTML file of an Internet site. On the World Wide Web a 'page' request would result from a web surfer clicking on a link on another 'page' pointing to the 'page' in question. This should be contrasted with a hit, which refers to a...
s and 2800 comments from the community. A survey on the site showed in excess of 70% of respondents favoured the removal of the line from the current city centre terminus.
Services
Passenger and goods services were operated by steam haulage from inception. In 1961, the 620/720 class620 & 720 railcar (CityRail)
The 620 & 720 class railcars are a Diesel Multiple Unit train used in the latter stages of their life by CityRail, primarily on its Hunter Valley line. The trains have since been phased out in favour of the newer Hunter railcar model. The 620/720 railcars were built by New South Wales Government...
diesel railcars were introduced to provide local suburban service to Maitland on the Hunter line and south to Fassifern and Toronto
Toronto, New South Wales
Toronto is a town within the city of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, approximately from Newcastle's central business district and is a commercial hub for the sprawling suburbs on the western shore of the lake.-History:...
on the Toronto branch line. Long haul trains to Sydney were operated by steam haulage until their final withdrawal from Sydney-Newcastle services in 1971, and from goods haulage in 1972. Diesel haulage was introduced, reaching a peak in 1982 when the 81 class locomotives for foods traffic were introduced.
In 1984, the line was electrified when the electrification project from Wyong to Newcastle was completed and electrified local and long distance services were introduced south to Sydney. Local services to Maitland and beyond continue to be served by diesel railcars. The implementation of the Endeavour cars
Endeavour railcar (CityRail)
The Endeavour railcar is a class of Diesel multiple unit operated by CityRail in New South Wales, Australia. Built by Adtranz, they were designed to replace some of the ageing 620 %26 720 railcars from 1994. The Endeavours were built in conjunction with the CountryLink Xplorer...
from 1994, and the Hunter cars
Hunter railcar (CityRail)
Hunter Railcars are a diesel multiple unit operated by CityRail on its Hunter Valley line centred on Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, although in rare cases of rail car shortages, they have been sent to other diesel lines, like the Southern Highlands Line. The Railcars were built by United...
from 2006, allowed the final withdrawal of the long running 620 & 720 railcars.