CityRail
Encyclopedia
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales
, Australia
. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney
, Newcastle
and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is also the name of the network on which the services run. It is part of the MyZone
ticketing system.
Construction of what is now the CityRail network began 3 July 1850. Today it consists of 307 stations and over 2060 km (1,280 mi) of track, extending to the upper Hunter Valley
, south to the Shoalhaven
area and reaching as far west as Lithgow. An average of 1 million trips are made from these metropolitan, intercity and regional stations each day.
Numerous new lines are proposed
each year with several in various stages of planning and construction. CityRail and Transport for New South Wales
are currently engaged in a process of "sectorisation", a project called "Rail Clearways
", in an effort to reduce its operational complexity.
Established under the Transport Administration Act (NSW) 1988 around 1990, CityRail is a "product group" of Rail Corporation New South Wales
(Railcorp), the state-owned corporation (SOC) that operates the New South Wales railways. It is a sister group of CountryLink
, which operates rail and coach services in regional New South Wales.
Most of the CityRail system is electrified with 1500 V DC
supplied by overhead wire and are operated by double-deck multiple unit
s. Some isolated sections outside the Sydney metropolitan area are operated by single-deck diesel railcars
.
In 2009 CityRail ran ten types of rolling stock, in two categories: electric multiple unit
s (EMUs) for suburban and interurban working, and diesel multiple unit
s (DMUs) for interurban and regional lines running through less populated areas. All CityRail electric trains use 1500 V DC overhead electrification and travel on 1435 mm standard gauge
tracks. All electric rolling stock has been double deck since the early 1990s.
The CityRail network is divided into three sectors, based around three maintenance depots. EMU trainsets are identified by target plates, which are exhibited on the front lower nearside of driving carriages. Target designations and set numbers are used in identifying EMU trainsets. The composition and formations of trainsets, and the target designations are subject to alteration. The target designation originally identified the depot at which a trainset was based, e.g. "M" for Mortdale, "F" for Flemington, "H" for Hornsby and "B" for Punchbowl (on the Bankstown line). However, the introduction of a variety of EMU types led to the target designation's use as a means of identifying the type of trainset, more like a vehicle or locomotive number. Hence, "M" is now used for the Millennium trainsets.
All double deck InterUrban (DDIU or V set) EMU trains, which operate on the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Central Coast, and South Coast lines, are serviced at Flemington Depot, and all M set and H set trains, which have a green target plate, are serviced at Eveleigh Maintenance Centre near Redfern station.
suburban train.
smartcard system. The transition is expected to take place by 2012.
Unlike the ticketing systems of other cities in Australia, most of CityRail's ticket prices are calculated on the distance travelled and are inexpensive by world standards.
Entry to privately owned train stations at Sydney Airport requires a Station Access Fee in addition to the train fare.
On-time running has improved since new timetables were introduced in 2005 and 2006. The newly introduced timetable increase the station dwelling time and increase the amount of time a train is expected to arrive at the destination. In April 2008, 99.6% of all services ran, and 92.6% of these services arrived within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time. However a 2007 report by Hong Kong's
Mass Transit Railway Corporation found that Sydney's train system reliability levels lagged behind international benchmarks.
* In peak hour on the North Shore line, some outer-suburban services run to Gosford and Wyong, and some Western Line services extend to Springwood.
In peak hour, some City Circle services run in the opposite direction than normal
Intercity lines are shown in grey on CityRail maps, with the line colour on the stations.
** Some peak services and most weekend services on the South Coast Line run to/from Bondi Junction, some on the Southern Highlands Line to/from Central
, and some on the Blue Mountains Line to/from Hornsby.
Southern Highlands services run to Central only in the morning and from Central in the afternoon and evening. At other times, a change of train is required at Campbelltown or Macarthur.
routes along corridors where the railway line has been closed to passengers. These bus services appear in CityRail timetables and accept CityRail tickets, but they are operated by private-sector bus companies contracted by CityRail. In 2006 these CityRail bus services are:
-style underground; suburban commuter rail and interurban.
Most intercity trains terminate at Central whereas all suburban (except Carlingford line) services will proceed through the City Circle
which is a loop of metro-style underground stations which receives a higher frequency of services although these services will still runs according to a timetable much like the rest of Cityrail network. Inner suburban areas will receive a higher frequency of services than outer suburban areas as some designated services will terminate at allocated stations midway through the line to cope with the higher urban density of inner-city suburbs.
There is evidence this hybrid arrangement was deliberate. The design of the early electric carriages was developed as a combination of the high-capacity, low-boarding time of the New York Subways trains and the existing English long carriage design that was established in Australia's long-haul steam train system. Those design principles have carried over to successive rolling stock.
CityRail also operates several interurban services that terminate at Central Station (though some services operate in the metro-style portions of the system in the peak hours). These lines stretch over 160 km (99 mi) from Sydney, as far north as Newcastle
, as far west as Lithgow
, as far south-west as Goulburn
and as far south as Kiama
and Port Kembla. Southern Highlands trains require a connection at Campbelltown as they run into the city during peak hours only.
Regional services operate from the terminus station at Newcastle
, with local electric services to the Central Coast and diesel services to Maitland
. After Maitland, the DMUs travel either to Scone
or Dungog
, but most terminate at Maitland or Telarah. Another regional service operates as part of the South Coast Line
, with DMUs between Kiama
and Bomaderry-Nowra
.
The hub of the CityRail system is Central Station
, where most lines start and end. Trains coming from the Airport and East Hills Line and Bankstown Line, after travelling anticlockwise on the City Circle
sometimes terminate upon arrival at Central and proceed to the Macdonaldtown Turnback. However, most trains continue on and become respective outward bound Inner West trains and South Line
trains. The reverse applies for trains coming from the Inner West and South Lines, which, if not terminating, become outward bound trains on the Airport and East Hills Line and Bankstown Line respectively. In the same manner, all trains from the Western Line
or Northern Line become North Shore line trains once they reach Central and vice-versa.
As well as the intercity services mentioned above, local services also run in the Newcastle
local area during off-peak times, as part of the Newcastle & Central Coast Line. Local services also run on the South Coast Line in the Wollongong
local area, usually between Thirroul and Port Kembla.
Due to the many differing types of stations that CityRail serves, their screens vary in form. In station where trains arrive at a higher frequency, 2 or more vertical LED screens are used on each platform to display the destination and arrival time whereas in low frequency areas 1 or 2 dual horizontal LED screens with a larger font is used. Manual destination indicator boards are still used in some lower patron stations but Cityrail staff will need to be present on the station to change the boards if necessary. In regional areas, a station may only rely on digital voice announcement for information on services. CBSM (Custom Built Sheet Metal) was responsible for the manufacture of many indicator board encasings.
CityRail's origins go as far back as 1855 when the first public railway in New South Wales opened between Sydney and Granville
, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales railways and was owned by the government. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning.
The State's railway system quickly expanded from the outset with lines radiating from Sydney and Newcastle into the interior of New South Wales, with frequent passenger railway services in the suburban areas of Sydney and Newcastle along with less frequent passenger trains into the rural areas and interstate. All services were powered by steam locomotives, though in the 1920s petrol railcars were introduced for minor branch lines with low passenger numbers, both in metropolitan Sydney and rural areas.
The CityRail system as it exists today is to some extent the result of the vision and foresight of John Bradfield, one of Australia's most respected and famous civil engineers. He was involved in the design and construction of Sydney's underground railways in the 1920s and 1930s, but he is more famous for the associated design and construction of Sydney's greatest icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge
.
Electrification came to Sydney's suburbs in 1926 with the first suburban electric service running between Sydney's Central Station and the suburb of Oatley approximately 20 km (12 mi) south of Sydney. In the same year, the first underground railway was constructed from Central Station to St James in Sydney's CBD . Electric trains that had previously terminated at the Central Station continued north, diving underground at the Goulburn Street tunnel portal, stopping at Museum underground station and then terminating at St James.
Other lines were soon electrified. Also, in conjunction with the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which opened in 1932, an additional underground line in downtown Sydney was constructed, connecting the North Shore line with Central Station via two downtown stations, Town Hall and Wynyard.
World War II interrupted programmes for further electrification, but an extensive electric network was in place in 1948.
and the New South Wales Department of Government Transport, which operated buses and ferries. It was broken up in 1980 into the State Rail Authority and Urban Transit Authority. CityRail was established in 1990 under the Transport Administration Act (NSW) 1988 as a business unit of State Rail.
and RailCorp have been questioned in regards to safety, training, a politically-motivated focus on punctuality, management and workplace culture, with strong criticism from Justice Peter McInerny in his inquiries into the accidents at Glenbrook
and Waterfall
. Transport is the third largest area of public expenditure in NSW, after health and education. A newspaper distributed to commuters, mX
, and the Sydney Morning Herald's "campaign for Sydney" kept transport at the top of the agenda ahead of the 2007 state election. In his 2003 interim report to the NSW Government, Tom Parry was highly critical of CityRail. "It is hard to believe that taxpayers or the state are getting the best possible value from the large amounts of money being spent each year," he wrote.
The safety of the CityRail network was called into question by two fatal accidents. The second Glenbrook train disaster
in 1999 killed seven people. In 2003, the Waterfall train disaster
killed six. Inquiries were conducted into both accidents. Official findings into the latter accident also blamed an "underdeveloped safety culture." There has been criticism of the way CityRail managed safety issues that arose, resulting in what the NSW Ministry of Transport called "a reactive approach to risk management."
CityRail has launched public information campaigns regarding railway trespassing, prams and strollers, and falling between the platform and the train.
s across the network. Most stations now have emergency "help points" to put passengers in immediate contact with authorities should an incident occur. All stations are covered by closed-circuit television
surveillance. However a large amount of graffiti is still evident on some trains and the depots.
In recent years, concerns over terrorism have played a role in the management of the network. CityRail and other public transport providers participate in an ongoing public terrorism awareness campaign, If you see something, say something, adapted from a similar campaign in New York
.
The CityRail network is undergoing a process of expansion in response to concerns that rail services are inadequate in Western Sydney. At present, Transport for New South Wales
is undertaking or planning several construction projects for CityRail. Currently under construction is the South West Rail Link which will extend the network to Leppington.
The Government of New South Wales
announced in 2003 that it intended to separate the existing CityRail lines into five independent lines with more reliable and frequent services. The project is called "Rail Clearways
", and the five new sectors are listed as the Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs Line, the Bankstown Line, the Campbelltown Express Line, the Airport & South Line and the North-West Lines.
There are plans to install ETCS across much of the network, starting with the Berowa-Wyong route in 2013.
Enthusiast
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is also the name of the network on which the services run. It is part of the MyZone
MyZone
MyZone is a public transport fare structure in the Greater Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. It covers transport on CityRail trains, the publicly-owned Sydney Buses network, private buses, and the publicly-owned Sydney Ferries network throughout the Sydney metropolitan area, as well as in...
ticketing system.
Construction of what is now the CityRail network began 3 July 1850. Today it consists of 307 stations and over 2060 km (1,280 mi) of track, extending to the upper Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
, south to the Shoalhaven
Shoalhaven
The City of Shoalhaven is a Local Government Area in south-eastern New South Wales , Australia, two hours south of Sydney. It is more or less conterminous with an area referred to as The Shoalhaven. It is on the Pacific Ocean and the Princes Highway and is the terminus of the South Coast line...
area and reaching as far west as Lithgow. An average of 1 million trips are made from these metropolitan, intercity and regional stations each day.
Numerous new lines are proposed
Proposed railways in Sydney
Various railway lines have been proposed for Sydney, Australia, including both heavy rail extensions to the existing network, and more recently proposals for metro style lines.-Bradfield railway scheme, 1920s:...
each year with several in various stages of planning and construction. CityRail and Transport for New South Wales
Transport for New South Wales
Transport for New South Wales is an agency of the Government of New South Wales created on 1 November 2011 to manage the transport services in state of New South Wales, Australia....
are currently engaged in a process of "sectorisation", a project called "Rail Clearways
CityRail Clearways Project
The CityRail Clearways Project is a $1.8 billion program of public works on Sydney's CityRail suburban railway network to "untangle" the excessively intertwined and complicated rail network...
", in an effort to reduce its operational complexity.
Established under the Transport Administration Act (NSW) 1988 around 1990, CityRail is a "product group" of Rail Corporation New South Wales
Rail Corporation New South Wales
Rail Corporation New South Wales is a statutory authority of the New South Wales government. RailCorp owns, operates and maintains the Sydney suburban and interurban rail network which is marketed under the CityRail brand; in addition to operating rural passenger services under the CountryLink...
(Railcorp), the state-owned corporation (SOC) that operates the New South Wales railways. It is a sister group of CountryLink
CountryLink
CountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
, which operates rail and coach services in regional New South Wales.
Most of the CityRail system is electrified with 1500 V DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
supplied by overhead wire and are operated by double-deck multiple unit
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
s. Some isolated sections outside the Sydney metropolitan area are operated by single-deck diesel railcars
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
.
Fleet
In 2009 CityRail ran ten types of rolling stock, in two categories: electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s (EMUs) for suburban and interurban working, and diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s (DMUs) for interurban and regional lines running through less populated areas. All CityRail electric trains use 1500 V DC overhead electrification and travel on 1435 mm standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
tracks. All electric rolling stock has been double deck since the early 1990s.
The CityRail network is divided into three sectors, based around three maintenance depots. EMU trainsets are identified by target plates, which are exhibited on the front lower nearside of driving carriages. Target designations and set numbers are used in identifying EMU trainsets. The composition and formations of trainsets, and the target designations are subject to alteration. The target designation originally identified the depot at which a trainset was based, e.g. "M" for Mortdale, "F" for Flemington, "H" for Hornsby and "B" for Punchbowl (on the Bankstown line). However, the introduction of a variety of EMU types led to the target designation's use as a means of identifying the type of trainset, more like a vehicle or locomotive number. Hence, "M" is now used for the Millennium trainsets.
| Sector # | Depot | Serviced lines | Target plate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mortdale | Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs, South Coast | Red |
| 2 | Flemington Flemington maintenance depot, Sydney The Flemington Maintenance Depot is the largest CityRail train depot, located in the western Sydney suburb of Flemington, New South Wales, Australia.... |
Cumberland, Airport and East Hills, Olympic Park Sprint, Carlingford, South, Bankstown, Inner West | Blue |
| 3 | Hornsby | North Shore, Northern, Western, Richmond, Newcastle, Blue Mountains, Central Coast | Black |
All double deck InterUrban (DDIU or V set) EMU trains, which operate on the Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Central Coast, and South Coast lines, are serviced at Flemington Depot, and all M set and H set trains, which have a green target plate, are serviced at Eveleigh Maintenance Centre near Redfern station.
New trains
There are two types of trains currently being delivered to CityRail. These are the OSCARS - a hybrid suburban / interurban train, and the WaratahCityRail A set
The CityRail A set or Waratah is a class of electric multiple unit operated by CityRail in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The train was named Waratah by the NSW Government after the flower of the same name, which is the state's floral emblem....
suburban train.
Ticketing
CityRail's current ticketing system is called the Automated Fare Collection System. Dating from 1992, is based on magnetic stripe technology and is interoperable with the government's buses and ferries. It is expected to be replaced by the contactless OpalOpal card
Opal is the name of the contactless smartcard ticketing system that is planned to be introduced on public transport in Sydney by 2012. The smart card is expected to replace the existing Automated Fare Collection System on all CityRail, Sydney Buses, Western Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries and...
smartcard system. The transition is expected to take place by 2012.
Unlike the ticketing systems of other cities in Australia, most of CityRail's ticket prices are calculated on the distance travelled and are inexpensive by world standards.
Entry to privately owned train stations at Sydney Airport requires a Station Access Fee in addition to the train fare.
Performance
According to the 2003 'Parry report', "The interaction of metropolitan, suburban, intercity and freight lines and services has resulted in an overly complex system." This complexity has contributed in part to the organisation being widely criticised for poor reliability and safety. CityRail is also enormously expensive. RailCorp requires a government subsidy of close to $1.8 billion a year, approximately 5% of the state budget and more than three times what it collects in fares. "There is an overwhelming sense," the report concluded, "that CityRail does not promote a real commitment to quality, customer focus and a service culture."On-time running has improved since new timetables were introduced in 2005 and 2006. The newly introduced timetable increase the station dwelling time and increase the amount of time a train is expected to arrive at the destination. In April 2008, 99.6% of all services ran, and 92.6% of these services arrived within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time. However a 2007 report by Hong Kong's
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Mass Transit Railway Corporation found that Sydney's train system reliability levels lagged behind international benchmarks.
Network
In 2009 CityRail operated 11 suburban lines, four intercity lines, and one regional line. The standard network map is shown here.Suburban lines
- - Between Bondi Junction and WaterfallWaterfall railway station, SydneyWaterfall railway station is a Sydney railway station serving the suburb of Waterfall, New South Wales and is the last stop of the suburban section of the Illawarra line. Waterfall station also provides access to Camp Coutts, a large Scout campsite. The station opened in 1886, moving to its present...
/Cronulla. - - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Liverpool/Lidcombe, via City Circle (clockwise) and Bankstown. - - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Bankstown/Liverpool, via City Circle (anticlockwise) and Strathfield. - - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Macarthur, via City Circle (clockwise) and Sydenham (peak) or Wolli Creek. - - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Campbelltown, via City Circle (anticlockwise) and Granville. - - Between Blacktown and Campbelltown.
- - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Emu Plains or RichmondRichmond railway station, Sydney-Transport links:Westbus:*677 - to Penrith*678 - to Penrith*679 - to University of Western Sydney*680 - between Windsor and Kurrajong*682 - to Glossodia and Freemans Reach...
. This includes the:-
- Richmond Line.
-
- - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Berowra (via Chatswood). - - Between Clyde and Carlingford.
- - Between Lidcombe and Olympic Park, extending to Central in off-peak and during special events.
- - Between EppingEpping railway station, SydneyEpping railway station is on the Northern Line of the CityRail network in Sydney, Australia. It serves the suburb of Epping, a significant commercial and residential area. Epping is a significant interchange station and is the western terminus of the Epping to Chatswood Line...
and Hornsby (via Macquarie Park, City and Strathfield).
* In peak hour on the North Shore line, some outer-suburban services run to Gosford and Wyong, and some Western Line services extend to Springwood.
In peak hour, some City Circle services run in the opposite direction than normal
Intercity services
- - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
** and Bomaderry (Nowra) or Port Kembla. - - Between Campbelltown** and Goulburn.
- - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
** and Lithgow. - - Between CentralCentral railway station, SydneyCentral Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
and Newcastle.
** Some peak services and most weekend services on the South Coast Line run to/from Bondi Junction, some on the Southern Highlands Line to/from Central
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
, and some on the Blue Mountains Line to/from Hornsby.
Southern Highlands services run to Central only in the morning and from Central in the afternoon and evening. At other times, a change of train is required at Campbelltown or Macarthur.
Regional services
- - Between Newcastle and Telarah, with less frequent services to Dungog or Scone.
Connecting bus services
CityRail operates several busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
routes along corridors where the railway line has been closed to passengers. These bus services appear in CityRail timetables and accept CityRail tickets, but they are operated by private-sector bus companies contracted by CityRail. In 2006 these CityRail bus services are:
- - Bowral to Picton via Thirlmere. weekdays only
- - Bundanoon/Bowral to Wollongong via Robertson.
- - Lithgow to Bathurst via Mt Lambie.
- - Fassifern to Toronto via Blackalls Park.
NightRide
To provide a passenger service between midnight and 5.00 am while leaving the tracks clear of trains for maintenance work, a parallel bus service was established in 1989. The NightRide operates typically at hourly intervals (some routes depart more frequently on weekends). NightRide services are run by private bus operators, and are identified by route numbers beginning with "N". All valid CityRail tickets for a destination (apart from single tickets) are accepted on NightRide services. Bus stops and railway stations do not always perfectly coincide, but there is a reasonable approximation on most routes.Network overview
The CityRail network is a hybrid of three different types of passenger railway: metroRapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
-style underground; suburban commuter rail and interurban.
Most intercity trains terminate at Central whereas all suburban (except Carlingford line) services will proceed through the City Circle
City Circle
The City Circle is a system of largely underground passenger railway lines located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that make up the heart of the Sydney passenger railway network. The lines are owned by RailCorp, a New South Wales government agency, and...
which is a loop of metro-style underground stations which receives a higher frequency of services although these services will still runs according to a timetable much like the rest of Cityrail network. Inner suburban areas will receive a higher frequency of services than outer suburban areas as some designated services will terminate at allocated stations midway through the line to cope with the higher urban density of inner-city suburbs.
There is evidence this hybrid arrangement was deliberate. The design of the early electric carriages was developed as a combination of the high-capacity, low-boarding time of the New York Subways trains and the existing English long carriage design that was established in Australia's long-haul steam train system. Those design principles have carried over to successive rolling stock.
CityRail also operates several interurban services that terminate at Central Station (though some services operate in the metro-style portions of the system in the peak hours). These lines stretch over 160 km (99 mi) from Sydney, as far north as Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, as far west as Lithgow
Lithgow, New South Wales
Lithgow is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the centre of the local political division City of Lithgow. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.Lithgow is...
, as far south-west as Goulburn
Goulburn, New South Wales
Goulburn is a provincial city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council Local Government Area. It is located south-west of Sydney on the Hume Highway and above sea-level. On Census night 2006, Goulburn had a population of 20,127 people...
and as far south as Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
and Port Kembla. Southern Highlands trains require a connection at Campbelltown as they run into the city during peak hours only.
Regional services operate from the terminus station at Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, with local electric services to the Central Coast and diesel services to Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
. After Maitland, the DMUs travel either to Scone
Scone, New South Wales
Scone is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, Scone had a population of 4,624 people. It is located on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook about 270 kilometres north of Sydney, and is part of the Hunter and Upper...
or Dungog
Dungog, New South Wales
Dungog is a country town on the Williams River in the upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia. Located in the middle of dairy and timber country, it is the centre of the Dungog Shire Local Government Area and at the 2006 census it had a population of 2,102 people. The area includes the...
, but most terminate at Maitland or Telarah. Another regional service operates as part of the South Coast Line
South Coast railway line, New South Wales
The South Coast Line is in the intercity region of Sydney's CityRail services. It serves the coastal region to the south of the Sydney metropolitan area including the Illawarra region, most notably the regional city of Wollongong, and extended services reach as far as Nowra in Shoalhaven.- Line...
, with DMUs between Kiama
Kiama, New South Wales
-Transport:The town is served by Kiama Station on the South Coast Line. It is served by road in the form of the Princes Highway and the Kiama Bypass.-Attractions:...
and Bomaderry-Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
.
Central railway station, Sydney
Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...
, where most lines start and end. Trains coming from the Airport and East Hills Line and Bankstown Line, after travelling anticlockwise on the City Circle
City Circle
The City Circle is a system of largely underground passenger railway lines located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that make up the heart of the Sydney passenger railway network. The lines are owned by RailCorp, a New South Wales government agency, and...
sometimes terminate upon arrival at Central and proceed to the Macdonaldtown Turnback. However, most trains continue on and become respective outward bound Inner West trains and South Line
South railway line, Sydney
The South Line is a railway line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and is part of the CityRail suburban network...
trains. The reverse applies for trains coming from the Inner West and South Lines, which, if not terminating, become outward bound trains on the Airport and East Hills Line and Bankstown Line respectively. In the same manner, all trains from the Western Line
Western railway line, Sydney
The Western Line is part of the CityRail metropolitan rail network in Sydney, and is the suburban section of the Main West line which connects Sydney with the west of New South Wales. It connects the Sydney CBD to the employment centre of Parramatta and the outer western suburbs, terminating at Emu...
or Northern Line become North Shore line trains once they reach Central and vice-versa.
As well as the intercity services mentioned above, local services also run in the Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
local area during off-peak times, as part of the Newcastle & Central Coast Line. Local services also run on the South Coast Line in the Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
local area, usually between Thirroul and Port Kembla.
Passenger Information Systems
The majority of CityRail stations are well equipped with electronic passenger destination indicator boards. These provide information on the current time, next three available services, time due to arrival, destination route and the number of train carriages available. Systems at Central station also produce a visual alert to passengers of train doors about to close during peak hour.Due to the many differing types of stations that CityRail serves, their screens vary in form. In station where trains arrive at a higher frequency, 2 or more vertical LED screens are used on each platform to display the destination and arrival time whereas in low frequency areas 1 or 2 dual horizontal LED screens with a larger font is used. Manual destination indicator boards are still used in some lower patron stations but Cityrail staff will need to be present on the station to change the boards if necessary. In regional areas, a station may only rely on digital voice announcement for information on services. CBSM (Custom Built Sheet Metal) was responsible for the manufacture of many indicator board encasings.
History
Granville, New South Wales
Granville, is a suburb in western Sydney, Australia. Granville is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. A small part in the north-west is located in the Local Government Area of the City of Holroyd.South Granville is a...
, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales railways and was owned by the government. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning.
The State's railway system quickly expanded from the outset with lines radiating from Sydney and Newcastle into the interior of New South Wales, with frequent passenger railway services in the suburban areas of Sydney and Newcastle along with less frequent passenger trains into the rural areas and interstate. All services were powered by steam locomotives, though in the 1920s petrol railcars were introduced for minor branch lines with low passenger numbers, both in metropolitan Sydney and rural areas.
The CityRail system as it exists today is to some extent the result of the vision and foresight of John Bradfield, one of Australia's most respected and famous civil engineers. He was involved in the design and construction of Sydney's underground railways in the 1920s and 1930s, but he is more famous for the associated design and construction of Sydney's greatest icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
.
Electrification
New South Wales uses an overhead electrification system at 1 500 volts direct current. Whilst inferior to and more expensive than modern single phase alternating current equipment, it was in vogue during the 1920s and is generally sufficient for the operation of electric multiple unit trains. However, the introduction of powerful electric locomotives in the 1950s, followed by the Millennium Train in 2002, revealed drawbacks in this antiquated system of electrification. As the voltage is relatively low, high currents are required to supply a given amount of power, which necessitates the use of very heavy duty cabling and substation equipment. Until the retirement of electric locomotives from freight service, it was often necessary to observe a "power margin" to ensure that substations were not overloaded. This situation was similar to that which applied to The Milwaukee Road's 3 000 VDC electrification. Plans to electrify the Hunter Valley at 25 kV alternating current were abandoned in the 1990s. With private freight operation favouring diesel haulage, it is unlikely that the electrification will extend beyond its present outer-metropolitan limits in the foreseeable future.Electrification came to Sydney's suburbs in 1926 with the first suburban electric service running between Sydney's Central Station and the suburb of Oatley approximately 20 km (12 mi) south of Sydney. In the same year, the first underground railway was constructed from Central Station to St James in Sydney's CBD . Electric trains that had previously terminated at the Central Station continued north, diving underground at the Goulburn Street tunnel portal, stopping at Museum underground station and then terminating at St James.
Other lines were soon electrified. Also, in conjunction with the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which opened in 1932, an additional underground line in downtown Sydney was constructed, connecting the North Shore line with Central Station via two downtown stations, Town Hall and Wynyard.
World War II interrupted programmes for further electrification, but an extensive electric network was in place in 1948.
Structure
The Public Transport Commission of New South Wales was created in 1972 by the merger of the Department of Railways, New South WalesNew South Wales Government Railways
The New South Wales Government Railways was the government department that operated the New South Wales Government's railways until the establishment of the Public Transport Commission in 1972. Although later known officially as the Department of Railways, New South Wales, it was still generally...
and the New South Wales Department of Government Transport, which operated buses and ferries. It was broken up in 1980 into the State Rail Authority and Urban Transit Authority. CityRail was established in 1990 under the Transport Administration Act (NSW) 1988 as a business unit of State Rail.
Challenges
The quality of the rail system is a matter of considerable political sensitivity. The performance of StateRailNew South Wales State Rail Authority
The State Rail Authority was the government authority responsible for the operation and maintenance of railways in the Australian state of New South Wales between 1980 and 2003.-History:...
and RailCorp have been questioned in regards to safety, training, a politically-motivated focus on punctuality, management and workplace culture, with strong criticism from Justice Peter McInerny in his inquiries into the accidents at Glenbrook
Glenbrook train disaster
The Glenbrook rail accident occurred on 2 December 1999 at 8:22 am in New South Wales, Australia, in which seven passengers were killed and 51 passengers were transported to hospital with injuries. The accident occurred when an interurban train collided with the rear wagon of the Indian Pacific...
and Waterfall
Waterfall train disaster
The Waterfall rail accident was a train accident that occurred on 31 January 2003 near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia. The train derailed, killing seven people aboard, including the train driver.-Incident:...
. Transport is the third largest area of public expenditure in NSW, after health and education. A newspaper distributed to commuters, mX
MX (newspaper)
mX is an Australian free afternoon daily newspaper in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, owned and produced by News Limited. Targeted at commuters, its main channels of distribution are inner-city railway stations, tram and bus stops, and major CBD intersections.-Beginnings:The first mX...
, and the Sydney Morning Herald's "campaign for Sydney" kept transport at the top of the agenda ahead of the 2007 state election. In his 2003 interim report to the NSW Government, Tom Parry was highly critical of CityRail. "It is hard to believe that taxpayers or the state are getting the best possible value from the large amounts of money being spent each year," he wrote.
Safety
Glenbrook train disaster
The Glenbrook rail accident occurred on 2 December 1999 at 8:22 am in New South Wales, Australia, in which seven passengers were killed and 51 passengers were transported to hospital with injuries. The accident occurred when an interurban train collided with the rear wagon of the Indian Pacific...
in 1999 killed seven people. In 2003, the Waterfall train disaster
Waterfall train disaster
The Waterfall rail accident was a train accident that occurred on 31 January 2003 near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia. The train derailed, killing seven people aboard, including the train driver.-Incident:...
killed six. Inquiries were conducted into both accidents. Official findings into the latter accident also blamed an "underdeveloped safety culture." There has been criticism of the way CityRail managed safety issues that arose, resulting in what the NSW Ministry of Transport called "a reactive approach to risk management."
CityRail has launched public information campaigns regarding railway trespassing, prams and strollers, and falling between the platform and the train.
Crime and terrorism
Crime committed on railway property has decreased by 32.9% since 2002, which RailCorp attributes to the deployment of some 600 Transit OfficerRailCorp Transit Officer
A Transit Officer is the primary security and law enforcement officer for RailCorp train services in New South Wales, Australia. Transit Officers conduct uniformed and plain-clothes patrols on CityRail and CountryLink train services and are assigned to ensure the safety and security of passengers,...
s across the network. Most stations now have emergency "help points" to put passengers in immediate contact with authorities should an incident occur. All stations are covered by closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
surveillance. However a large amount of graffiti is still evident on some trains and the depots.
In recent years, concerns over terrorism have played a role in the management of the network. CityRail and other public transport providers participate in an ongoing public terrorism awareness campaign, If you see something, say something, adapted from a similar campaign in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Overloading
In 2008 overloading of trains was found by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal to be a significant cause of delays. Ten of the 13 lines have peak loads over 135% of capacity, and three in ten trains during the morning peak are officially overcrowded.Public perception
One result of CityRail's increasing problems has been a sharp rise in public complaints and attacks against staff, with a Boston Consulting Group report claiming staff were actively hiding from irate customers wishing to complain about the service. The highly negative public perception of transit officers acting as ticket inspection officers and charging significant on-the-spot fines has also led to the organisation introducing anti-spitting fines and signage requesting commuters not abuse staff.Future development
Transport for New South Wales
Transport for New South Wales is an agency of the Government of New South Wales created on 1 November 2011 to manage the transport services in state of New South Wales, Australia....
is undertaking or planning several construction projects for CityRail. Currently under construction is the South West Rail Link which will extend the network to Leppington.
The Government of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
announced in 2003 that it intended to separate the existing CityRail lines into five independent lines with more reliable and frequent services. The project is called "Rail Clearways
CityRail Clearways Project
The CityRail Clearways Project is a $1.8 billion program of public works on Sydney's CityRail suburban railway network to "untangle" the excessively intertwined and complicated rail network...
", and the five new sectors are listed as the Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs Line, the Bankstown Line, the Campbelltown Express Line, the Airport & South Line and the North-West Lines.
There are plans to install ETCS across much of the network, starting with the Berowa-Wyong route in 2013.
Timeline of Major Changes to CityRail since 2000
- May 2000: New timetable rerouting East Hill trains to Airport line. Airport line opens.
- July 2002: Millennium trains are entered into service operating on the Airport & East Hills, South, Bankstown, & Inner West Lines. This is the first CityRail train to have new features: CCTV security cameras, Automatic DVAs, Wheelchair Ramps and indicator boards.
- September 2005: New timetable for all lines.
- May 2006: New timetable for Eastern Suburbs, Illawarra and South Coast Line, including revised changes on all lines.
- November 2006: Hunter Railcars are entered into service.
- December 2006: Oscars are entered into service starting with the South Coast Line.
- 2007-2008: DVAs are introduced on all trains waiting for the doors to close with the catch-phrase "Doors closing, please stand clear".
- December 2007: Oscars expanded its service on the Central Coast Line via North Shore Line.
- February 2009: Epping to Chatswood line opens with shuttle services.
- October 2009: New timetable, Epping to Chatswood line integrated to the Northern Line. CityRail launches the Revesby, Chatswood and Epping terminus, Oscars expanded its off-peak service with K-Sets on the Northern Line as a replacement to Tangaras which are abandoned from the Epping to Chatswood Line due to steepness and also the R & S Sets because of noisiness of the tunnel.
- 2010: Until early 2010 Cityrail train drivers were required to sound the horn upon departing platforms, but after numerous complaints, this practise was dropped.
- April 2010: MyZone fare system implemented in Cityrail, NSW public bus and ferry system.
- October 2010: New timetable for Eastern Suburbs, Illawarra and South Coast Line (Which includes extra services to Cronulla, extra weekend services for the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra, & South lines as well as more direct fast weekend services between Kiama and Bondi Junction on the South Coast line) including revised changes on all lines.
- July 2011: The first of the Waratah trains entered service. Waratah trains will continue to replace L,R,S set carriages until 2014.
See also
- List of Sydney railway stations
- Metro Light RailMetro Light RailThe Metro Light Rail is the only currently operating light rail line in Sydney. The line opened on 31 August 1997, mostly along the route of an unused goods railway line, to serve the redeveloped inner-city areas of Darling Harbour, Ultimo and Pyrmont, and was extended in 2000 to serve some of...
- Metro Monorail
- Railways in SydneyRailways in SydneySydney, the largest city in Australia, has an extensive network of passenger and freight railways. The passenger network is a hybrid metro-suburban railway with a central underground core running at metro style frequencies, which branches out into a suburban commuter type network...
- Southern Sydney Freight LineSouthern Sydney Freight LineThe Southern Sydney Freight Line is a railway line under construction in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. At present, a curfew for non-passenger trains operates in the suburban area during peak hours, restricting the movement of freight to off-peak periods...
- Sydney underground railwaysSydney underground railwaysSydney, Australia has several sections of underground railway. These sections of railway are extensions of suburban main line services and are not a completely segregated true metro system. The underground sections, especially the City Circle, typically have frequent services...
Other references
- RailCorp 2009-2010 Annual Report
- Interim Report of the Ministerial Inquiry into Sustainable Transport in New South Wales
- Details and map of Clearways
- North West Rail Link
- South West Rail Link
- Christie Report - Long Term Strategic Plan for Rail.
- NSW Audit Office: Managing Disruption to CityRail services.
External links
Official- CityRail - CityRail Website
- CityRail's Fleet - CityRail webpage of its rolling stock.
- RailCorp Homepage
- Rail Infrastructure Corporation
- State Transit Authority
Enthusiast
- Railpage Australia - General news and discussion about Australian railways.
- Sydney Electric Train Society (SETS) Incorporated - Established in 1991 for the preservation and operation of Sydney's vintage single deck electric trains and electric locomotives 4615 and 8606.
- Trendy's Trainpage - Facts and photos of the trains and railways of Sydney, Australia
- The Intercity Platform - Images (and videos) of the CityRail Fleet.
- Historical NSW Rail Timetables- Historical Sydney Railway Timetables