South West railway line, Sydney
Encyclopedia
The South West Rail Link is an extension of the CityRail
commuter rail network in Sydney
, Australia
. It is currently under construction and is intended to be the major piece of public transport infrastructure for the Sydney metropolitan area's "South West Growth Centre". When complete, it will consist of a 11.4 km (7.1 mi), double-track railway serving the developing suburbs of Leppington and Edmondson Park. The new line will connect with the existing CityRail network at Glenfield
and will also include a train stabling facility to the west of Leppington station. The project is being managed by Transport for New South Wales
, an agency of the Government of New South Wales
.
in 2005, along with the North West Rail Link
and the CBD rail link. The three projects were to be integrated into a single operational sector, with trains from the south west running to the north west via the CBD Link. The other two components of the MREP were cancelled in 2008, but the South West Rail Link remained on the government's agenda. Plans for the North West Rail Link were resurrected in 2010, though it will now form part of the existing north west sector.
In March 2008, the then-NSW Premier Morris Iemma
indicated that construction would begin in 2009, with completion scheduled for 2012. By October of that year the government had decided that delivery of the project would be divided into two stages. Stage one would comprise preliminary work around Glenfield railway station
, and stage two would comprise the actual extension of the rail network to Leppington.; stage two was deferred due to budget cuts. On 14 November 2009, the then-New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees
announced that construction of stage two of the South West Rail Link would begin in mid-2010, with completion scheduled for 2016.
and includes:
Once work at Glenfield is complete, platforms 1 and 2 will serve up Leppington and Macarthur trains respectively, platforms 3 and 4 will serve down Macarthur and Leppington trains respectively. This will enable cross-platform transfers for many interchanging passengers.
Stage two includes extending the railway line westward towards Leppington. This involves:
Stage two received planning approval on 18 November 2010. On 7 December 2010, then-NSW Premier Kristina Keneally
announced that a contract for design and construction of stage two had been awarded to the John Holland Group.
The Auburn stabling project will provide additional capacity to stable trains.
CityRail
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...
commuter rail network in 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...
, 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 currently under construction and is intended to be the major piece of public transport infrastructure for the Sydney metropolitan area's "South West Growth Centre". When complete, it will consist of a 11.4 km (7.1 mi), double-track railway serving the developing suburbs of Leppington and Edmondson Park. The new line will connect with the existing CityRail network at Glenfield
Glenfield, New South Wales
Glenfield is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Glenfield is located 40 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Campbelltown and the City of Liverpool...
and will also include a train stabling facility to the west of Leppington station. The project is being managed by 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....
, an agency of the Government of New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
.
Conception
The South West Rail Link was originally part of the Metropolitan Rail Expansion Program (MREP) proposed by then-NSW Premier Bob CarrBob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
in 2005, along with the North West Rail Link
North West railway line, Sydney
North West Metro was a proposal for a rail link from the north west suburbs of Sydney, Australia to the Sydney CBD. It would have connected Rouse Hill with Epping and the Sydney CBD...
and the CBD rail link. The three projects were to be integrated into a single operational sector, with trains from the south west running to the north west via the CBD Link. The other two components of the MREP were cancelled in 2008, but the South West Rail Link remained on the government's agenda. Plans for the North West Rail Link were resurrected in 2010, though it will now form part of the existing north west sector.
In March 2008, the then-NSW Premier Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma
Morris Iemma , is a former Australian politician and 40th Premier of New South Wales, succeeding Bob Carr after he resigned on 3 August 2005. Iemma led the Australian Labor Party to victory in the 2007 election before resigning as Premier on 5 September 2008, and as a Member of Parliament on 19...
indicated that construction would begin in 2009, with completion scheduled for 2012. By October of that year the government had decided that delivery of the project would be divided into two stages. Stage one would comprise preliminary work around Glenfield railway station
Glenfield railway station, Sydney
Glenfield railway station is an important junction station serving the small Sydney suburb of Glenfield. To the north of the station is a junction between the Main South line and the East Hills Line. To the south, a junction between the Main South and South West lines will be constructed. The...
, and stage two would comprise the actual extension of the rail network to Leppington.; stage two was deferred due to budget cuts. On 14 November 2009, the then-New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees
Nathan Rees MP, , an Australian politician, was the 41st Premier of New South Wales and parliamentary leader of the New South Wales division of the Australian Labor Party from September 2008 to December 2009...
announced that construction of stage two of the South West Rail Link would begin in mid-2010, with completion scheduled for 2016.
Stage one
Planning approval for stage one of the project was received in April 2009. This stage involves preliminary work to support the new line. It is centred around Glenfield stationGlenfield railway station, Sydney
Glenfield railway station is an important junction station serving the small Sydney suburb of Glenfield. To the north of the station is a junction between the Main South line and the East Hills Line. To the south, a junction between the Main South and South West lines will be constructed. The...
and includes:
- A ground-level car park at Seddon Park on the eastern side of the station. Construction commenced in May 2009 and was completed in October 2009.
- A multi-storey car park on the western side of the station. Construction commenced in November 2009 and was completed in September 2010.
- The northern rail flyover. This replaces the flat junctionDouble junctionA double junction is a railway junction where a double track railway splits into two double track lines. Usually, one line is the main line and carries traffic through the junction at normal speed, while the other track is a branch line that carries traffic through the junction at reduced speed.A...
between the Main South lineMain Southern railway line, New South WalesThe Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...
and the East Hills line with a grade-separated junctionFlying junctionA flying junction or flyover is a railway junction at which one or more diverging or converging tracks in a multiple-track route cross other tracks on the route by bridge to avoid conflict with other train movements. A more technical term is "grade-separated junction"...
. Construction commenced in June 2010. - An upgrade of Glenfield railway station including a new overhead concourse to replace the existing footbridge, and construction of a new platform. As part of this work, the existing platform 1 will change from a side turnback to a through platform. Construction commenced in late 2010.
- A bus interchange.
Once work at Glenfield is complete, platforms 1 and 2 will serve up Leppington and Macarthur trains respectively, platforms 3 and 4 will serve down Macarthur and Leppington trains respectively. This will enable cross-platform transfers for many interchanging passengers.
Stage two
- A rail flyover on the south side of Glenfield railway station which will take the new line over the Main South lineMain Southern railway line, New South WalesThe Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...
and the 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...
. Construction commenced in 2011. - 11.4 kilometres of new double track from Glenfield to Leppington.
- A new station and car park at Edmondson Park.
- A new station and car park at Leppington.
- A new train stabling facility to the west of Leppington with a capacity of 20 8-car trainsets.
Stage two received planning approval on 18 November 2010. On 7 December 2010, then-NSW Premier Kristina Keneally
Kristina Keneally
Kristina Kerscher Keneally MP, is an Australian politician and was the 42nd Premier of New South Wales. She was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales and thus Premier in 2009, but went on to lose government to the Liberal/National Coalition at the March 2011 state election...
announced that a contract for design and construction of stage two had been awarded to the John Holland Group.
Associated projects
Two associated projects are being developed to support the new line. The East Hills line's Kingsgrove to Revesby quadruplication rail clearways project will improve capacity by separating express services to Leppington or Macarthur from all-stops services to Revesby.The Auburn stabling project will provide additional capacity to stable trains.
External links
- South West Rail Link
- Flyover video of stage two
- South West Rail Link Overview Report NSW Department of Planning (May 2005)
- TIDC: South West rail link project profile