Railway Facts And Figures

Victor P Taffa

Railway Planners and Politicians who do not know or ignore the Past cannot Plan for the Present let alone the Future.

Given what has gone on with closure of Branch Railways throughout New South Wales it would seem rather mad capped for the North West Railway Line under construction in Sydney not to extend to and beyond the Richmond Line.

 

Railway Lines should be built that extends to other lines with sets of points and cross-over tracks enabling services to terminate and traverse the line across Sydney and New South Wales.

Sydney and New South Wales only needs one heavy rail technology.

• Sydney Heavy Rail Network moves 1.2 Million people every weekday.
• An 8 Car Double Deck Train moves about 1,000 people.

When did the first railway line open in New South Wales?

The first line opened on 26 September, 1855 between Sydney and Parramatta.

Have the railways in New South Wales always been operated by the Government? Yes.

How many railway stations were there when the line opened in 1855? Six

• Sydney,
• Newtown,
• Ashfield,
• Burwood,
• Homebush,
• Parramatta.

Following the opening of the first line between Sydney and Parramatta on 26 September, 1855 when were other lines opened throughout the State?

ILLAWARRA LINE:                      Date Of Opening:

• Redfern to Hurstville               15 October 1884
• Then to Sutherland                  26 December 1885
• Waterfall                                     9 March 1886
• Wollongong                               21 January 1887
• Nowra                                         2 June 1893

SOUTHERN LINE:

• Granville to Liverpool              26 September 1856
• Then to Campbelltown             17 May 1858
• Picton                                           1 July 1863
• Moss Vale                                   2 December 1867
• Goulburn                                    27 May 1869
• Harden                                       12 March 1877
• Cootamundra                           1 November 1877
• Junee                                          6 July 1878
• Wagga Wagga                          1 September 1879
• Albury                                       3 February 1881

WESTERN LINE:

• Granville to Blacktown          4 July 1860
• Then to Penrith                      18 January 1863
• Mount Victoria                       1 May 1868
• Bowenfels                              18 October 1869
• Bathurst                                 4 April 1876
• Orange                                    19 April 1877
• Orange to Dubbo                  1 February 1881
• Then to Bourke                     3 September 1885
• Orange to Condobolin        1 March 1898
• Then to Broken Hill            15 July 1919

NORTHERN LINE:

• Strathfield to Hornsby         17 September 1886
• Then to Gosford                     16 January 1888
• Woodville Junction                15 August 1887
• Newcastle to East Maitland  30 March 1857
• Then to Maitland                    27 July 1858
• Singleton                                 7 May 1863
• Muswellbrook                        19 May 1869
• Tamworth                                14 October 1878
• Armidale                                  3 February 1883
• Wallan-garra                           16 January 1888
• Maitland to Taree                   4 February 1913
• Then to Kempsey                    27 November 1917
• Coffs Harbour                          30 August 1915
• Old Casino                               26 September 1910
• Casino (new)                           27 September 1930
• South Brisbane                       27 September 1930
• Old Casino to Lismore            15 May 1894
• Then to Murwillumbah            24 December 1894

AIRPORT LINE:

• Central to Wolli Creek             21 May 2000

BANKSTOWN LINE

• Sydenham to Belmore                15 October 1884-1 February 1895
• Belmore to Bankstown                1 February 1895-14 April 1909
• Bankstown to Regents Park        14 April 1909- 8 October 1924
• Regents Park to Cabramatta        11 November 1912-8 October 1924

CARLINGFORD LINE:

• Clyde to Camellia                        17 November 1888
• Camellia to Carlingford             20 April 1896

CRONULLA LINE:

• Sutherland to Cronulla             16 December 1939

EAST HILLS LINE:

• Turrella to East Hills                  21 September 1931
• East Hills to Glenfield                21 December 1987

EASTERN SUBURBS LINE:

• Redfern to Bondi Junction         23 June 1979

 EPPING-CHATSWOOD LINE:

• Epping to Chatswood                 23 February 2009

NORTH SHORE LINE:

• Hornsby to St. Leonards              1 January 1890
• Leonards to Milsons Point           1 May 1893
• Milsons Point to Wynyard            19 March 1932

OLYMPIC PARK LINE:

• Abattoirs                                           13 July 1911
• Lidcombe to Olympic Park            8 March 1998

RICHMOND LINE:

• Blacktown to Richmond               1 December 1864

SOUTH WEST LINE:

• Glenfield to Leppington                   8 February 2015

When did New South Wales lines extend close to State borders?

• Albury in 1881
• Wallan-garra in 1888
• Corowa in 1892
• Tocumwal and Mundindi in 1914
• Border Loop in 1930 and Boggabilla in 1932.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When was the first railway bridge over the Hawkesbury River built?

The contract was signed 24 May 1886, and the sinking of the first pier was started in December 1886, with the last one bottomed on 11 May 1888. The first span was floated in on 25 May 1888, and the last on 1 March 1889. After testing on 23 and 24 April, the bridge was opened on 1 May 1889.

When was the present Hawkesbury River Bridge built?

The bridge was designed, fabricated and erected by the then Department of Railways and opened on 1 July 1946.

When was the present Sydney Terminal Station opened?

The official opening was on Saturday 4 August 1906, and the station was opened to the public the following day.

When was Sydney Terminal Station completed?

When opened in 1906, the station building comprised only the platform and office buildings on the platform level. Work was begun on the main building in 1916 and completed in 1920.

When Sydney Terminal Station was opened in 1906, how did the number and length of its platforms compare with those of the old station?

The new station had 15 platforms varying in length from 175.8 m to 214.5 m with a total length of 2987.0 m; the old station had 13 platforms varying in length from 60.9 m to 188.9 m with a total length of 1767.8 m.

When were the Central Station and Sydney Terminal platforms first used by electric trains?

Central Station:

• Platforms 21 and 23 opened: 3 October 1926
• Platform 22 opened: 20 November 1926
• Platform 20 opened: 25 September 1927
• Platforms 17 and 19 opened: 24 March 1928
• Platforms 16 and 18 opened: 7 January 1929

Sydney Terminal Station:

• (Old) Platforms 18 and 19 on 1 March 1926
• Platforms 14 and 15 on 24 October 1926
• Platforms 12 and 13 on 23 September 1929
• Platform 11 on 9 October 1955
• Platforms 9 and 10 on 11 December 1955
• Platforms 5 to 8 on 5 July 1956
• Platforms 1 to 4 on 21 December 1956

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When did the first electric train operate in New South Wales?

On 1 March 1926, between St. James-Oatley, Sydney.

When was the electric service extended to other sections of the system?

• Oatley to Sutherland                                             16 August 1926
• Sydenham to Bankstown                                     24 October 1926
• Central to St. James                                              20 December 1926
• Sutherland to National Park                                 25 December 1926
• Milson’s Point (Old) to Hornsby                          15 August 1927
• Central to Homebush                                              27 August 1928
• Strathfield to Hornsby                                             21 January 1929
• Homebush to Parramatta                                        27 May 1929
• Granville to Liverpool                                               23 September 1929
• Lidcombe to Liverpool via Regents Park              2 December 1929
• Tempe to Kingsgrove                                                  21 September 1931
• Central to Wynyard                                                        28 February 1932
• Wynyard to Waverton                                                   20 March 1932
• Clyde to Rosehill                                                             12 December 1936
• Regents Park to Bankstown and Chullora Junction 2 July 1939
• Sutherland to Cronulla                                                    16 December 1939
• Kingsgrove to East Hills                                                 17 December 1939
• Parramatta to Blacktown                                                27 February 1955
• Blacktown to Penrith                                                        9 October 1955
• Wynyard to St. James via Circular Quay                     22 January 1956
• Penrith to Emu Plains                                                       18 October 1956
• Emu Plains to Valley Heights                                          23 October 1956
• Valley Heights to Katoomba                                             3 February 1957
• Katoomba to Mt. Victoria                                                    6 March 1957
• Victoria to Lithgow                                                                    9 June 1957
• Lithgow to Bowenfels                                                                 18 June 1957
• Canterbury to Flemington                                                          27 July 1957
• Sydney Yard to Darling Harbour                                              3 October 1957
• St. Mary’s to Ropes Creek                                                             6 November 1957
• Hornsby to Cowan                                                                          16 November 1958
• Cowan to Hawkesbury River                                                        12 April 1959
• Rosehill to Carlingford                                                                   9 August 1959
• Camellia to Sandown                                                                       10 August 1959
• Hawkesbury River to Gosford                                                      24 January 1960
• Canterbury to Rozelle Yard                                                            6 October 1967
• Pippita to Homebush Sale Yards                                               29 February 1968
• Liverpool to Campbelltown and Glenlee                                      6 May 1969
• Erskineville to Air Conditioned Train servicing Depot             15 November 1970
• Blacktown to Riverstone                                                                 18 May 1975
• Erskineville to Bondi Junction                                                       23 June 1979

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where was the first steam railway in Australia, and when was it opened?

Flinders Street to Port Melbourne, Victoria opened on 13 September 1854.

Where was the first steam railway in New South Wales, and when was it opened?

From Sydney to Parramatta and began on 26 September 1855.

Have any suburban station names changed? Yes.

Present Name                                    Previous Name

• Redfern                                                       Eveleigh
• Croydon                                                      Fivedock
• Strathfield                                                  Redmyre
• Lidcombe                                                   originally Haslem’s Creek then Rookwood
• Clyde                                                           Rosehill Junction, then Clyde and Clyde Junction
• Granville                                                     Parramatta, then Parramatta Junction
• Carramar                                                       South Fairfield
• Rydalmere                                                   Victoria Road
• Dundas                                                           Kissing Point Road
• Waverton                                                      Bay Road
• Wollstonecraft                                             Edward’s Road
• Turramurra                                                   Eastern Road
• Wahroonga                                                    Pearce’s Corner
• Dulwich Hill                                                 Wardell Road
• Hurlstone Park                                            Fern Hill
• Sydenham                                                    Marrickville
• Concord West                                             Concord
• West Ryde                                                     Ryde
• Eastwood                                                       Dundas
• Epping                                                           Carlingford
• Normanhurst                                                Hornsby
• Hornsby                                                        Hornsby Junction
• The Royal National Park                           National Park
• Riverwood                                                   Herne Bay
• Beverly Hills                                               Dumbleton
• Ingleburn                                                     Macquarie Fields
• Minto                                                          Campbell Fields
• St. Mary’s                                                   South Creek
• Werrington                                               Parkes
• Kingswood                                              Cross Roads

Which suburban stations have been moved from their former locations?

• Beecroft about 402 m north.
• Burwood across Burwood Road.
• Como 864 m south.
• Epping about 804 m south.
• Erskineville across Erskineville Road.
• Macdonaldtown across Burren Street.
• Mt. Druitt 575 m east.
• Newtown across King Street.
• St. Leonard’s across the Pacific Highway.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Has a station name been transferred? Yes.

Werrington was Parkes, but changed in March 1893, so that the name could be given to the larger and more important western centre of Parkes to which the line was opened on 18 December 1893.

Which are the longest platforms in New South Wales?

• Albury-460 metres.
• Cronulla-388 metres.
• Sydney No.1 Platform-370 metres.

When were double-decked carriages first introduced in New South Wales?

The first trailer carriage went into service in 1964 and the first power cars in 1968.

What Railway bills were put to Parliament and rejected?

Western Suburbs Railway

• The Western Suburbs Railway, running from Stanmore to Balmain to Wynyard Square including a high level bridge across Darling Harbour. Planned 1905, cost £3 million, put to State Parliament in 1915. Accepted but never acted on.

Northern Suburbs Railway

• The Northern Suburbs Railway running underground from the city to Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Mosman, Balmoral, Seaforth, Manly and Newport. Planned 1906, cost £2.75 million, accepted by Parliament in 1915 with work due to begin at the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The plan was set aside because of lack of funds.

North Western Railway

• The North Western Railway to go as far as South Ryde through Five Dock, Drummoyne and Gladesville. Put to Parliament in 1915 and rejected.

Hills Area Line

• The Hills area line from Westmead to Castle Hill. Proposed 1921 and built in 1923.It was closed in 1932 because of a lack of patronage.
• In 1927, the Railways surveyed a line from Eastwood through Carlingford, Baulkham Hills to Seven Hills. The plan was rejected. Also a line was surveyed from Carlingford through West Pennant Hills to Beecroft. This was also rejected.
• In 1927, a bill to construct a Railway from Eastwood to St. Leonard’s was rejected. The land set aside is now Epping Road.
• In 1928, two branch lines running from Eastwood through the present site of Macquarie University down through North Ryde and then splitting. One section joined the proposed Western Suburbs Railway and the other to join the Northern Suburbs. The plan was put to Parliament and rejected.
• In 1947, plans for seven new lines were put to Parliament including an amended version of the Eastern Suburbs Railway, a South-Eastern Suburbs Railway and a Western Suburbs line. These plans included stations at the Showgrounds, Centennial Park, Randwick, Bondi, the University of NSW and Kingsford. Another line was to run to Mascot Airport.

source: Transport Quiz 1978 Ed.

*Most of these statistics came from Transport Quiz, 1978 Ed however the relocation of St. Leonard’s station has been included based on knowledge of the writer.