CityRail Clearways Project
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The CityRail Clearways Project is a $1.5 billion dollar program of public works on Sydney's CityRail suburban railway network to "untangle" the excessively intertwined and complicated rail network. The NSW Government has suffered politically for what has been perceived as mishandling of the Sydney rail network - which has suffered poor on time performance since the Waterfall train disaster. The safety regime introduced after this crash required drivers to stick to the speed limit, which often caused delays due to the expectations of the timetable for higher speeds. A new slower timetable was introduced in September 2005, and the clearways plan is intended to be the next step in improving on time performance.
Currently, delays on one part of the system can affect trains in a completely different section of the network, due to the heavily interwoven system in which infrastructure, carriages and services are shared between lines. The Clearways project aims to divide the network's fourteen metropolitan rail lines into five independent "clearways". This is intended to isolate incidents to one part of the network so other clearways will still run as scheduled, increasing on time performance.
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[edit] Clearways routes
The five clearways routes proposed are designed to improve capacity and help isolate operating problems. These routes are:
[edit] Clearway 1: Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra
This route will not change from the current Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line. But the projects being undertaken here are being done to increase capacity.
[edit] Clearway 2: Bankstown
After the Airport line was opened in 2000, many East Hills trains went via the Airport to the city, easing congestion on the section between Sydenham and Erskineville, shared with the Bankstown line. Currently (2006) almost all East Hills trains run via the Airport. When the Campbelltown express clearway opens, trains from that line will again come via Sydenham. This requires dedicated tracks for the Bankstown line between Sydenham and Erskineville. St Peters and Erskineville railway stations will be continue to be served by the Bankstown line and will require new platforms. A new platform will also be constructed at Lidcombe, separating the Bankstown line's operations from the Inner West line which will be truncated to Homebush.
[edit] Clearway 3: Campbelltown Express
The Campbelltown express will separate the section of the East Hills line west of Revesby from the rest of that line by quaduplicating between Kingsgrove and Revesby. This will allow the ability to have express services to the City. Doing this will relieve pressure on other parts of the network and will improve passenger satisfaction because of the distribution of passengers. Trains will go from Macarthur through to Revesby then express through to the City Circle and back again.
[edit] Clearway 4:Airport and South
The Airport and South line will replace the Inner West, East Hills and Airport, and South lines. Trains will begin at Glenfield and make their way through Liverpool, Cabramatta, Granville, Lidcombe and Strathfield stations to the City Circle, then head south-west via the Airport to Revesby (running parallel with the Campbelltown Express line from Wolli Creek to Revesby). A turnback line, along with a new platform, is to be constructed at Revesby station.
[edit] Clearway 5:North West
Combining the North Shore, Northern and Western lines, as well as the currently under construction Epping to Chatswood line, the North West line will improve reliability and capacity. Trains from the west will start at either Richmond, Penrith, Blacktown, or Epping, meet up at Strathfield and travel through the city to Chatswood where they will split, either continuing up the North Shore line to Hornsby and terminating at Berowra, or using the Epping to Chatswood line, go through Epping and on to the Central Coast.
[edit] Projects
In order to implement the Clearways plan there are many projects that need to be completed. Some of these projects include upgrading stations, adding extra track, stabling, or new or upgraded junctions. All are designed to reduce conjestion on the network. The projects include:
- Berowra third platform (completed October 2006)
- Bondi Junction turnback scissors crossover and stabling sidings (completed July 2006)
- Sutherland-Cronulla duplication
- Revesby turnback
- Kingsgrove-Revesby quadruplication.
- Homebush Turnback.
- Lidcombe Turnback.
- Liverpool Turnback.
- Macdonaldtown Turnback (completed 2006)
- Macdonaldtown Stabling.
- Hornsby Platform 5.
- Macarthur Platform 4.
- Quakers Hill-Schofields duplication
- Erskineville-Sydenham six tracks.
- Clyde-Carlingford passing loop on single line.
[edit] Resignalling
- Sefton - completed Jan 2006.
- Oatley-Sutherland-Cronulla
[edit] Easy Access
[edit] Other
Other projects not officially part of the clearways project but will also improve the network include:
- Epping to Chatswood Line, Sydney.
- Southern Sydney Freight Line by ARTC.
- North Strathfield to Hornsby freight facilities by ARTC including refuge loops and quadruplication.
- Port Botany duplication stage 4.
- North Warnervale railway station, New South Wales - new station
- Glendale railway station, New South Wales - new station
- Flinders railway station, New South Wales - new station
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- CityRail Rail Clearways Plan Official info on the Clearways Project
- Liberal party NSW Liberal party response to blowout of cost of Clearways project
