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Bankstown railway line
Dulwich Hill railway station on the Bankstown railway line at left, with the parallel Metropolitan Goods railway line at right.
Overview
StatusPartially open
OwnerTransport Asset Holding Entity
Termini
Stations3 open
Service
ServicesT6 Lidcombe & Bankstown
Operator(s)Sydney Trains
History
Opened to Belmore1 February 1895
Extended to Bankstown14 April 1909
Connected to Sefton Park Junction16 July 1928
Closed30 September 2024
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification1,500 V DC overhead line
Route map

Legend
Sydney Metro Northwest to Tallawong
Eastern Suburbs line to Bondi Junction
North Shore line to Hornsby
City Circle line
0.0
 Central
Airport line to Wolli Creek
1.3
 Redfern
Main Suburban line to Granville
 Waterloo
2.9
 Erskineville
3.8
 St Peters
Sydney Metro Trains Facility South
 Sydenham
limit of closure for Metro conversion
Port Botany line to Port Botany
Meeks Road Junction
Illawarra line to Bomaderry
6.6
 Marrickville
7.9
 Dulwich Hill
Wardell Road Junction
Inner West Light Rail to Central
8.8
 Hurlstone Park
10.2
 Canterbury
Canterbury Park Racecourse sidings
Cooks River
11.7
 Campsie
Metropolitan Goods line
to Chullora Junction via Enfield Yard
13.2
 Belmore
14.5
 Lakemba
15.3
 Wiley Park
16.4
 Punchbowl
former Punchbowl Maintenance Depot
limit of closure for Metro conversion
18.7
 Bankstown
20.6
 Yagoona
22.1
 Birrong
Southern Sydney Freight Line
Main Southern line to Albury
Main Southern line to Lidcombe
This diagram:

The Bankstown railway line is a suburban railway which traverses the Inner West and Canterbury-Bankstown areas of Sydney. West of Bankstown it is used by T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown services, while east of Bankstown it is temporarily closed to facilitate conversion for its future use by M1 North West & Bankstown services.[1]

Route

[edit]
The line roughly parallels the Cooks River between Sydenham and Campsie
View map

As originally built, the line branched from the Illawarra railway line just south of Sydenham at Meeks Road Junction, approximately 6 kilometres southwest of Central. From here the line runs westward along the valley of the Cooks River, parallel to the Metropolitan Goods railway line. At Dulwich Hill the line passes by the former Wardell Road Junction, where the Dulwich Hill light rail line now terminates with an overbridge interchange to the railway station.[2]

Just past Canterbury, the line crosses to the southern side of the Cooks River. From here the line passes through Campsie, after which the Metropolitan Goods railway line turns away from the alignment towards Enfield Yard. Between Punchbowl and Bankstown is the former location of the Punchbowl Maintenance Depot, which has since been redeveloped for housing.[3]

Bankstown is the foremost station on the line. Originally a through station, it is being rebuilt into two abutting terminal stations, with Sydney Metro services to operate eastward from it and Sydney Trains services to operate westward.[4]

Just west of Bankstown the line turns sharply northward, passing through Yagoona and Birrong to reach the western endpoint of the line at Sefton Park Junction. Here, the line connects to the Main Southern railway line between Regents Park and Sefton.[5]

Services

[edit]
See also: Metro North West & Bankstown Line and Lidcombe & Bankstown Line

The line has been used primarily for suburban passenger services since its opening. Though some freight services used the line earlier in its history,[6] cargo traffic is now confined to the dedicated freight tracks of the parallel Metropolitan Goods railway line between Marrickville and Campsie.

Historic services

[edit]

Historically, the connection of the Bankstown railway line to other railway lines at each end allowed suburban passenger services to operate a large loop from the City Circle via the Main Suburban railway line, Lidcombe and Regents Park to Bankstown before returning to the City Circle via Sydenham and the Illawarra railway line, and vice versa.[7] It also allowed services to begin from Liverpool or Lidcombe and reach the City Circle via Bankstown and Sydenham without using the Main Suburban railway line.[8] This was the configuration in which Sydney Trains services most recently operated over the full length of the line, branded as the T3 Bankstown Line.[9] This service was withdrawn on 30 September 2024.[10]

Current and future services

[edit]

In mid-October 2024, Sydney Trains began operating T6 Lidcombe & Bankstown services west from Bankstown to Lidcombe.[11] East of Bankstown to Sydenham, services are suspended for works to convert the line to Sydney Metro standards,[12] after which M1 North West & Bankstown services will operate over that part of the line.[13]

History

[edit]
Dulwich Hill railway station on the Bankstown railway line, at left, in 2010. Parallel at right is the Metropolitan Goods railway line. The former Rozelle branch of the Metropolitan Goods railway line is at the top right; it has since been converted to light rail.

Branch to Belmore

[edit]

The line opened on 1 February 1895, initially as a branch from the Illawarra railway line at Sydenham to Belmore.[14] Railway authorities initially conceived of the line as a opportunity to alleviate pressure on the Old Main South railway line by providing an alternate route to Liverpool, and also to advance development of the intervening land. However, the 1890s depression constrained the development of the line.[15]

Extension to Bankstown and the Main Southern railway line

[edit]

Increased suburban development prompted the line to be extended to Bankstown on 14 April 1909, with intermediate stations at Lakemba and Punchbowl. In 1916, the Metropolitan Goods railway line was constructed, running parallel to the line between Marrickville to Campsie. On 16 July 1928, the line was extended from Bankstown to Sefton Park Junction, where it joined the Main Southern railway line between Regents Park and Sefton.[6] This allowed trains to operate to Liverpool, or in a loop back toward the City Circle via Lidcombe and the Main Suburban railway line.[16]

Electrification

[edit]

In 1926, the line between Sydenham and Bankstown became the second in Sydney to be electrified. To service the new electric rolling stock, Punchbowl Maintenance Depot was built on the line just east of Bankstown. Electrification was extended from Bankstown to Regents Park in 1939.[17] A new station between Lakemba and Punchbowl at Wiley Park opened on 19 June 1938.[18] Punchbowl Maintenance Depot closed in 1994.[3]

Upgrades

[edit]

In January 2006, a four-year project to upgrade the line was completed. The work included the re-sleepering of the entire line, replacing the former wooden sleepers with the more durable concrete ones, replacement and upgrade of the signalling, and also replacement of the ageing catenary, mostly with the more modern double contact wire variety. 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.[19]

Conversion for Sydney Metro services

[edit]
Canterbury railway station in 2022, with preliminary metro conversion works underway.

As part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, the line from Sydenham to Bankstown is being converted from its current double deck commuter rail configuration to a rapid transit line.[20] This will allow much a higher frequency service and will alleviate bottlenecks in the Sydney Trains system, but ensuring the line meets modern metro standards is a technically challenging undertaking, particularly with some of the stations which have curved platforms over a century old.[21]

Planning approval of the upgrade of the line between Sydenham and Bankstown was received in December 2018.[22] Intermittent temporary closures began in December 2019 for works to prepare for the conversion to metro standards, with the expectation of a longer, extended closure to occur immediately prior to the commencement of metro services.[23][24]

In 2023, with conversion of the line having fallen a year behind schedule,[25] the NSW Government announced that the opening of Sydney Metro City & Southwest would be staged, with metro services not reaching Bankstown until late 2025, after a 12-month closure of the line for conversion works.[13] Since 30 September 2024 the line east of Bankstown has been temporarily closed, with buses replacing rail services between Sydenham and Bankstown.[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ NSW, Transport for (29 August 2024). "Free bus travel as T3 undergoes major Metro upgrade works | NSW Government".
  2. ^ Transport for NSW (9 October 2023). "New footbridge opens at Dulwich Hill Station". www.mysydney.nsw.gov.au. NSW Government. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Punchbowl Closure Forces Timetable Changes" Railway Digest February 1995 page 8
  4. ^ Sydney Metro (May 2020). Sydenham to Bankstown Upgrade: Bankstown Station modification report (Report). NSW Government. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Sefton Park East Junction". NSWrail.net. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  6. ^ a b The Bankstown Line - an early history CityRail
  7. ^ Booth, Cameron (5 July 2014). "Historical Map: Sydney Rail Network, Early 1980s". Transit Maps.
  8. ^ RailCorp (June 2008). "CityRail network map". Data.NSW. NSW Government. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  9. ^ Transport for NSW (19 August 2024). "Sydney Rail Network Map - 19 August 2024" (PDF). Transport Open Data Hub. NSW Government. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  10. ^ Minister for Transport (29 September 2024). "End of an era as Bankstown line braces for transformation" (Press release). NSW Government. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  11. ^ Transport for NSW (18 October 2024). "Reminder to plan ahead: New train timetable starts Sunday" (Press release). NSW Government. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Minns Labor Government will deliver Sydenham to Bankstown section of City and Southwest Metro" (Press release). Sydney: NSW Government. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  13. ^ "NSW Railway Passenger Services 1880-1905" Australian Railway History" April 2005
  14. ^ Marrickville Railway Station Group Archived 26 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine NSW Office of Environment & Heritage
  15. ^ "Bankstown line". NSWrail.net. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  16. ^ "Sydney Electric Trains From 1926 to 1960". Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin. No. 762. April 2001.
  17. ^ "Wiley Park Railway Station Group". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage.
  18. ^ Bankstown Line upgrade successfully completed CityRail 6 February 2006
  19. ^ Sydney Metro. "Bankstown Line metro conversion approved" (PDF). NSW Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  20. ^ Builders of Sydney's new metro line need to straighten out curved platforms Archived 9 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Morning Herald 4 December 2015
  21. ^ "Sydney Metro Bankstown Line Metro Upgrade gets green light". Transport for NSW. 19 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Rail line closure to force 100,000 commuters a day to catch buses". Sydney Morning Herald. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  23. ^ Sydenham to Bankstown Preferred Infrastructure Report Overview Archived 22 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Sydney Metro June 2018
  24. ^ O'Sullivan, Matt (10 April 2023). "'Nightmare': Residents enter fourth year of Metro pain as construction drags on". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
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