Inner West & Leppington Line
Inner West & Leppington Line | |
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Overview | |
Service type | Commuter rail service |
Status | Operational |
Locale | Sydney, New South Wales |
Predecessor |
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First service | 26 November 2017 |
Current operator(s) | Sydney Trains |
Route | |
Termini | City Circle Leppington Parramatta |
Stops | 37 |
Average journey time | 1h 29m (Leppington to Museum) 59m (Parramatta to Museum) |
Line(s) used | |
On-board services | |
Disabled access | Yes |
Technical | |
Rolling stock | K, T, M, A and B sets |
Track gauge | Standard gauge |
Electrification | 1,500 V DC from overhead catenary[1] |
Track owner(s) | Transport Asset Holding Entity |
Timetable number(s) | T2 |
The Inner West & Leppington Line (numbered T2, coloured light blue) is a commuter rail service currently operated by Sydney Trains, serving the inner west and south-western regions of Sydney, Australia. Consisting of 37 stops, the service commences from the City Circle, then heads west to Granville. The line branches at this point; services either head northwest to Parramatta or south to Leppington. A third terminus at Homebush is used when the part-time Parramatta branch isn't operating. The line commenced operations on 26 November 2017, replacing the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line.
History
[edit]Following the 2011 state election, the newly elected O'Farrell government embarked on reform of transport in New South Wales, and created a new organisation, Transport for NSW, in November of that year. This was followed up with another government reform, which saw Sydney Trains take over operation of the Sydney suburban rail network from CityRail in July 2013.
Transport for NSW developed a new rail timetable and branding, which was put into effect on 20 October 2013. This saw three of CityRail's lines, the Airport & East Hills Line (Macarthur - City via Sydney Airport or Sydenham), the Inner West Line (Liverpool or Bankstown - City via Regents Park) and the South Line (Campbelltown - City via Granville), merged to form the Airport, Inner West & South Line. A new numbering system was also introduced and the new line was given the number T2. The 2013 timetable was designed to integrate the projects of the Rail Clearways Program, a 2004 plan to divide the network's fourteen metropolitan rail lines into five independent "clearways" by installing extra tracks, passing loops, turnouts and turnbacks at pinch points around the network.[2] By 2013, the Rail Clearways Program was substantially complete. At the same time, the delivery of 78 new Waratah trains was almost complete as well.[citation needed]
During the CityRail era, the Airport & East Hills Line was through-routed with the South Line, and the Inner West Line formed a loop with the Bankstown Line. A substantial change introduced by the 2013 timetable was the abolition of Bankstown loop services and most Liverpool via Regents Park services. These changes were made possible by Rail Clearways projects to construct new turnbacks at Homebush and Lidcombe. Such changes resulted in the West of Bankstown area experiencing significant transport disadvantage and has been one of the matters investigated by the NSW Legislative Council Inquiry into Current and future public transport needs in Western Sydney.[3]
These 2013 timetable changes allowed the operation of the Inner West and Bankstown lines to be separated as part of internal Transport for NSW plans to convert the Inner West Line from Central to Homebush and the Bankstown Line to Lidcombe/Cabramatta into rapid transit.[4] However, the changes attracted criticism due to the increased number of interchanges and increase in travel time for passengers for all stations between Carramar/Berala and Birrong[5][6] especially as proposed conversion of the Inner West Line and Bankstown Line west of Bankstown Station into rapid transit did not proceed.
The former T2 South Line added a branch to Leppington on 13 December 2015, replacing a temporary shuttle service to Liverpool.[7]
Current line
[edit]A new Sydney Trains timetable was introduced on 26 November 2017 and the former T2 line was split in two. The new T2 Inner West & Leppington Line consisted of services from Leppington to the city via Granville, with a branch to Parramatta being added. A new T8 Airport & South Line provided services from Macarthur to the city via Sydney Airport or Sydenham.[8] The new T2 was coloured light blue - a similar colour to CityRail's South Line. The T8 inherited the green line colour from the old T2, which was itself derived from the colour of CityRail's Airport & East Hills Line.[9]
T5 Cumberland Line services were modified to start and terminate at Leppington instead of Campbelltown,[10] leaving the section of the network between Glenfield and Macarthur served exclusively by services operating via the East Hills railway line.[10][11][12]
Future line
[edit]In 2020, Transport for NSW commenced planning for rail services west of Bankstown, including the release of an options paper indicating a preference for the return of the Liverpool to City via Regents Park service.[13] Transport for NSW later announced that upon the T3 Bankstown Line closure in mid-2024, the former Inner West Line service from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park and Lidcombe would be restored as the new T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line.[14] The existing T2 service would continue unaffected, though rebranded as the T2 Leppington & Inner West Line.
Route
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/T2_Sydney_Trains_diagram.png/350px-T2_Sydney_Trains_diagram.png)
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Services on the Inner West & Leppington Line commence by taking the City Circle (generally in an anti-clockwise direction) and then the Main Suburban railway line, on the local pair of tracks. At Homebush, trains on the "inner west" stopping pattern terminate. Services that proceed further west towards Parramatta to Leppington merge onto the suburban pair of tracks. At Granville, trains can take the Main Western line a short distance to Parramatta or the Old Main South railway line to a junction north of Cabramatta, then continuing onto the Main South railway line as far as Glenfield. At a junction south of Glenfield, services switch to the South West Rail Link to reach the terminus at Leppington. The following stations are served by T2 Inner West & Leppington Line trains:
- Museum, St James, Circular Quay, Wynyard, Town Hall and Central on the City Circle
- Redfern, Macdonaldtown, Newtown, Stanmore, Petersham, Lewisham, Summer Hill, Ashfield, Croydon, Burwood, Strathfield, Homebush, Flemington, Lidcombe, Auburn and Granville on the Main Suburban line
- Harris Park and Parramatta on the Main Western line
- Merrylands, Guildford, Yennora, Fairfield, Canley Vale, Cabramatta, Warwick Farm, Liverpool, Casula and Glenfield on the Old Main South and Main South lines.
- Edmondson Park and Leppington on the South West Rail Link
Services
[edit]The line usually runs on two stopping patterns. The first stopping pattern runs to Leppington, making limited stops between Redfern and Homebush, with the specific stopping pattern depending on the time of day. West of Homebush all trains make all stops, except for Clyde, where trains do not stop on weekends. The second stopping pattern makes all stops between Redfern and Homebush, with many weekdays trains continuing to Parramatta, making all stops. These two patterns both run at 4tph (trains per hour) during the off-peak, with additional services during the peaks. Additionally, there are express trains between Ashfield and the city during the morning peak.
Name | Code | Distance from Central [15][16][17][18][19] |
Opened [15][16][17][18][19] |
Railway line | Serving suburbs | Other lines |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City Circle – Granville | ||||||
Museum | MUS | 4.99 km | 1926 | City Circle | Sydney CBD | |
St James | STJ | 4.4 km | 1926 | |||
Circular Quay | CQY | 2.97 km | 1956 | Sydney CBD, The Rocks | ||
Wynyard | WYN | 2.05 km | 1932 | Sydney CBD, Barangaroo | ||
Town Hall | TWH | 1.18 km | 1932 | Sydney CBD | ||
Central | CEN | n/a | 1855 | Sydney CBD, Chippendale, Strawberry Hills, Ultimo, Surry Hills | ||
Redfern | REF | 1.30 km | 1878 | Main Suburban | Redfern, Waterloo | (peak only) |
Macdonaldtown | MAC | 2.48 km | 1892 | Macdonaldtown | none | |
Newtown | NTN | 3.1 km | 1855 | Newtown | ||
Stanmore | SMN | 4.67 km | 1878 | Stanmore | ||
Petersham | PSM | 5.50 km | 1857 | Petersham | ||
Lewisham | LWI | 6.25 km | 1886 | Lewisham | ||
Summer Hill | SMH | 7.03 km | 1879 | Summer Hill | ||
Ashfield | AFD | 8.38 km | 1855 | Ashfield | ||
Croydon | CYD | 9.42 km | 1875 | Croydon | ||
Burwood | BWD | 10.62 km | 1855 | Burwood | ||
Strathfield | STR | 11.81 km | 1876 | Strathfield | ||
Homebush | HSH | 12.74 km | 1855 | Homebush | none | |
Flemington | FMG | 14.32 km | 1924 | Homebush West | ||
Lidcombe | LDC | 16.61 km | 1858 | Lidcombe | ||
Auburn | AUB | 18.63 km | 1877 | Auburn | ||
Clyde
(weekdays only) |
CYE | 20.66 km | 1882 | Clyde | ||
Granville | GAV | 21.22 km | 1860 | Granville | ||
Granville – Parramatta | ||||||
Harris Park
(weekdays only) |
HPK | 22.53 km | c. 1800s | Main Western | Harris Park | |
Parramatta
(weekdays only) |
PAR | 23.21 km | 1860 | Parramatta | ||
Granville – Leppington | ||||||
Merrylands | MLN | 23.47 km | 1889 | Old Main South | Merrylands | |
Guildford | GUD | 25.72 km | 1876 | Guildford | ||
Yennora | YNN | 27.44 km | 1927 | Yennora | ||
Fairfield | FFL | 29 km | 1856 | Fairfield | ||
Canley Vale | CVE | 30.98 km | 1878 | Canley Vale | ||
Cabramatta | CAB | 28.43 km | 1870 | Main South | Cabramatta | |
Warwick Farm | WKF | 34.16 km | 1889 | Warwick Farm | ||
Liverpool | LPO | 38.68 km | 1856 | Liverpool | ||
Casula | CSL | 38.8 km | 1894 | Casula | ||
Glenfield | GFD | 41.93 km | 1869 | Glenfield | ||
Edmondson Park | 2015 | South West | Edmondson Park | |||
Leppington | 2015 | Leppington |
Patronage
[edit]The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Trains network for the year ending 30 June 2022.
41,980,000 | |
23,077,000 | |
11,198,000 | |
27,775,000 | |
3,503,000 | |
605,000 | |
16,879,000 | |
10,415,000 |
- ^ Figures based on Opal tap on and tap off data.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Asset Standards Authority (19 March 2014). RailCorp electrical system general description, version 1.0 (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Transport for New South Wales (15 August 2014). "Rail Clearways Program – completed projects". Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Bundle of documents relating to inquiry and T3 Sydenham to Bankstown metro conversion, tendered by Mr Royden Ng" (PDF). NSW Parliament - Inquiry into Current and future public transport needs in Western Sydney. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Saulwick, Jacob (6 October 2011). "Paris-style train plan for city". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Roydon Ng isn’t giving up on his year-long campaign to restore the Inner West line Archived 13 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Telegraph 14 January 2015
- ^ Beech, James (31 March 2015). "NSW Election 2015: Tania Mihailuk saves Bankstown for Labor and vows to fight state privatisation". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ "South West Rail Link: Soon to head North and East, with more services". Transport for NSW. Government of New South Wales. 15 October 2015. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Changes to Sydney's train network" (PDF). Transport for NSW. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "CityRail network" (PDF). Rail Corporation New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ a b "More Trains, More Services for South Western Sydney" (PDF). Transport for New South Wales. Government of New South Wales. 27 February 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ Barr, Eliza (27 February 2017). "Southwest Sydney train service to increase with new peak hour trains and north-south connection from Leppington to Parramatta and Blacktown". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Matt (27 February 2017). "Decision on rail link to new Sydney airport 'many years off', Transport Minister Andrew Constance says". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
- ^ "Planning for rail services west of Bankstown Station in 2024 | Your Say Transport for NSW". yoursay.transport.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ Southwest Link - Transport for NSW
- ^ a b "City Circle". NSW Rail.net. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Airport line". NSW Rail.net. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ a b "East Hills line". NSW Rail.net. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Main South line". NSW Rail.net. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ a b "South West Rail Link". NSW Rail.net. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Train Patronage – Monthly Figures". Transport for NSW. Retrieved 20 August 2022.