Illawarra railway line, Sydney

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Illawarra Line
Colour on map Blue
Year opened 1884
Line type Surface/Underground
Rolling stock S sets
T sets
G sets
Stations served 28
Length (km) 48.91
Depot(s) Mortdale
Journeys made Unknown (per week)

See also: Eastern Suburbs railway

The Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs Line is located in Sydney, Australia, in CityRail's metropolitan network, and has two branches, one to Cronulla and the other to Waterfall. The lines connects to CityRail's South Coast line at Waterfall at its southern end, and the Eastern Suburbs Line at its city end. These two lines are timetabled together, as all trains that run to the city use both lines.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Main Line Construction
1.2 Amplification and Electrification
1.3 Cronulla Branch Line
1.4 Eastern Suburbs Railway

2 Operation

2.1 Passenger Rail Operations

2.1.1 Historically
2.1.2 Current

2.2 Service

2.2.1 Peak Service
2.2.2 Off-Peak Service
2.2.3 Weekend Service

3 Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs Line stations

3.3 Eastern Suburbs Line
3.4 Illawarra Line

3.4.1 To Waterfall
3.4.2 To Cronulla

4 See also

History

Main Line Construction

The Illawarra Line was opened in stages progressively southward from Sydney between 1884 and 1893. The line was opened between a junction with the Main Southern Line at Eveleigh (Illawarra Junction) and Hurstville on 15 October 1884. The line reached Sutherland in December 1885 and Waterfall by March 1886. At the same time, a branch line was opened to the Royal National Park

The same line was extended to Wollongong in 1887 and reached its fullest extent of Bomaderry, across the Shoalhaven River from the town of Nowra, New South Wales in 1893. In recent times it has been common to refer to the section of the line outside of the Sydney Metropolitan Area (that is, the section served only by interurban passenger services) as the South Coast Line. This name applies to the line after Waterfall.

Amplification and Electrification

The line was constructed as double track between Illawarra Junction and Hurstville but single track thereafter. The line was duplicated between Hurstville and Sutherland, with the exception of the Como Bridge over the Georges River, in 1890 and southward from Sutherland past Waterfall to Wollongong progressively from 1915 to 1923. The section of track between Illawarra Junction and Hurstville was quadruplicated in 1923.

After duplication, Como Bridge was laid as gauntlet track until a new bridge was constructed, opening in 1972.

The Illawarra line was the first railway electrified in New South Wales - initially between Illawarra Junction (from St James) and Oatley. The first electric train ran on this line on 1 March 1926. By the end of 1926 the electric overhead had passed Sutherland and continued to the Royal National Park branch.

The line south of the Royal National Park was not electrified until the 1980s. The line was electrified to Waterfall in 1980 and continued to Wollongong in 1984. With the electrification to Waterfall, electric suburban trains terminated there instead of at Royal National Park. This led to a reduced service to this branch and its eventual closure in 1991.

Cronulla Branch Line

A single track steam tramway was constructed between Sutherland and the beachside locality of Cronulla in 1911. The tramway closed, however, due to financial mismanagement and the Great Depression, in 1931. As the tramway was constructed on an alignment that facilitated a conversion to heavy rail, the right of way was taken over by New South Wales Railways. The line was re-laid for heavy rail, electrified and a junction provided with the Illawarra Line at Sutherland in order to connect the hitherto isolated transport facility to the New South Wales railway network. The new Cronulla Branch line opened on 16 December 1939.

Eastern Suburbs Railway

Further information: History of the Eastern Suburbs Railway

As a result of a 1976 Legislative Assembly inquiry into the then under construction Eastern Suburbs Railway, it was resolved to fully integrate this railway with the Illawarra line. Whilst the Eastern Suburbs Railway opened between Central and Bondi Junction in 1979, it was not until 1981 that work was finished to integrate the lines.

Integration consisted of the construction of a double-track junction with the Illawarra Line at Erskineville approximately 3km south of Illawarra Junction, twin single track tunnels connecting to the Eastern Suburbs Railway platforms at Central, a set of underground platforms at Redfern Station and a turnback tunnel at Martin Place Station. The line between Erskineville junction and Central was termed the Illawarra Relief line.

Once integration was complete, most Illawarra line passenger services utilised the Illawarra Relief lines and proceeded onto the Eastern Suburbs Railway and Bondi Junction. The exception was interurban services which continued to terminate, mostly, at Central.

Operation

The Illawarra line carries mixed traffic of suburban, interurban and freight traffic. Only passenger services run on the Cronulla branch line and the Eastern Suburbs Railway. A large amount of coal and a lesser amount of other goods are transported by rail on the line daily. As in the rest of the CityRail area, freight trains are restricted from operating during peak periods. There may be up to 16 passenger trains per hour operating on the line during the peak.

Passenger Rail Operations

Historically

Historically, a passenger service was provided to the Sydney Terminal (Central) by steam locomotives. When the City Underground opened to St James in 1926, a new electric service was provided to run there.

With the completion of the City Circle in 1956, Illawarra Trains proceeded around the circle via St James instead of terminating there. Trains were then free to 'wander' the system - services from Cronulla would typically, for instance, travel to the city, traverse the City Circle and exit as a service to Hornsby via Strathfield!

Outer terminal stations for suburban trains were from 1926 Hurstville, Sutherland and Royal National Park. With the opening of the Cronulla branch, Cronulla become the forth major terminus. In 1980 Waterfall was electrified and this station took over from Royal National Park.

Interurban services, however, as they continued to be run, after 1926, by steam (and later, diesel) trains, did not enter the underground system. These services continued to terminate at Sydney Terminal. A new set of tunnels were constructed to permit these trains to access the correct platforms at Central. :Further information: Central Railway Station Configuration

Current

The current running operations for passenger services have remained generally unchanged since 1981 with the integration of the Illawarra line and the Eastern Suburbs Railway. Suburban services utilise Erskineville junction and proceed to Central and Bondi Junction. Initially a small number of Illawarra trains continued to use the City Circle, mostly in the early AM peak and late PM peak. As a part of the CityRail Clearways Project goal of increasing separation between lines ("sectorisation"), these services were removed in the July 2004 timetable.

Interurban services continue to terminate, for the most part, at Sydney Terminal. Since the electrification to Wollongong in 1984, electric interurban rolling stock have been used on the line. Since 1996 almost all interurban services on the line entering Sydney Terminal have been run by electric trains. As such it would be possible for these services to run parallel to suburban services and use the Eastern Suburbs Railway. To date only a small number of interurban services per day are scheduled to do this - most running to Martin Place, but some to Bondi Junction.

A possible reason for the continuing use of Sydney Terminal for interurban Illawarra services is that most interurban rolling stock (V sets) have narrow doors, rendering them unsuitable for crowded city underground platforms. All currently timetabled interurban services that use the underground stations are run by rolling stock with standard-width doors (G sets).

Under the May 2006 CityRail timetable, a regular peak period interurban service will run from Thirroul to Bondi Junction. Most other services will continue to terminate at Sydney Terminal, however.

Service

Trains on the line are timed to terminate and commence evenly at Bondi Junction as all suburban services run to/emanate from that station. All suburban services take every station on the Eastern Suburbs Railway as well as Sydenham, Rockdale, Kogarah, Hurstville and Sutherland (if they pass). Other stations receive a staggered service. The stopping pattern can be complex and irregular, so consulting the timetable[link] is a necessity.

Interurban services typically stop only at Hurstville and Sutherland.

Peak Service

The peak service on the line is approximately 12 suburban trains per hour and 4 interurban trains per hour. Of the suburban services, 4 services per hour run to/from Waterfall, 4 to/from Cronulla and 4 to/from Hurstville. This gives a combined frequency of 8 services per hour between Hurstville and Sutherland and 12 services per hour between Bondi Junction and Hurstville.

Off-Peak Service

The off-peak service is 6 suburban trains per hour and 1 interurban train per hour. Of the suburban services, 2 services run to/from Waterfall, 2 to/from Cronulla and 2 to/from Sutherland. This gives a combined frequency of 6 services per hour between Bondi Junction and Sutherland.

Weekend Service

The weekend services is 4 suburban trains per hour and 1 interurban train per hour. Of the suburban services, 2 services run to/from Waterfall and 2 to/from Cronulla. This gives a combined frequency of 4 services per hour between Bondi Junction and Sutherland.

Illawarra Line
Colour on map	Blue
Year opened	1884
Line type	Surface/Underground
Rolling stock	S sets T sets G sets
Stations served	28
Length (km)	48.91
Depot(s)	Mortdale
Journeys made	Unknown (per week)