Special Sub-Topic: Sydney CityRail Authored by: minardifan Sub-topic of: Australian Railways

How many lines make up the Sydney Suburban CityRail network?

11. The CityRail Suburban network consists of 11 major lines encompassing most of the Sydney metropolitan area: Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line Bankstown Line Inner West Line Cumberland Line Airport and East Hills Line Southern Line North Shore Line Western Line Northern Line Carlingford Line Olympic Sprint Line There are constant rumours to expand the network, particularly into the densely populated Hills area by extending the Carlingford Line, but so far all promises and proposals have not come to fruition.

How many Intercity and Regional Lines are there?

5. There are Four InterCity and One Regional Line: South Coast Line Southern Highlands Line Blue Moutains Line Newcastle and Central Coast Line The Regional Hunter Line operates specifically out of Newcastle for areas of the Hunter Valley region.

Travelling west out of Redfern on the Inner West Line, how many stops are there before the next major destination of Strathfield?

9. Note to tourists - if travelling further than Strathfield in a westerly direction, do not get on one of these trains! First stop is Macdonaldtown, then Newtown, Stanmore, Petersham, Lewisham, Summer Hill, Ashfield, Croydon, Burwood then Strathfield.

How many stops make up the Carlingford Line?

7. Apart from the Olympic Spring Line, the Carlingford Line is the smallest in the entire network. Starting out from Clyde station, the first stop heading north is Rosehill (get off there for Rosehill Gardens racecourse) followed by Camellia, Rydalmere, Dundas, Telopea and finally Carlingford. The line consists only of a single line and trains only run about an average of one every 55 minutes out of Clyde. Better off driving!

If you were to travel to Richmond from the City, which is the final station you can change at if you are not on a direct Richmond train?

Blacktown. The Western Line splits at Blacktown, with trains either heading west to Penrith and the Blue Mountains, or north-west to Windsor and Richmond. Blacktown is the final place to be able to make a change, although experience shows it is much easier changing at Seven Hills as changing at Blacktown, if on a Penrith/Blue Mountains train, can be an absolute nightmare, usually involving missing the Richmond connection!

Which is the odd one out?

Beverly Hills. Beverly Hill is on the Airport and East Hills Line, which can depart from Macarthur/Campbelltown in the south and Town Hall in the city. The other three are on the Bankstown Line, which can depart from Liverpool/Lidcombe at the western end, and Town Hall in the city at the other end.

Newcastle and Central Coast trains head north to Newcastle via the North Shore line and Chatswood.

f. Newcastle and Central Coast line trains head west out of Central to Strathfield, then north to Epping and Hornsby, then up the coast past Gosford, Wyong, Fassifern to Newcastle. During peak hours, trains do travel as far north as Wyong and Gosford on the North Shore/Western Line.

Which station is not be regarded as part of the 'City Circle'?

Redfern. There are eight stations on the City Circle - Central, Town Hall, Wynyard, Circular Quay, Martin Palce, St. James, Museum and King's Cross. Most of these are within a short 10-15 minute walk of each other.

When was the CityRail network first established?

1855. The first railway in New South Wales was opened in 1855 when the first rail link was opened between Sydney and Parramatta. At that time Parramatta, now just a suburb of Sydney, was a major agricultural hub of Syndey town.

When was part of the Sydney CityRail network first electrified?

1926. CityRail began to electify the network as far back as 1926, the first being the line between Central and Oatley, on the Illawarra line some 20km frm the city. Soon most other lines were electrified and the last part to gain electicity was the dash between Dapto and Dapto. Diesel trains still operate on the Hunter Line and also on the South Coast Line from Kiama to Nowra.

How many stations make up the CityRail network?

301. 301 stations make up the CityRail network, the newest being the likes of Olympic Park and Domestic/International Airport stations, the oldest being the likes of Redfern and Parramatta. Currently, there are numerous proposals for the expansion of the network as Sydney continues to grow at pace, where by 2050 there could be over 400 stations servicing all areas of the Sydney Metropolitan area.

CityRail and the Sydney Rail Network are run by the State Government.

t. CityRail was set up by the Transport Administration Act (1988) in 1990 and is owned by the New South Wales State Government. CityRail is a product group of Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp), which is another state owned business. It's sister company is CountryLink, which operates rail services to regional centres of New South Wales and other State capitals, such as Melbourne and Brisbane.

When was present day Central Station opened?

1906. Central, also known as Sydney Terminal, is the largest station on the CityRail network. Nearly all suburban lines run through Central, and it is also the starting point for all InterCity trains heading to the furthest parts of the network. It was opened on August 4, 1906 and serviced its first train the very next day. Originally consisting of 15 platforms, the station has grown in an easterly direction and now consists of 27 platforms. Platforms 1 through to 15 are for CountryLink, InterCity and special trains to Olympic Park. Platforms 16 through to 25 are for the regular suburban rail traffic. Platforms 26 and 27 exist directly underneath 24 and 25, but are currently not in use and may be used for the new Redfern to Chatswood rail link. The station is also a major stopping point for the Sydney bus network and the local light rail service.

Approximately how big is the Sydney City Rail network in kilometres?

2,060. The Suburban and InterCity rail network total length is approximately 2,060km, making it one of the largest and most complicated rail systems in the world. It serves around 900,000 people daily.

What is the standard guage of the CityRail network?

1435mm. The standard guage for the CityRail network is 1435mm. This is the standard width for most of the world's rail systems