Bridgewater railway line, Adelaide

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The Bridgewater railway line is a defunct railway in the Adelaide Hills. It was an extension of the Belair line. It ran through the suburbs of Belair and Belair National Park, Crafers West, Stirling, Aldgate, and Bridgewater. It serviced ten stations; National Park (demolished), Long Gully (demolished), Upper Sturt (demolished), Mount Lofty, Heathfield (demolished), Madurta (demolished), Aldgate, Jibilla (demolished), Carripook (demolished), and the terminus Bridgewater (demolished). It was closed in 1987.

[edit] History

The line from Adelaide to Belair/Bridgewater opened in 1883. The Bridgewater line departed from the main Belair line east of Belair, and headed east, parallel to the northern side of Belair National Park. The line then turned south through the national park and then turned east again, where the National Park station used to be. It continued east and reached the Upper Sturt station, 28.9km by rail from Adelaide Railway Station. 500m later the track turns north east and reaches Mount Lofty station 31km away from Adelaide, after that it turns south and reaches Heathfield station (33km), just after the line turns north east. It reaches Aldgate just as it passes the demolished Madurta station, then the track reaches the Aldgate station (34.5km). The line continues east, passing the Jibilla and Carripook stations (which are demolished) and finally, the line terminates at Bridgewater station, 37.3km from Adelaide Railway Station.

In 1987, passenger services to Bridgewater were withdrawn, attributed to high cost of operation and low passenger numbers. All stations beyond Belair were closed and all suburban trains now terminate at Belair.

In 1995 the main line from Adelaide to Melbourne was converted from Broad Gauge (1600mm) to Standard Gauge (1435mm). This prevented any restoration of local trains to Bridgewater or beyond. Between Adelaide and Belair, the former double track route became two parallel single lines - one Broad Gauge for suburban railcars, the other Standard Gauge for interstate freight.

Along with this conversion, these stations on the Belair line were closed; Millswood, Hawthorn, Mile End Goods and Clapham. The other Belair line stations; Unley Park, Torrens Park, Lynton, Eden Hills, Coromandel, Glenalta, Pinera and Belair each had one platform closed.