Ethelton railway station, Adelaide

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TransAdelaide railcars 3135 & 3136 depart Ethelton with an afternoon Outer Harbor to Adelaide train on 6 June 2005

ARG's broad gauge locos 904 & 704 pass Ethelton with empty limestone hoppers for Dry Creek yard on 6 June 2005. Note the dual gauge track.

Ethelton station is on the suburban rail route between Adelaide and Outer Harbor, 13.1km (8¼ miles) from Adelaide.

Passenger trains are provided by TransAdelaide and operate a 30 minute off-peak frequency on Monday to Fridays. Peak hour services are more frequent, while evening and weekend trains depart hourly.

Ethelton station has been unstaffed since the ticket office closed in 1980. There are minimal facilities provided for passengers, in common with most of the smaller stations on the TransAdelaide network. There is a small interchange for local buses adjacent to the station.

The railway tracks through Ethelton are dual gauge and capable of carrying both broad gauge (1600mm) and standard gauge trains. The dual gauge tracks are used by freight trains from Dry Creek and the Rosewater loop which pass through Ethelton to access industrial facilities on the LeFevre peninsula and the container terminal at Pelican Point. All passenger trains are broad gauge, but freight can be either broad or standard gauge, depending on the origin / destination of the train.

The station at Ethelton was opened in November 1916, following construction of the Commercial Road viaduct at Port Adelaide and a new bridge across the Port River. This new line diverted trains from Adelaide to Semaphore and Outer Harbor away from the congested rail yards at Port Dock station and avoided street running in the centre of Port Adelaide.