1.
Hamilton, New South Wales
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Hamilton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located 4 kilometres from Newcastles central business district. A local history blog Hidden Hamilton captures the people, places and experiences make up the collective story of Hamilton since its earliest beginnings. The AA Co. were instrumental in the growth of the area, operating the mines, the discovery of coal near St Peters Church in the area known as Camerons Hill, was the beginnings for the township of Hamilton. A borehole was sunk and a shaft was completed in 1849 and was known as the D Pit, pittown grew up somewhere in the vicinity of today’s Beaumont street to service the needs of the miners and their families. By 1928 there were over 400 retail outlets in Hamilton, having increased from 80 in 1909, in 1947, Lettesi, initially settled in Islington but they soon expanded into the nearby suburbs of Hamilton and Mayfield. This was primarily due to Islingtons proximity to the BHP steel works, before long Hamilton was to become a strong community and commercial centre for Newcastle’s Italians. By the late fifties, the local Italian community began patronising the Australian owned Exchange Hotel, located on the corner of Beaumont and it continues to be a regular meeting place for Italian men of Hamilton. The story of the Lettesi community in Hamilton can be read in the Hidden Hamilton blog at http, hamiltons train station was constructed on the Islington Junction to Newcastle railway line. The station is 164 km from the Way & Works Branch and is 5.8 m above sea level, with the opening of the station in 1872, the importance of Hamilton as a suburb grew. The station is served by NSW TrainLinks Hunter line to Maitland and beyond, and the Central Coast & Newcastle Line, Hamilton is the home to Newcastles major State Transit Authority bus depot
2.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
RailCorp
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Rail Corporation New South Wales is a State-owned corporation of the State of New South Wales established under the Transport Administration Act 1988 in 2004. From 2004 until 2013, RailCorp operated passenger services in New South Wales. Other functions include network access, leasing and managing the NSW Governments contract with Airport Link Company, the acting chief executive of RailCorp is Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins. Initially governed by a Board of Directors as a State owned corporation, changes to the Transport Administration Act,1988 resulted in abolition of the Board effective 1 July 2010 and the repositioning of RailCorp as an entity under Transport NSW. RailCorp reports to the Minister for Transport, in a series of seven reports released during 2008, the ICAC reported that more than $21 million in improper contracts and deals through the procurement of services in just three years. In June 2009, RailCorp terminated the contract of Vicki Coleman, its Chief Information Officer, the ICAC recommended charges against 33 people, yet by April 2012, only eight people had faced the courts. Those that received custodial sentences included Allan Michael Blackstock and Renea Hughes, youssef Madrajat was directed to undertake community service. Further charges are expected to be laid on others, and several are still waiting the outcome of criminal proceedings, RailCorp maintains a statewide Emergency Response Unit. The function of this unit is to attend incidents, such as derailments, the unit also undertakes cross-training with Fire and Rescue NSW. The units motto is Semper Paratus, translated from Latin to mean Always Ready, Rail transport in New South Wales Railways in Sydney RailCorp
4.
NSW TrainLink
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NSW TrainLink is an Australian brand for the medium and long distance passenger rail and coach services of the New South Wales Governments transport authority, Transport for NSW. NSW TrainLink services operate throughout New South Wales and extend into the states and territories of Victoria, Queensland. Train services are operated by the governments NSW Trains, Coach services are contracted to private operators. In May 2012, the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp, operation of Sydney suburban train services was split from medium and long distance train services. Two new companies - Sydney Trains and NSW Trains - were created to operate the rail network. The NSW TrainLink brand was introduced on 1 July 2013 to coincide with NSW Trains taking over all of CountryLinks services, the NSW TrainLink network is divided into two tiers, branded as Intercity and Regional. Intercity services operate commuter services, mainly to and from Sydney with limited stops within the metropolitan area. The Intercity network is part of Transport for NSWs Opal ticketing system, seats on Intercity services are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Regional services operate in areas of population density, providing passenger transport mainly between regional NSW and Sydney. Regional services use a separate, reserved seat, ticketing system, Intercity services operate to a distance approximately 200 kilometres from Sydney, bounded by Dungog in the north. Scone in the north-west, Bathurst to the west, Goulburn in the south-west, electric services extend from Sydney north to Hamilton, west to Lithgow and south to Port Kembla and Kiama. Most electric services originate from or terminate at Central, diesel trains serve the more distant or less populated parts of the Intercity network. Hunter Line services operate from Hamilton to Telarah with some extending to Dungog, southern Highlands Line services operate between Campbelltown and Moss Vale with a limited number extending to Sydney and Goulburn. Diesel services also operate on the South Coast Line between Kiama and Bomaderry, the Bathurst Bullet provides a daily, limited stop service between Sydney and Bathurst. Opal is also valid on bus, ferry and light rail services in the Greater Sydney region, the following table lists Opal fares for reusable smartcards and single trip tickets, ^ = $2.50 for Pensioner/Senior cardholders Card fares as of 4 January 2015. Single trip fares as of 5 September 2016, NSW TrainLink operates several bus routes along corridors where the railway line has been closed to passengers or as a supplement to rail services. These bus services are operated by private bus companies contracted by NSW TrainLink. All rail services feature diesel rolling stock, the North Coast services operate through the Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers and South East Queensland regions
5.
Newcastle railway line, New South Wales
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The Newcastle railway line is a branch railway line in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The line branches off the Main North line at Broadmeadow and travels in a direction through the inner suburbs to Hamilton station. Until its curtailment in December 2014, it extended to Newcastle station, NSW TrainLink operates electric passenger train services over this line as part of its Central & Newcastle line service, and diesel railcars to Maitland and beyond as part of the Hunter Line. A line between Newcastle and the much larger settlement at Maitland was first proposed in 1853 by the proponents of the original Sydney to Parramatta railway. The Hunter River Railway Company was formed later that year and the line was surveyed, construction continued until the line opened in 1857. The line between Sydney and Newcastle was electrified in June 1984, the terminus at Newcastle 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 name of Newcastle in 1935 when Wickham. A mortuary station opened in 1883 to serve trains departing for Sandgate Cemetery and it closed on 1 April 1933. A large goods yard, the Newcastle Goods yard was constructed east of Newcastle station in 1858 and this was closed in the late 1980s and redeveloped as a bus station and park land. The line was duplicated in 1864, the Main North Line from Sydney connected at Hamilton Junction in 1887. Passenger and goods services were operated by steam haulage from inception, in 1961 the 620/720 class 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 withdrawal from passenger services in 1971. In June 1984, the line was electrified when the project from Wyong was completed and electrified local. Local services to Maitland and beyond continue to be served by diesel railcars, the introduction into service of the Endeavour cars from 1994, and the Hunter railcars from 2006, allowed the final withdrawal of the long running 620/720 railcars. A criticism of the line has been that it cuts Newcastle off from its own harbour foreshore with a number of proposals to close or at least pare it back, in November 1972, Minister for Transport Milton Morris announced the line would be cut back to Civic. In 1990, CityRail proposed closing the line beyond Civic in response to a study on Newcastles transport, as a proposed solution to this, since 2003 there have been studies to close the line and have Broadmeadow station become the major rail transport 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 and this was widely criticised by among others Upper Hunter Region users, and former Deputy Prime Minister and rail enthusiast Tim Fischer. In December 2012, the New South Wales government announced the line east of Wickham would close to better connect the older CBD to the water front precinct of Honeysuckle and this resulted in the closure of Wickham, Civic and Newcastle stations
6.
Central railway station, Sydney
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The Central railway station is a railway station located at the southern end of the central business district in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Often abbreviated as Central or Central station, the station is the largest and busiest railway station in New South Wales and it services almost all of the lines on the Sydney Trains network, and is the major terminus for NSW TrainLink services. Actual patronage was 11.35 million passenger movements in 2013, there have been three terminal stations in Sydney. The original Sydney station was opened on 26 September 1855 in a known as Cleveland Fields. This station, called Redfern, had Devonshire Street as its northern boundary, when this station became inadequate for the traffic it carried, a new station was built in 1874 on the same site and also called Redfern. This was a building with two platforms. It grew to 14 platforms before it was replaced by the station to the north of Devonshire Street. The new station was built on a site occupied by the Devonshire Street Cemetery, a convent, a female refuge, a police barracks, a parsonage. The remains exhumed from the cemetery were re-interred at several other Sydney cemeteries including Rookwood, bodies were moved to Botany by steam tram motors and flat cars. The present station was opened on 4 August 1906 and opening for passengers on 5 August 1906. The new station included the previous Mortuary railway station used to transport funeral parties to Rookwood Cemetery, the last train departed platform 5 of the 1874 station at midnight. During the remainder of that night, the concourse was demolished. The Western Mail arrived at 05,50 on 5 August 1906 at the new station, Devonshire Street, which separated the two stations, became a pedestrian underpass to allow people to cross the railway line and is now known by many as the Devonshire Street Tunnel. An 85. 6-metre-tall clock tower in the Free Classical style was added at the corner of the station. The clock was designed by Richard Lamb and Alfred Fairfax, the co-founders of Fairfax & Roberts, Central station was designed by the Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon. It is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register and the now defunct Register of the National Estate, a riot, dubbed the Battle of Central Station, took place in 1916. Soldiers rebelling against camp conditions had raided hotels in Liverpool and travelled to the city by commandeered trains, upon arrival at Central station, the rioters set about destroying the station facilities, and fire was exchanged between rampaging rioters and military police. One rioter was shot dead and several were injured, the only remaining evidence of the gun battle is a small bullet-hole in the marble by the entrance to platform 1
7.
Buses in Sydney
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Buses account for close to six per cent of trips each day in the Australian city of Sydney, New South Wales, forming a key part of the citys public transport system. The networks are part of Transport for NSWs Opal ticketing system, each route within these six networks is assigned to one of 14 contract regions. Each of these regions is assigned to either the Government-owned bus operator, at present, State Transit holds four regions, while nine private operators hold the other 10. In 2014-15,232 million passenger journeys were made on Sydneys bus networks, at the beginning of the 20th century, Sydneys public transport network was composed of a suburban railway and inner-city trams, both operated by the New South Wales Government Railways. These were complemented by various privately operated services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River. The Railways experimented with a bus service from Potts Point to Darlinghurst in 1905, but the vehicles quickly proved unsatisfactory. The citys second bus route ran from Newport, in the north of the Northern Beaches district, to Manly and this was operated by the privately owned Manly-Pittwater Motor Omnibus Company. The company did not prosper, however, and the business was wound up in 1908, the return of servicemen from the Great War in the late 1910s provided fresh impetus to the motor omnibus industry. Here, suddenly, were thousands of men with experience working with heavy vehicles – all looking for work, in 1915, only 15 motorised buses were known to operate in Sydney. By 1929, the bus fleet numbered more than 600. A private bus industry, dominated by owner-operators and small businesses, was taking shape. The Railways were also restructured, with the tram system hived off into a new Department of Road Transport & Tramways in 1932, the Department introduced its first bus service, the 144 from St Leonards to Manly, on Christmas Day of that year. Langs reforms established a structure for the bus network that was to endure for close to a century. On the one hand, the Department – forerunner to todays State Transit Authority – began to shut down its trams and build a bus network serving the inner suburbs. On the other, the heavily regulated private operators remained small-scale, but Langs draconian Transport Act held at least one benefit for the bus companies, just as the trams were protected from them, so too were they protected from new entrants to the industry. The 144 was a service, connecting trains, trams. But the Departments focus began to shift inexorably towards building its bus network, two years later, tram services from Manly were replaced with buses. In 1948, a recommendation was handed to the Department that the network be replaced with buses
8.
Broadmeadow railway station
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Broadmeadow railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the western Newcastle suburb of Broadmeadow, opening on 15 August 1887, the island platform was accessed by a level crossing at the stations northern end until replaced by an underpass on 2 March 1973 opened by Minister for Transport Milton Morris. It is serviced by NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line services travelling from Sydney Central to Hamilton. It is also serviced by NSW Trainlink Xplorer and XPT long distance services from Sydney to Armidale, Moree, Grafton, Casino and Brisbane and these coach services are operated by Busways as routes 150 and 151. South of the lies the extensive Broadmeadow yard. NSW TrainLink have a depot that maintains its Endeavour and Hunter railcar fleet, the former Broadmeadow Locomotive Depot is used to house preserved rolling stock. Media related to Broadmeadow railway station at Wikimedia Commons Broadmeadow station details Sydney Trains
9.
Central Coast & Newcastle Line
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To Hamilton The line is electrified at 1500V DC throughout, and is primarily double track, although there with passing loops at Hawkesbury River, Gosford, Wyong, Awaba, and Sulphide Junction. Some services terminate at Gosford and Wyong, sometimes when there is trackwork between Strathfield and Hornsby, trains will operate via the North Shore line to Hornsby, then follow the Main North railway line as normal. The section of the Newcastle railway line between Hamilton and Newcastle was closed on 25 December 2014, until late 2017, Hamilton forms a temporary terminus while Newcastle Interchange is built as a permanent terminus. The closed section between Wickham and Newcastle is due to be replaced with the Newcastle Light Rail, prior to electrification of the route, steam hauled passenger trains were varied and interesting. From November 1929 until April 1988, the Newcastle Flyer operated on the route, after electrification, 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, 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. The last electric locomotives were withdrawn in March 1998 with all services since hauled by diesel locomotives, today Aurizon, Pacific National and Southern Shorthaul Railroad all regularly operate freight trains on the line. Most all-stations trains have four carriages, with the first and last car being quiet carriages, peak-hour and most express services usually have eight cars, with quiet carriages on the first, last, and the two middle carriages. The line was electrified to Gosford in January 1960, Wyong in April 1982, as part of the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor project the following projects are underway, The projects are, A new station is proposed for Warnervale. The draft Central Coast Transportation Strategy states that construction of the new station will be completed by 2016. In October 2014 there were differences between Wyong Council and the State Government over how a strategic piece of land should be developed at Warnervale. A new station is proposed for Glendale, the Lake Macquarie City Council has requested that consideration be given to the need for a train station in the long term. This table does not include the services run via the ■ North Shore Line and extend to Gosford. Newcastle Branch line- for the line between Broadmeadow and Newcastle. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May et seq,1965
10.
Newcastle Interchange
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Newcastle Interchange is an under construction transport interchange being built as the terminus of the Newcastle railway line. It will also serve as the terminus of the Newcastle Light Rail line, located in the inner Newcastle suburb of Wickham, it will be positioned to the west of the former Wickham railway station beyond the Stewart Avenue level crossing. It was scheduled to open in late-2016, but a challenge over the lines closure delayed the commencement of construction. Construction commenced in May 2016 with a scheduled completion date. Transport for New South Wales have a released a flythrough of the new interchange, the design for the new interchange was released by Transport for New South Wales in July 2015. The government purchased land adjacent to the transport interchange site in September 2015 and this was confirmed in December 2016. Newcastle Light Rail services will operate through the Newcastle central business district to Pacific Park, Wickham Transport Interchange - Transport for NSW
11.
Waratah railway station
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Waratah railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the western Newcastle suburbs of Waratah and Mayfield, Waratah station opened on 9 March 1858. It is serviced by NSW TrainLink Hunter Line services travelling from Hamilton to Maitland, Muswellbrook, Scone, Telarah and Dungog
12.
Dungog railway station
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Dungog railway station is located on the North Coast line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Dungog opening on 14 August 1911, originally built with only one face, in 1944 the platform was converted to an island platform and the present station building constructed. Dungog has a platform with two faces. It also has a loop to the east of the station. It is the point for NSW TrainLinks Hunter line services from Hamilton. There are five local services to/from Newcastle on weekdays, with three on Saturdays and two on Sundays, each day northbound XPT services operate to Grafton, Casino and Brisbane, with three southbound services operating to Sydney. Usually the XPTs use Platform 1, and the terminating services Platform 2, media related to Dungog railway station at Wikimedia Commons Dungog station details Sydney Trains
13.
Scone railway station
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Scone railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Scone opening on 17 April 1871, the station has one platform and a passing loop. The original John Whitton 1871 brick building remains, in June 2014, the layout was reconfigured with the former loop becoming the main line and the platform line the loop. Scone is the point for NSW TrainLinks Hunter Line services from Hamilton. The Hunter services were introduced by CityRail in September 1990, Hunter line services usually terminate at the southern end of the platform which is slightly raised. Media related to Scone railway station at Wikimedia Commons Scone station details Sydney Trains 2008 Scone Station ARTC Timetable
14.
Hunter Line
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The Hunter Line is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service that operates from Hamilton to Dungog and Scone in the New South Wales Hunter Region. It operates on the Newcastle, Main North and North Coast lines, the Main North line, formerly known as the Great Northern Railway, was the original mainline between Sydney and Brisbane. This line, which ran via Armidale and required a change of train due to the break-of-gauge at Wallangarra, was opened to East Maitland in 1857 and it reached Singleton in 1863, Muswellbrook in 1869, and Scone in 1871. The GNR was then extended beyond Scone to West Tamworth in 1878, Armidale in 1883, and reached the Queensland border at Wallangarra in 1888. The North Coast line to Brisbane, via the North Coast was opened in stages between 1905 and 1930, but a ferry carried trains across the Clarence River until the Grafton Bridge was completed in 1932. Thus Newcastle was connected by rail with Wallangarra before it was connected with Sydney, such was the difficulty and expense of reaching and bridging the Hawkesbury River. Between Islington Junction and Maitland, there is a four track section where the line parallel to the Newcastle coal lines. Services run regularly between Hamilton and Telarah, with infrequent services to Dungog, Muswellbrook and Scone, services are operated by Endeavour and Hunter railcars. Until 2007, 620/720 class railcars operated the service, the line was the last in Australia to have a regular steam hauled passenger service. The final service was hauled from Newcastle to Singleton on 24 July 1971 by 3246, diesel locomotive hauled services operated until replaced by 620/720 and 660/760 class railcars in 1984. The line was truncated to terminate at Hamilton from 5 January 2015 and it is to be extended to Newcastle Interchange when this opens. Trains that service the line have two carriages, while some peak services have four carriages. There are no quiet carriages on these trains, all stations on this line are within MyMulti zone 3. It was withdrawn in conjunction with the Newcastle Buses & Ferries Opal card rollout, pattern 1, Hamilton, all to Telarah and vice versa. Pattern 2, Hamilton, all to Warabrook, then Beresfield, Thornton, Metford, Victoria Street, Maitland and Telarah, pattern 3, Hamilton all to Maitland and vice versa. Pattern 4, Hamilton, all to Warabrook, then Beresfield, Thornton, Metford, Victoria Street, Maitland, Telarah, Paterson and all stations to Dungog and vice versa. Pattern 5, Hamilton, all to Warabrook, then Beresfield, Thornton, Metford, Victoria Street, Maitland, pattern 6, Hamilton, all to Scone and vice versa. Pattern 7, Hamilton, all to Warabrook, then Beresfield, Thornton, Metford, Victoria Street, Maitland and all stations to Muswellbrook and vice versa
15.
New South Wales
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New South Wales is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south and it has a coast line with the Tasman Sea on its east side. The Australian Capital Territory is an enclave within the state, New South Wales state capital is Sydney, which is also Australias most populous city. In March 2014, the population of New South Wales was 7.5 million. Just under two-thirds of the population,4.67 million. Inhabitants of New South Wales are referred to as New South Welshmen, the Colony of New South Wales was founded as a penal colony in 1788. It originally comprised a more than half of the Australian mainland with its western boundary set at 129th meridian east in 1825, in addition, the colony also included the island territories of New Zealand, Van Diemens Land, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island. During the 19th century, most of the area was detached to form separate British colonies that eventually became New Zealand. However, the Swan River Colony has never administered as part of New South Wales. Lord Howe Island remains part of New South Wales, while Norfolk Island has become a federal Territory, as have the now known as the Australian Capital Territory. The prior inhabitants of New South Wales were the Aboriginal tribes who arrived in Australia about 40,000 to 60,000 years ago, before European settlement there were an estimated 250,000 Aboriginal people in the region. The Wodi Wodi people are the custodians of the Illawarra region of South Sydney. The Bundjalung people are the custodians of parts of the northern coastal areas. The European discovery of New South Wales was made by Captain James Cook during his 1770 survey along the eastern coast of the Dutch-named continent of New Holland. In his original journal covering the survey, in triplicate to satisfy Admiralty Orders, Cook first named the land New Wales, however, in the copy held by the Admiralty, he revised the wording to New South Wales. After years of chaos and anarchy after the overthrow of Governor William Bligh, macquaries legacy is still evident today. During the 19th century, large areas were separated to form the British colonies of Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria. Responsible government was granted to the New South Wales colony in 1855, following the Treaty of Waitangi, William Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand in 1840
16.
Newcastle, New South Wales
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Located 162 kilometres north-northeast of Sydney, at the mouth of the Hunter River, it is the predominant city within the Hunter Region. Famous for its coal, Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, beyond the city, the Hunter Region possesses large coal deposits. Geologically, the area is located in the part of the Sydney basin. Newcastle and the lower Hunter Region were traditionally occupied by the Awabakal and Worimi Aboriginal People, in September 1797 Lieutenant John Shortland became the first European settler to explore the area. His discovery of the area was largely accidental, as he had sent in search of a number of convicts who had seized HMS Cumberland as she was sailing from Sydney Cove. While returning, Lt. Shortland entered what he described as a very fine river. He returned with reports of the port and the areas abundant coal. Over the next two years, coal mined from the area was the New South Wales colonys first export, Newcastle gained a reputation as a hellhole as it was a place where the most dangerous convicts were sent to dig in the coal mines as harsh punishment for their crimes. By the start of the 19th century the mouth of the Hunter River was being visited by groups of men, including coal diggers, timber-cutters. Philip Gidley King, the Governor of New South Wales from 1800, in 1801, a convict camp called Kings Town was established to mine coal and cut timber. In the same year, the first shipment of coal was dispatched to Sydney and this settlement closed less than a year later. A settlement was attempted in 1804, as a place of secondary punishment for unruly convicts. The settlement was named Coal River, also Kingstown and then renamed Newcastle, the new settlement, comprising convicts and a military guard, arrived at the Hunter River on 27 March 1804 in three ships, HMS Lady Nelson, the Resource and the James. The convicts were rebels from the 1804 Castle Hill convict rebellion, Morpeth, New South Wales is a similar distance north of Newcastle as Morpeth, Northumberland is north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Under Captain James Wallis, commandant from 1815 to 1818, the conditions improved. The quality of these first buildings was poor, and only breakwater survives, during this period, in 1816, the oldest public school in Australia was built in East Newcastle. Newcastle remained a settlement until 1822, when the settlement was opened up to farming. As a penal colony, the rule was harsh, especially at Limeburners Bay
17.
Maitland railway station
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Maitland railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the city of Maitland opening on in 1880 as West Maitland being renamed on 1 April 1949 and it is the junction station for the Main Northern and North Coast lines. The Great Northern Railway was built through Maitland in the 1850s, Maitland was serviced by Victoria Street, East Maitland and High Street when it opened however it was not until 1880 that what is now Maitlands principal station opened as West Maitland. Initially the station comprised only one platform, the present Platform 1, the station expanded with an island platform and footbridge constructed in 1914 followed in 1933 by another island platform. In April 1949 in recognition of its position as Maitlands primary station it received its present name, a bay platform was located at the eastern end of Platform 1 for terminating services from Newcastle, it was removed in the 1990s. The station is susceptible to floods, in the 1955 floods the signalbox was washed away with its replacement constructed on stilts. This closed on 27 October 1990 and has leased to a model railway club. The high water marks have been marked on the building on Platform 1, flood gates have been installed at the northern end of the platforms. A new signal box opened opposite the station on 17 December 1990, a yard is located east of the station. It is mainly used to stable railway maintenance equipment, although each April is used as a depot for locomotives attending the Hunter Valley Steamfest. Immediately east of the station the Main Northern and North Coast lines split and it is serviced by NSW TrainLink Hunter Line services travelling from Hamilton to Muswellbrook, Scone, Telarah and Dungog. It is also serviced by NSW Trainlink Xplorer and XPT long distance services from Sydney to Armidale, Moree, Grafton, Casino, each April, Maitland station is the focal point for the Hunter Valley Steamfest, an event that has been held annually since 1986
18.
Muswellbrook railway station
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Muswellbrook railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Muswellbrook, the station opened on 19 May 1869 as Musclebrook, being renamed on 1 September 1890. The original 1869 John Whitton brick station building remains, for a number of years in the 1980s, the passenger services were replaced by road coaches while the line was upgraded. Rail services were restored on 14 March 1988, Muswellbrook formerly had an extensive freight yard including a locomotive roundhouse. The Merriwa section of the Ulan line branches off the Main Northern line at the end of the yard. In early 2007, the Australian Rail Track Corporation commenced work to rationalise the tracks within the yard, upon completion, freight trains are to pass through the yard area at 80 km/h, improving travel times. The station has one platform and a dock platform at the southern end. Muswelbrook is serviced by NSW TrainLink Hunter Line services travelling between Hamilton and Scone and it is also served by NSW TrainLink Xplorer services from Sydney to Armidale and Moree. Media related to Muswellbrook railway station at Wikimedia Commons Muswellbrook station details Sydney Trains
19.
Telarah railway station
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Telarah railway station is located on the North Coast line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the northern Maitland suburb of Telarah and it is served by NSW TrainLink Hunter line services. The station opened on 14 August 1911 as West Maitland Marshalling Yard before being renamed Telarah on 15 April 1922, Telarah consists of a single platform. It is serviced by NSW TrainLink Hunter line services from Hamilton, most services terminate at Telarah with a limited number continuing to Dungog. Just north of the station, the North Coast line becomes single track, both lines from Maitland are signalled for bidirectional working with trains able to arrive or leave via either line. A disused freight yard is located south of the station, media related to Telerah railway station at Wikimedia Commons Telarah station details Sydney Trains
20.
Wyong railway station
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Wyong railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the northern Central Coast suburb of Wyong, Wyong station was opened on 15 August 1887. In 1912, the line was duplicated, in 1937, the eastern platform was converted to an island platform. A pair of passing loops were added south of the station in 1948, in the 1950s, a new bridge was built over Wyong Creek immediately south of the station, with the old railway bridge becoming part of the Pacific Highway. Between April 1982 and June 1984, Wyong was the extremity of the electrified network. A brick building on Platforms 1 and 2 was replaced by the current structure in the 1990s, on 1 November 1993, an upgraded footbridge with a new ticket office and lifts was opened by Minister for Transport Bruce Baird. Wyong has three platforms, one island with two faces and one side platform and it is serviced by NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle line services travelling from Sydney Central to Hamilton. Peak-hour services to and from Central via the North Shore line also terminate at Wyong and it is also serviced by NSW Trainlink Xplorer and XPT long distance services from Sydney to Armidale, Moree, Grafton, Casino and Brisbane
21.
Gosford railway station
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Gosford railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It serves the Central Coast city of Gosford, opening on 15 August 1887, between January 1960 and April 1982, Gosford was the northern extremity of the electrified network. The station buildings were demolished and replaced by the current structure opened on 10 September 1993. An extensive network of stabling sidings exist north and south of the station, a functioning water crane is located at the northern end of Platform 2 and is used occasionally by passing steam locomotives. Work is currently in progress to create a further 58 commuter parking spaces, work will shortly commence to create a further 26 spaces. Gosford has three platforms, one island with two faces and one side platform and it is serviced by NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line services travelling from Sydney Central to Hamilton. Peak-hour services travel from Central to Wyong via the North Shore line and it is also serviced by NSW Trainlink Xplorer and XPT long distance services from Sydney to Armidale, Moree, Grafton, Casino and Brisbane. More Old Gosford and District in Pictures, media related to Gosford railway station at Wikimedia Commons Gosford station details Sydney Trains
22.
Vulcan Iron Works
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Vulcan Iron Works was the name of several iron foundries in both England and the United States during the Industrial Revolution and, in one case, lasting until the mid-20th century. Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and smithery, was a namesake for these foundries. The largest of all the ironworks of Victorian England, the Cleveland Works of Bolckow Vaughan in Middlesbrough, were on Vulcan Street, the Vulcan Works at Thornton Road, Bradford was a spacious and handsome factory. It was described in Industries of Yorkshire as the largest of their kind in Bradford, the works cover about four acres of ground. The working staff numbers about 200 men, and the perfection of order and system prevails in each, the Vulcan Iron Works at Osmaston Road, Derby was founded in 1874 by Francis Ley. On a site occupying 11 acres by the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway, the company became the Leys Malleable Castings Company Ltd. In the London Gazette of April 14,1876, Ley was granted a patent for improvements in apparatus for locking and fastening nuts on fish plate, the iron foundry was closed and demolished in 1986. The Vulcan Iron Works at Cromwell Street, Worcester was founded in 1857 by Thomas Clunes, the firm started out as Engineers, Millwrights, Iron & Brass Founders, Plumbers etc, according to the listing in Kellys Directory. The works had a tall tapering square chimney, a covered area with open sides. In 1861, Clunes was joined by two former railwaymen, McKenzie and Holland, and the moved into railway signalling equipment. Clunes retired to Fowey, Cornwall, and his name was dropped from the name in the 1870s. The entry in the Worcestershire Post Office Directory for 1876 is simply RAILWAY SIGNAL MANFRS, McKenzie & Holland, Vulcan Iron Works, Worcester. The Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows produced ironwork for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the G R Turner companys Vulcan Iron Works at Langley Mill, Derbyshire was built in 1874. GR Turner produced railway rolling stock until the 1960s, at its peak it employed 350 men, in 1857 the firm of Baxendale and Gregson was founded in Shepherd Street, Preston, Lancashire. When the works became too small, the business moved to a new Vulcan Ironworks, built at Salter Street, just off North Road, Preston, under the name Gregson. In 1873, James Gregson bought 82 acres of land at Fulwood and he owned much property in Preston and was a councillor of Fulwood District. His son George Frederick Gregson ran the firm after him, when Monk retired in March 1874, James Gregson became sole proprietor. He employed about 400 men, making up to 100 weaving looms per week, over 25,000 looms made by Gregson were claimed to be at work in or near Preston in 1884
23.
Transport for New South Wales
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The authority is a separate entity from the New South Wales Department of Transport. The chief executive officer, called Secretary, for the agency is Tim Reardon, the authority reports to the New South Wales Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, presently Andrew Constance and the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, presently Melinda Pavey. Ultimately the ministers are responsible to the Parliament of New South Wales, the authority manages an annual multibillion-dollar transport budget and in partnership with the transport operating agencies manages more than A$106 billion in property, plant and equipment assets. Funding is provided for bus, rail, light rail, roads, ferry and community transport services, the authority also funds concession schemes such as the School Student Transport Scheme, the Private Vehicle Conveyance Scheme and the Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme. The authority manages the design, timetabling and branding of these services and also provides passenger information via printed material, a telephone service. Operation of the services is contracted out to a mixture of other government-owned organisations, Transport for NSW public transport services are simply branded Transport. Patronage on the Sydney rail network increased during this period–customer patronage grew by 10.5 per cent, Transport for NSW provides a trip planner and transport service information on its customer service website, www. transportnsw. info, and via its 24-hour information line,131500. These services, outsourced to Serco since July 2010, were known as the Transport InfoLine or simply 131500. A parallel Teletype service for hearing and speech impaired passengers is available on 1800637500, Transport for New South Wales Official Website
24.
Sydney Trains
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Sydney Trains is the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid suburban-commuter railway with a central core that covers over 815 km of track and 178 stations over 7 lines. During weekend services trains are frequent with headways of upwards of a half-hour on outer stations with frequencies of less than 10 minutes in the underground core. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Governments transport authority, Transport for NSW, in 2015-16,322 million passenger journeys were made on the network. The Sydney Trains network is operated by a government owned organisation–also called Sydney Trains–that replaced the government operator. In May 2012 the Minister for Transport announced a restructure of RailCorp, intercity and Hunter Line services previously operated by CityRail are now operated by NSW TrainLink which was also formed as part of the restructure. RailCorp was left as the owner of the network infrastructure, in April 2013 the Sydney Trains logo was unveiled. The first expansion of the Sydney suburban network during the Sydney Trains era occurred in 2015 when the South West Rail Link opened between Glenfield and Leppington. The network will reduce in size over the years as sections of the network are transferred to the city’s metro. The line between Chatswood and Epping will form part of Sydney Metro Northwest and will close for conversion in 2018, the section of line between Sydenham and Bankstown will form part of Sydney Metro City & Southwest. This is due to open in 2024, the section of line between Camellia and Carlingford will form part of the Parramatta Light Rail network. Construction is expected to be completed by 2023, the following table lists patronage figures for the network during the corresponding financial year. Australias financial years start on 1 July and end on 30 June, major events that affected the number of journeys made or how patronage is measured are included as notes. Sydney Trains operates seven suburban lines across metropolitan Sydney, in conjunction with a new timetable released on 20 October 2013, the Sydney Trains network was reorganised with a new numbering system. The number of lines was reduced from eleven to seven by grouping some lines together, the main hub of the Sydney Trains system is Central Station, which most lines pass through. Central is also the terminus of most NSW TrainLink lines, after leaving Central, trains coming from the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line and T3 Bankstown Line then travel through the City Circle - a ring line serving the Sydney Central Business District. After completing the City Circle, these pass through Central for a second time. The T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line and T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line pass through the Central Business District and continue on to other areas of Sydney
25.
North Shore, Northern & Western Line
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The North Shore, Northern & Western Line is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves the North Shore, Northern Suburbs and parts of the Inner West, following victory in the 2011 New South Wales election, the OFarrell Government embarked on reform of transport in New South Wales. In November 2011, a new organisation, Transport for NSW, was created to improve planning and coordination of transport projects, the organisation developed a new rail timetable and branding, which was put into effect on 20 October 2013. This saw the merger of the North Shore Line and Western Line with the Northern Line, a new numbering system was also introduced and the line was given the number T1. The North Shore, Northern & Western Line utilises a number of different railway lines and is the result of various schemes to link the lines together, the line is centred around the Main Suburban railway line which runs from Central to Granville. The Main Northern and Main Western lines branch from the Main Suburban Line, the North Shore Line branches from the Main Northern Line and was later extended through the city and connected to the Main Suburban Line as well. The Epping to Chatswood line provides a connection between the Main Northern and North Shore lines, enabling the creation of the North Shore. The Main Western line opened to Penrith in 1863 as a branch from the junction with the Main South line at Granville, electrification reached Parramatta in 1928 and Penrith in 1955. A branch line was opened to Richmond in 1864 under the stewardship of engineer James Moore, electrification from Riverstone to Richmond opened in August 1991. Through running to and from Sydney commenced in 1992, Trains from the Main Western and Richmond lines run as the Western Line. The North Shore line was opened on 1 January 1890 between Hornsby and St Leonards, the line was extended to the Sydney Harbour foreshore at Milsons Point in 1893. Transport between this original Milsons Point station and central Sydney was by ferry boat, the line was electrified in 1927. The result is that the two ends of the North Shore Line link to the Sydney railway system at Central and Hornsby, the traditional Northern Line was the suburban portion of the Main Northern line which opened in 1886 and was electrified in 1926. When the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened, the Northern Line was connected to the City underground, in 2009 the Epping to Chatswood line was opened. The traditional Northern line route ran from Hornsby to North Sydney via Strathfield, the Northern Line was colour coded red prior to being merged with the North Shore and Western lines. After merging, the Northern Line loop was split on weekdays, in 2018 the Epping to Chatwood line will be closed and be converted to a metro. As a result, the traditional Northern line route from Hornsby to Central via Strathfield will be reinstated with expanded train services on the North Shore line and this will coincide the proposed new timetable that year. The route is complex and features many branches and it passes through a number of business districts and major centres, namely Hornsby, Macquarie Park, Chatswood, North Sydney, the Central Business District, Parramatta, Blacktown and Penrith
26.
Inner West & Leppington Line
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The T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line is a suburban rail line in Sydney, the largest city in the Australian state of New South Wales. T2 is one of the eight lines of the Sydney Trains network, introduced in 2013, T2 primarily serves the inner west and south-western regions of the city via the City Circle. From Circular Quay the line south via the Airport Link. From this point the line heads south-west via the East Hills line to Glenfield, a branch line at Glenfield Junction via the South West Rail Link terminates at Leppington. Some off-peak services bypass the Airport Link and from Central stopping at Redfern, the line is shown in green on maps and timetables. Passengers took 60.1 million journeys on T2 services in 2014, services towards Macarthur via Turrella are branded as the T2 Airport Line. These services take the City Circle, then the Airport Link to Wolli Creek, the primary intermediate terminus is Revesby. Trains continuing through Revesby make limited stops between there and the city, services towards Leppington or Campbelltown via Newtown are branded as the T2 Inner West & South Line. Here the line splits, with services taking the South West Rail Link to Leppington and others staying on the Main South. The primary intermediate terminus is Homebush, Trains continuing through Homebush make limited stops between there and the city and generally do not stop at Homebush station. There were three predecessors of the T2 line, the Airport & East Hills Line, the Inner West Line, the Airport & East Hills Line was through-routed with the South Line and the Inner West Line formed a loop with the Bankstown Line. Passenger train services from Sydney to Campbelltown via Strathfield have been operating since 1858 and this train service is known as South Line, taking its name from the Main South line on which it travels on. It was colour-coded green till the early 2000s, when it was colour-coded light blue until the creation of T2 in 2013, the South Line has always through-routed with the East Hills line at the City Circle since the late 20th century. First opened in 1931, the East Hills Line terminated at East Hills, in 1985, the line was duplicated through to East Hills and on 21 December 1987 extended to Glenfield to connect with the Main South line, allowing through services to and from Campbelltown. The opening of the allowed for another City–Campbelltown service in addition to the South Line. A new station was provided at Holsworthy, and East Hills station was rebuilt with the addition of a third platform. When services commenced, there were only limited services from Campbelltown via East Hills during peak hours only, however, local services generally ran every 15 minutes from East Hills. The colour coding of the line changed from orange to the green
27.
Bankstown Line
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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. The Bankstown railway line opened between Sydenham on the Illawarra railway line and Belmore in 1895 and this was the first solely suburban line to open in Sydney- all other rail lines were mainlines carrying traffic into and out of Sydney. In 1909, the line was extended to Bankstown, with stations at Lakemba. In 1916, the Metropolitan Goods Line was constructed, running parallel to the Bankstown Line between Marrickville and Campsie, a second extension, from Bankstown to Birrong, opened in 1928. This provided connections to the suburban railway at Lidcombe and the main south line to Liverpool. A new station between Lakemba and Punchbowl at Wiley Park opened in 1938, in 1926 the Bankstown Line became the second line in Sydney to be electrified and a maintenance depot was constructed at Punchbowl. Electrification was extended from Bankstown to Regents Park in 1939, the Punchbowl Maintenance Depot closed in 1994. In January 2006 a four-year project to upgrade the line was completed, 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. Electric passenger services operated along the Bankstown Line to Wynyard station until the 1956 opening of Circular Quay station, 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. Operation of the Bankstown Line had been tied to the operation of all services on the Main Suburban railway line between Lidcombe and the City. Services consisted of a mixture of Bankstown loop trains and trains from both sides of the heading to Sefton and then further west. 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, as part of the timetable change, a new numbering system was also introduced and the line was given the number T3. A sextuplication project between Erskinevile and Sydenham was also proposed as part of the Rail Clearways Program, but was cancelled in 2011 and it was intended to separate Bankstown line services from those operating towards East Hills. The 2013 timetable see most East Hills line trains using the Airport line to access the city, the line was depicted in a brown colour in the early 1990s before being changed to a purple colour around 2000, before it became the current orange colour. Sydney Metro City & Southwest is a plan to convert the Sydenham to Bankstown section of the line to use single deck metro trains, a new tunnel will be constructed between Sydenham and Chatswood, for access to the city. The stations at St Peters, Erskineville and the Bankstown to Liverpool / Lidcombe sections of the line not be served by the metro
28.
Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line
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The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to take advantage of agricultural and mining potentials in the Illawarra area. In March 1926 it became the first railway in New South Wales to run train services. However, since 1989 CityRail has marketed the services to Waterfall and Cronulla as the Illawarra line and interurban services south to Wollongong. The line is coloured an azure blue on Sydney Trains timetables, the Suburbs Line runs between Bondi Junction in Sydneys east and Eveleigh, just south of the Sydney central business district. It is mostly underground, and consists of 7 kilometres of bored tunnels and 1.5 kilometres of cut and cover tunnels, with only 2 kilometres above ground. In the Eastern Suburbs, three tunnels proceed in a direction from Bondi Junction via Edgecliff and Kings Cross, in each of these tunnels there are stations. Between Bondi Junction and Edgecliff there is a short open-air cutting in Woollahra, from Kings Cross, the line proceeds west towards the Sydney Central Business District on a viaduct that passes over the suburb of Woolloomooloo and the Eastern Distributor. The line then passes into a tunnel underneath the Art Gallery of New South Wales to a station underneath Martin Place, turning south, the line proceeds through Town Hall, Central and Redfern stations, before emerging behind the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. The line is double track throughout, with sidings at Martin Place and Bondi Junction for citybound trains. The Illawarra Line commences at Illawarra Junction at Redfern and travel on the Illawarra tracks, a dive tunnel allows Intercity services from the South Coast Line to cross underneath the main suburban lines to access Central station. The Illawarra lines are connected at this point to the Illawarra Relief Lines which emerge from underground. From Illawarra Junction, four head south through Erskineville and St Peters to Sydenham station. The main pair of tracks are used by Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line and South Coast Line trains, South of Wolli Creek station, a crossover allows trains from the main pair of tracks to switch to the local pair. This is used by peak hour all-stations Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line trains, the four track section ends at Hurstville. The line then continues as two tracks south towards Sutherland, crossing the Georges River via the Como railway bridge between Oatley and Como, at Sutherland the Cronulla line branches in an easterly direction. The track continues south from here as the South Coast Line through the Royal National Park towards the Illawarra region, the Illawarra line route was approved by the New South Wales Government in 1880. This route originated near the inner-city locality of Macdonaldtown and ran to Kiama via the locality of Bottle Forest, the route selected comprises the present-day route of the Macdonaldtown to Waterfall section of the Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. On 6 April 1881, Governor Augustus Loftus assented to Act 44 Vic, almost immediately, concerns were raised about the new routes viability, most specifically over the cost of tunnelling between Waterfall and Otford to reach Wollongong
29.
Cumberland Line
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The Cumberland Line is a commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It connects Schofields and Campbelltown stations in the western suburbs, 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 direct services to operate from Liverpool and Campbelltown to Parramatta. The line takes its name from the Cumberland Plain on which much of Western Sydney was built, upon its opening in 1996, the line had a regular half-hourly service in each direction consisting of 38 journeys per day. Some services operated to or from Quakers Hill or Schofields on the Richmond line, prior to the Y-Links opening, passengers travelling between the Western and South lines were required to change trains at Granville. With the reduction in services to peak hours only, this strategy was resumed by most commuters. In 2006, the then-Iemma Labor Governments NSW State Plan committed to re-introduce a regular service to the Cumberland line during 2007 subject to detailed timetable. And fleet delivery, availability and rostering and this promise was not delivered, and the Cumberland Line remained a peak-hour-only service with 4 car trains. Daytime half-hourly services were re-introduced on 21 October 2013, services finish in the early evening and do not operate on weekends. At this time the line was officially extended to Schofields. The service also operates on weekends if trackwork affects the Western and South lines. Services from Glenfield and Liverpool are diverted to the Western Line and proceed beyond Blacktown, to either Penrith or Richmond, in the extremely rare circumstances, South line trains may divert to Parramatta, terminate there then reverse back to Granville and continue its trip as per the timetable. During 2017, Cumberland Line services will be modified to no longer travel to and from Campbelltown, instead starting and terminating at Leppington. Combined with changes to the Airport, Inner West & South Line, the changes will also see late night and weekend services introduced on the Cumberland Line. The Y-link was opened in 1996 as part of former Prime Minister Paul Keatings Building Better Cities programme in recognition of Parramattas place as the capital of Sydneys west. It cost $80 million to construct, and required the construction of a little over one kilometre of new track and no new stations. This track consists of the creation of a junction at the junction of the Old Main South. The work included a new flyover of the Up Old Main South over these new tracks, - Sydney Trains timetable - Campbelltown to Schofields - Sydney Trains timetable - Schofields to Campbelltown
30.
Carlingford railway line
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The Carlingford railway line is a minor railway line in Sydney, Australia. Opened in 1888, the line runs north-south between the suburb of Carlingford and the Main Suburban railway line at Clyde, passenger services on the line form part of the Sydney Trains commuter rail network and are marketed as the T6 Carlingford Line. Most of the line is planned for conversion to rail as part of the Parramatta Light Rail network. It is a track line to this point. Immediately south of Rosehill, the two tracks join, before dividing into two tracks, the Sandown line and the Carlingford line. During large special events at Rosehill Racecourse, such as horse racing meetings, the line then heads in a north-easterly direction over the Parramatta River to Carlingford. There are no crossing loops or any further sections of track on the line. The average 12 minute travel time between Clyde and Carlingford allows a maximum capacity of approximately two trains per hour on this line. It is Sydneys least-used suburban railway line, the stations between Camellia and Carlingford consist of a single platform of a sufficient length to accommodate four-car suburban trains. All other stations on the Sydney Trains network are capable of accommodating eight-car trains, a number of industrial and car storage sidings have been built on the line. Starting from the Clyde end, Prestressed Concrete Siding, located between Clyde station and the Parramatta Road crossing, served the railways prestressed concrete manufacturing plant which no longer operates. Currently used to stable an automated track recording vehicle, the junction is on the branch down line with the points facing north. Shell Refinery Siding, located between ABeckett Creek and Rosehill station, the siding and junctions points have been removed. Junction was on the branch up line with the points facing south, rheem Siding and Loop, located at Rydalmere station. The siding consisted of a loop line with junctions north and south of the original Rydalmere station. The loop, factory branch and all junctions have been removed, the new Rydalmere station is now situated on the opposite side of the branch line from the original station and occupies the site of the former loop. Electricity Commission Siding, located at the end of Carlingford station. The siding was built to move large electrical transformers into the Carlingford Electrical sub-station, the siding and junction points have been removed
31.
Olympic Park railway line
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The Olympic Park railway line serves the Sydney Olympic Park precinct. Originally opened as the Abattoirs branch in 1911, it was rebuilt as the Olympic Park line in 1998, the line opened on 31 July 1911 as the Abattoirs branch off the Main Western line to the abattoirs and State Brickworks at Homebush. It branched off via a triangular junction behind Flemington Maintenance Depot making it accessible from the Metropolitan Goods line, two bridges carried the line over the Great Western Highway. On 11 January 1915, the Metropolitan Meat Platforms opened, further platforms opened at Abattoirs in December 1926, Brickworks in December 1939 and Pippita in October 1940 to serve a Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation factory. Sidings on the line served Dairy Farmers and Ford, on 27 February 1968, the three kilometre Homebush Saleyards Yard opened to service new cattle and sheep pens built to replace facilities at Flemington just beyond the Great Western Highway crossing. The loop was electrified to allow 46 class locomotives to operate services from the Main Western, on 9 November 1984, the line beyond the Homebush Saleyards closed. The Saleyards Loop subsequently closed on 22 June 1991, passenger services were operated by CPH railmotors operating from Sandown via Lidcombe until November 1984. Pippita continued to be served by a daily service to Central until 20 October 1995. As part of Sydneys successful bid to hold the 2000 Olympic Games, included was a railway that traversed a similar route to the former Abattoirs branch. The line was built with a loop and the two track, four platform Olympic Park station. The line utilised the eastern bridge over the Great Western Highway which had previously only carried one track. The new line opened on 8 March 1998, outside of special events, trains to Olympic Park depart from a special platform at Lidcombe. Services operate with a frequency of one train every 10 minutes in each direction, the trip between Lidcombe and Olympic Park takes about five minutes each way. During major events at Sydney Olympic Park, train services run direct from the intercity platforms of Central, also stopping at Redfern. Media related to Olympic Park railway line at Wikimedia Commons
32.
Airport & South Line
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The T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line is a suburban rail line in Sydney, the largest city in the Australian state of New South Wales. T2 is one of the eight lines of the Sydney Trains network, introduced in 2013, T2 primarily serves the inner west and south-western regions of the city via the City Circle. From Circular Quay the line south via the Airport Link. From this point the line heads south-west via the East Hills line to Glenfield, a branch line at Glenfield Junction via the South West Rail Link terminates at Leppington. Some off-peak services bypass the Airport Link and from Central stopping at Redfern, the line is shown in green on maps and timetables. Passengers took 60.1 million journeys on T2 services in 2014, services towards Macarthur via Turrella are branded as the T2 Airport Line. These services take the City Circle, then the Airport Link to Wolli Creek, the primary intermediate terminus is Revesby. Trains continuing through Revesby make limited stops between there and the city, services towards Leppington or Campbelltown via Newtown are branded as the T2 Inner West & South Line. Here the line splits, with services taking the South West Rail Link to Leppington and others staying on the Main South. The primary intermediate terminus is Homebush, Trains continuing through Homebush make limited stops between there and the city and generally do not stop at Homebush station. There were three predecessors of the T2 line, the Airport & East Hills Line, the Inner West Line, the Airport & East Hills Line was through-routed with the South Line and the Inner West Line formed a loop with the Bankstown Line. Passenger train services from Sydney to Campbelltown via Strathfield have been operating since 1858 and this train service is known as South Line, taking its name from the Main South line on which it travels on. It was colour-coded green till the early 2000s, when it was colour-coded light blue until the creation of T2 in 2013, the South Line has always through-routed with the East Hills line at the City Circle since the late 20th century. First opened in 1931, the East Hills Line terminated at East Hills, in 1985, the line was duplicated through to East Hills and on 21 December 1987 extended to Glenfield to connect with the Main South line, allowing through services to and from Campbelltown. The opening of the allowed for another City–Campbelltown service in addition to the South Line. A new station was provided at Holsworthy, and East Hills station was rebuilt with the addition of a third platform. When services commenced, there were only limited services from Campbelltown via East Hills during peak hours only, however, local services generally ran every 15 minutes from East Hills. The colour coding of the line changed from orange to the green
33.
Sydney Metro
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Sydney Metro is an automated rapid transit system under construction in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The first dedicated rapid transit line to be constructed is a link from Rouse Hill to Epping, planning work has commenced for Sydney Metro City & Southwest, an extension across Sydney Harbour and through the Central Business District, which will then take the trains to Bankstown. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2017, with the line to open in 2024, Sydney Metro West, a separate line between the Sydney CBD and Parramatta, is expected to open in the second half of the 2020s. Sydney will be the first Australian city to build a rapid transit system. Plans and projects involving a high speed, rapid transit railway in Sydney date at least back to 2008. Despite extensive plans for a network in the past, disputes over privatisation and funding had hampered government approval. In spite of getting the project off the ground, government approval for what was initially known as the North West Rail Link. Route extensions and a change to the Sydney Metro soon followed. He suggested that a number of metro lines—operationally independent from the existing network—should be constructed past 2020 due to capacity constraints and this was later dismissed by the New South Wales Government as only a shopping list of potential projects. The idea for a metro resurfaced in late 2007, when discussions about an underground Anzac Line took place within the NSW Government, the line would have run from West Ryde in Sydneys north-west to Malabar in the south-east, but did not come to fruition. In early 2008, following the shelving of various heavy rail expansion projects from the 2005 Metropolitan Rail Expansion Programme, expected to cost $12 billion, it would have linked Rouse Hill in Sydneys north-west with the CBD, with construction starting in 2010 and finishing in 2017. The construction of the North West Metro was however dependent on the privatisation of the electricity network and its replacement was the 9 km, $4 billion CBD Metro, a shortened route running from Rozelle in the inner-west and into the CBD through to Central. Construction was scheduled to start in 2010, like its predecessor, the CBD Metro was to have formed the central spine of a future metro network, with an planned West Metro extension to Westmead and Parramatta to be constructed soon after, subject to Federal funding. The Governments initial submission to Infrastructure Australia for funding was rejected to due a lack of integrated planning. It was later revealed that the cost had jumped from $4 billion to $5.3 billion in six months, the CBD Metro was cancelled in early 2010, after the Premier was deposed a few months before in 2009. The Government had spent almost $410 million on the project, the new Premier Kristina Keneally chose instead to focus on expansion of the existing heavy rail network, including the North West Rail Link and South West Rail Link. In mid-2012 the newly elected Coalition government announced Sydneys Rail Future, under this proposal, the North West Rail Link would be built as a single-deck, privately operated metro connecting to a future second harbour crossing. The new railway would cross Sydney Harbour, tunnel beneath the CBD, the system was officially renamed Sydney Metro in June 2015 following the passage of power privatisation bills
34.
Sydney Metro Northwest
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Sydney Metro Northwest is a current project by the Government of New South Wales for a rapid transit link to the north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Presently under construction, the Northwest Metro is being managed by Transport for New South Wales and is proposed to connect Rouse Hill to Chatswood via Castle Hill, prior to June 2015, the project was known as the North West Rail Link. Originally, North West Rail Link was meant to cover the section between Epping and Rouse Hill, in June 2015, it was announced that the entire project would be renamed the Sydney Metro Northwest, the first stage of the forthcoming Sydney Metro system. Planning for the original North West Rail Link was a long, the line was announced, cancelled and re-announced several times beginning in the 1990s. There were differing plans as to how the line would integrate into the rest of Sydneys transport system, main line rail connecting directly to the Epping to Chatswood line at Epping, with trains accessing the city via Macquarie Park. Rapid transit line from the north west to the city via the Inner West, Rapid transit line connecting to a modified Epping to Chatswood line at Epping. Trains terminate at Chatswood, with an extension to the city proposed for the future and this was the design which was ultimately selected. At the time, the proposal was for a $360 million heavy rail connection from Epping to Castle Hill, with extension to Mungerie Park. Delays in 2000 by the Carr Government in releasing a report on the proposal led to concern about the viability of the proposed route. This led to a deadlock between the State Government and Baulkham Hills Shire Council regarding construction of the $200 million Mungerie Park industrial and residential development at Kellyville. In response, the State Government threatened to remove the Councils planning powers for the Rouse Hill Development Area if planning approval was not granted. Member for the electorate of The Hills, Michael Richardson. The State Government had not responded to the request by 13 December 2000, well beyond the 21-day response limit, the State Government formally rejected the Freedom of Information request on 9 January 2001, despite acknowledging that release of the report would be in the public interest. As a result, the NSW Ombudsman began an investigation into NSW Transports refusal to release the report, the Action for Transport 2010 cost blowout was seen as the reason for the State Governments refusal to release the draft report into the North West rail link route. There was no mention of the link in the 2001 budget. A2002 NSW Treasury report mentioned the North West rail link, and that it was under development or investigation, on 10 March 2002, Transport Minister Carl Scully released a report detailing the preferred route alignment. The 19 km route was proposed to run from Epping to Mungerie Park at Rouse Hill via Castle Hill, the cost of construction was estimated at $1.4 billion. Public consultation on the proposal was conducted over eight weeks from 10 March to 3 May 2002, the consultation received 118 written submissions, 73% of which were in favour of the project proceeding, and only 5% strongly opposed the project
35.
Town Hall railway station
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Town Hall railway station serves the Sydney central business district. It opened on 28 February 1932, the station is built on the site of Sydneys earliest colonial cemetery, the Old Sydney Burial Ground. In 2008, part of cemetery was being excavated from under the Town Hall. The station opened on 28 February 1932 and it was built with six platforms, which were split over two levels with three platforms on each level. When the station opened, only four of the platforms were in use, platforms 1,2 and 3 on the level and platform 6, served by escalators. The other two platforms were built in preparation for a western suburbs line from the city to Gladesville. This line was never built, and the platforms remained disused until incorporated into the Eastern Suburbs line when it opened in June 1979, the station concourse had a major restructure in 2005 when the shops inside were closed to make way for the increasing crowds. During a refurbishment of the station in 2014, a sign pointing to a shelter was uncovered on a staircase leading to Platforms 1 and 2. It has been encased in a persplex casing, Town Hall has two levels, each with three platforms - physically two island platforms, but set up so that one faces two tracks and the other faces the other track. The station has lifts connecting the concourse with the platforms, providing Easy Access for wheelchairs and these facilities were constructed during 2003-2004. The station is linked to shopping centres including the Queen Victoria Building, The Galeries, Town Hall Square, Pavilion Plaza and. The new Sydney Metro line will include another station located at Pitt Street and is due to open in 2024, Town Hall station is served by bus routes operated by Forest Coach Lines, Hillsbus, Sydney Buses and Transdev NSW
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Wynyard railway station, Sydney
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Wynyard railway station serves the Sydney central business district. It opened on 28 February 1932, the station opened on 28 February 1932. Wynyard was originally constructed with six platforms, with platforms 1-4 located on the upper level, the original intention was that Platforms 1 and 2, located adjacent to platforms 3 and 4, would eventually serve the eastern pair of railway tracks across the Harbour Bridge. In the interim, they were used as a terminus for North Shore tram services on Sydneys tram network, a feature of these lines was Australias only underground tram terminus. After tram services were withdrawn, platforms 1 and 2 were walled off from 3 and 4, and the converted into an underground car park. The eastern tram tracks on the bridge were replaced by two road lanes as part of the Cahill Expressway. The disused tunnel and ramp that connected the station to the eastern tram tracks can still be seen. On 22 January 1956, the lines from platforms 5 and 6 were extended to Circular Quay as part of the City Circle, Wynyard station currently has two levels, each with two platforms. The upper level serves the North Shore line, whilst the lower level serves lines traversing the City Circle, both lines run south under York Street from Wynyard to Town Hall. There is no connection between the rails of these two lines at Wynyard, the passenger concourse is on an intermediate level between the upper and lower platforms. Wynyard is connected via underground passageways to several surrounding buildings and shopping arcades and is located immediately below Wynyard Park, direct access via tunnels is possible to George, Hunter and Pitt Streets. Wooden escalators dating from the stations opening connect the concourse with York Street. Commencing in 2015 the platforms and concourse were thoroughly refurbished with new flooring and ceilings as well as a stairway to platforms 3 &4. The refurbishment is due to be complete in 2017, the Wynyard Walk is a 180-metre-long pedestrian link and tunnel between Wynyard station and Barangaroo that opened in September 2016, with a Clarence Street entrance that opened in December 2016. Based on a design by architecture firm Woods Bagot, the project combined a new entrance, a tunnel, a pedestrian bridge. Wynyard Walk provides direct access via tunnels to Clarence, Kent, Wynyard Walk features a huge video screen showcasing digital art. Wynyard station is served by bus routes operated by Forest Coach Lines, Hillsbus, Sydney Buses and Transdev NSW
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Milsons Point railway station
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Milsons Point railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Milsons Point. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services and this location enabled passengers from the North Shore to transfer directly from steam trains to ferries to reach Circular Quay. It opened as the terminus of the North Shore railway line on 1 May 1893. When extended from its previous terminus at St Leonards and this station was in operation for just seven weeks, from 30 May 1915 to 18 July 1915, as the inconvenience to passengers transferring between ferries and trains was unacceptable. Due to later overcrowding, a platform was added on 12 December 1920 by removing the centre road track. This station remained in use until the site was requisitioned to allow construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and it was linked to the street by stairs and three escalators, and to a new adjacent ferry wharf. The escalators at Milsons Point were the first installed in Australia, the tram line was also relocated to terminate adjacent to the entrance to the new station in Glen Street. The line from Hornsby to Milsons Point was electrified from 2 August 1927 and this station was in two parts, two platforms each side of the roadway. The western platforms were connected to the North Shore line with the pair used for a tramway service between Wynyard and the northern suburbs. The tramway and the platforms at Milsons Point were removed in 1958 as part of the conversions of lanes 7 and 8 of the Harbour Bridge to become the Cahill Expressway
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North Sydney railway station
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North Sydney railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of North Sydney. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services, from 4 September 2005 to 28 May 2006 it was the major terminus of the Hornsby via Strathfield line. From 2013 it is the terminus for Emu Plains services. North Sydney station opened on 20 March 1932 at the time as the North Shore line over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Prior to the opening, North Shore line trains had diverged from the current line at Waverton to the original Milsons Point station at Lavender Bay. The station was built in a cutting with a street level overhead concourse above the platforms. The station has four platforms which correspond with the four tracks that were designed to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At the Waverton end of the station there are four tunnels which have cut into the rock. From 1932 until 1958, two of the rail tracks designed for the bridge were used by trams, the latter being diverted onto Blue Street just before they would have entered North Sydney Station. After 1958 the tram tracks were removed from the Sydney Harbour Bridge, beginning in the 1968 when the North Sydney Travelodge was built, the air rights over the station have progressively been redeveloped. In December 1972, the awning over platforms 3 and 4 was demolished, the station became totally enclosed with the opening of Zurich Insurance House in 1984. Between April 2006 and December 2008, the station was upgraded to handle extra traffic expected with the opening of the Epping to Chatswood line in 2009, the work included an expanded concourse and the installation of escalators and lifts. Because the four platforms at North Sydney serve a double track railway to the north and south of the station, the line north through the tunnel from Platform 3 was not laid until 1992 and commissioned in August 1993. The tunnel roads serving platforms 2 and 3 both have a 10 km/h speed limit and are used by passenger services. Media related to North Sydney railway station at Wikimedia Commons North Sydney station details Sydney Trains Upgrade works Flickr gallery
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St Leonards railway station
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St Leonards railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of St Leonards. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services, St Leonards station opened on 1 January 1890 as the terminus station of the North Shore line from Hornsby. On 1 May 1893, the line was extended south to Milsons Point, in August 1989, the station was relocated to a temporary station south of the Pacific Highway to allow the site to be redeveloped. After the redevelopment encountered financial problems and remained dormant for a number of years, the new station was built with two island platforms to allow extra lines to be laid as part of a plan to quadruple the line. However this is now unlikely to occur, with it now proposed to build platforms at St Leonards as part of the Sydney Metro line
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Chatswood railway station
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Chatswood railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Chatswood. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore & Northern line services, Chatswood station opened on 1 January 1890 when the North Shore line opened from Hornsby to St Leonards. An island platform was built on 23 May 1900 and a dock platform brought into use on 12 July 1919. There was a goods yard, similar to the one at St Leonards, on the western side of the station. It was removed in October 1994, until 1958 there was a tram terminus in Victoria Avenue beside the station. The station entrance was integrated with a shopping centre called The Interchange in the mid-1980s. With the construction of the Chatswood to Epping line, it was decided to redevelop the station to accommodate Chatswoods new role as a junction station. The original station, as well as the bus interchange and shopping centre were demolished in 2005. A new western island platform opened in place of the island platform on 16 October 2006. The eastern island platform opened in 2008, the signal cabin that was located at the northern end of the station building, was saved and has been preserved as part of the bus interchange. The CTI was constructed as a Public Private Partnership and was to include a new shopping plaza called Metro Chatswood, the private developers, CRI Chatswood, went into receivership whilst construction was underway. As a result, the centre remained closed until 2014. In 2019 Chatswood station will become the terminus of the Sydney Metro Northwest line which will replace the original Epping to Chatswood railway line. This will at a later date be extended to Bankstown via the Sydney Harbour Rail Tunnel and this will leave Platforms 1 &4 the only platforms served by Sydney Trains, while the 2 terminating roads will be used by Sydney Metro. The station consists of two island platforms - a city-bound platform and an outbound platform, the two centre platforms - platforms 2 &3 - serve the Epping to Chatswood line. The outer platforms serve the North Shore line, a turnback / stabling road is located to the south of the station and is used to terminate some trains from the Epping line. Additional pedestrian entrances are available from Chatswood Central Plaza, adjacent to the side of the station concourse. Because the station and tracks are level with the ground, the concourse is actually below street level despite being open-air in nature, a row of ticket barriers with ticket windows allows passengers access to the concourse which features stairs, lifts, and escalators to access the platforms
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Gordon railway station, Sydney
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Gordon railway station is located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Gordon. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services, Gordon station opened on 1 January 1890 when the North Shore line opened from Hornsby to St Leonards. Originally southbound services used Platform 1 with Platform 2 a terminal road with a stop at the northern end. In the early 1990s, the station was reconfigured with Platform 2 becoming the southbound platform and Platform 1 the terminal road. Since the 1990s, a number of car parks have been built, in 2014, the bus stop on the stations western side was demolished to make way for a three-storey carpark and bus interchange. The new interchange opened in early June 2015, media related to Gordon railway station at Wikimedia Commons Gordon station details Sydney Trains
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Redfern railway station
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Redfern railway station is located on the Illawarra line, serving the Sydney suburb of Redfern. It is served by all Sydney Trains lines except the airport branch of the Airport, Inner West & South Line, some NSW TrainLink Intercity services also call at the station. In the early history of the New South Wales Railways, Redfern was the name of the principal Sydney terminus and it was located to the south of Devonshire Street and opened on 26 September 1855 in an area known as Cleveland Fields. This original Redfern station comprised one wooden platform in an iron shed. As traffic increased the station was replaced in 1874 by a brick building containing two platforms. This second station, which grew to 14 platforms, was designed for through traffic if the lines were extended in the city direction. This second station was found to be too far from the city centre, so a new station was built to the north of Devonshire Street, the 1874 station was soon demolished. A station was opened in 18761.3 kilometres west of the original Redfern, in 1885 Eveleighs platforms were reconstructed at the present Redfern site, and on 21 October 1906 this station was renamed Redfern. On 1 August 1926, a two platforms opened on the southern side as part of the electrification of the Illawarra line. Platforms 11 and 12, as well as the containing the unfinished platforms, were constructed in the late 1970s as part of the Eastern Suburbs Railway construction. Until 1994, Redfern had a footbridge at the Eveleigh end of the platforms. This was demolished because the funds for its maintenance were not available, a single track underground tunnel was built for steam locomotives from Central station to access Eveleigh Railway Workshops. Known as the Engine Dive, it dives to the north of Platform 1 surfacing at the end of Platform 10. A number of chimneys still exist, especially on Platform 1, the present Redfern station was damaged by fire in the 2004 Redfern riots. The ticketing area and station office were significantly damaged -. They have since replaced with glass windows. Redfern has 12 platforms,10 above ground, and 2 underground, Station offices and facilities such as toilets and the main indicator boards are located next to the Lawson Street entry. As part of the construction of the Eastern Suburbs Railway, it was proposed to build up to four platforms for the underground route
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Strathfield railway station
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Strathfield railway station is located on the Main Suburban line, serving the Sydney suburb of Strathfield. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line and T2 Inner West & South Line services and NSW TrainLink Intercity, the first station opened on 9 July 1876 as Redmyre. It was renamed Strathfield on 8 March 1885, as part of the electrification of the Sydney network, the station was rebuilt, opening on 7 March 1927. This included an overpass to take the Main Northern line over the Main Suburban line, in addition, a platform and building was erected at the southern end of platform 8 which provided a mortuary receiving facility. This was subsequently converted to a store for the refreshment room on the station. Rail traffic in the Strathfield area has been controlled from Strathfield signal box, signalling at Strathfield is controlled by an entrance-exit route control panel with an early automatic route setting system, which was manufactured by Westinghouse in the United Kingdom. This system is connected to double light colour light signals and electro-pneumatic switch machines on the ground, the 1926-vintage power box, which had a Westinghouse miniature lever frame, still stands to the west end of platform 8. Media related to Strathfield railway station at Wikimedia Commons Strathfield station details Sydney Trains
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Eastwood railway station
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Eastwood railway station is located on the Main Northern line, serving the Sydney suburb of Eastwood. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Northern Line and NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line services, the station opened as Dundas on 17 September 1886 on the single track line. It was renamed Eastwood on 1 September 1887, the line through Eastwood was subsequently duplicated and has since been quadruplicated. In 2004, the platforms were extended towards Epping to allow 8-car Intercity trains to service the platforms, the station subway is accessible by non-paying members of the public, although this was separated from the station concourse by a fence. In February 2007, the fence was removed to allow construction of smartcard readers for the Tcard system, in March 2006 it was revealed, that asbestos fibre had been disturbed by contractors installing cabling for the Tcard project in the roof of the ticketing office at the station. The station offices were closed and replaced by a temporary booking office in the station carpark
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Epping railway station, Sydney
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Epping railway station is located on the Main Northern and Chatswood-Epping lines, serving the Sydney suburb of Epping. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Northern and NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line services, the station opened as Field of Mars on 17 September 1886. It was renamed Carlingford on 5 April 1887, and again to Epping on 7 October 1899 when it moved to its current site, an additional island platform was added in 1928. The centre track was originally a road, and was served by platforms on each side. This was intended as part of John Bradfields proposed Epping to St Leonards line, a new booking office on the footbridge was added in 1967 after the original wooden structure was destroyed by fire. In 1979, the terminating track was converted to a bi-directional main line with the platform face on the eastern side fenced off. As part of the 2000s upgrading works, the fencing was switched to the opposite platform, upgrade works began in 2004 to prepare the station for the Epping to Chatswood railway line. Works included a new concourse and pedestrian overpass, wider platforms, a transfer concourse. The new aerial concourse was constructed to the north of the 1967 concourse, the above ground upgrades were completed on 14 April 2007, while the underground concourse and platforms were opened on 23 February 2009 in conjunction with the new line. To the north of the station, a track is being laid as part of the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor project. This is scheduled to be completed in 2016, in 2019, Epping will become part of the Sydney Metro Northwest line between Chatswood and Cudgegong Road. This will involve the underground platforms being fitted with platform screen doors, as a result, the Northern Line will change again by operating from Hornsby to Central via Strathfield. Epping signal box opened on 31 October 1928 and operated the interlocking at Epping until its closure on 12 November 2006, the original miniature lever frame was replaced by an NX panel circa 1980. Control of the area was transferred to Strathfield signal box, and then to the new Homebush Control Centre in October 2008
Media related to Hamilton railway station at Wikimedia Commons