Grange railway line

Grange Line
Railway Line Overview
Route
Starting Point Adelaide
Major Stations Woodville
Terminus Grange
Line Length 13.0 km
Track Double Track to Woodville
Single Track to Grange
Frequency
Peak Frequency Every 20–30 Mins
Weekday Frequency Every 30 Mins
Weekend Frequency Every 60 Mins
Night Frequency Every 60 Mins
Rolling Stock
2000/2100 class Yes
3000/3100 class Yes
History
Opened 1882
Re-sleepered (Concrete) 2010
Electrified 2013
Adelaide Railway Lines
Belair Line
Gawler Central Line
Glenelg Tram
Grange Line
Noarlunga Centre Line
Outer Harbor Line
Showground Central Line
Tonsley Line

The Grange railway line is a suburban branch line in the city of Adelaide, South Australia.

Contents

History

The railway line between Woodville and Grange opened in September 1882. This was a private railway, constructed by the Grange Railway and Investment Company. The early railway was not a financial success and was bought out by the government-owned South Australian Railways in 1893.[1]

Modifications to the track layout at Woodville station in 1909 enabled trains from the Grange branch to travel beyond Woodville.[1] into Adelaide

In November 1940 the Hendon branch line was opened diverging from the Grange line at Albert Park and running 1.1 km (¾ mile) to the Hendon munitions works. After the end of World War II, the Hendon trains operated only at industrial shift-change times. In spite of low passenger numbers, the Hendon branch continued operation until 1 February 1980,[1] after which the line was closed and removed.

The terminus at Grange was rebuilt in the late 1980s on the eastern side of Military Rd to eliminate a level crossing. The old station was formerly a stop on the Henley Beach line, an extension of the Grange line which closed in 1957.

A station named Holdens, located between Woodville and Albert Park stations adjacent to what is now the SA Manufacturing Park, was closed in 1992 and subsequently demolished.

Route

The line runs from the Adelaide Railway Station to the seaside suburb of Grange. The route follows the same alignment as the Outer Harbor Line as far as Woodville station, where it diverges south west and across Port Road. The route then travels past Albert Park and bisects the Royal Adelaide Golf Club between Seaton Park and East Grange stations.

The line is single track from Woodville to Grange with no passing loops over its entire length. All stations on the line are unattended and have only very basic passenger waiting facilities. The line is 5.5 km long and broad gauge (1600mm).

Services

Services operate in tandem with Outer Harbor line trains. Weekday off-peak services run every 30 minutes, Weekday peak services run every 20–30 minutes with hourly services on Weekends, Evenings and Night.[2] All services call at all stations along the route.

Once every two years services are temporarily cut back to Seaton Park station for approximately two weeks for the running of the Jacob's Creek Open golf tournament. Rail replacement buses are used to transport passengers for the remainder of the route.

Until 1996, Grange line services previously operated as a shuttle from Woodville station at night and on weekends, connecting with Outer Harbor line services.

The vast majority of services are operated by 3000/3100 class railcars. 2000 class railcars have not operated on the line since 2006, but on 24/8/2009 a 2 car set consisting of cars 2008–2117 was spotted working a Grange service at about 9:39am. Jumbos of both 2 and 3 cars have since returned to the Grange line for peak hour services.

Proposed extension

It has been proposed to divert the line from Albert Park along a new alignment to service Westfield West Lakes and AAMI Stadium,[3] which would provide a major patronage boost for the line, which is little used outside of rush hour. It has also been proposed to convert the line to light rail.

Line guide

 Grange Line suburban service 
Legend
Broad gauge
Standard gauge
TransAdelaide commuter trains
TransAdelaide trams
To Henley Beach
Old Grange station
Military Road
13.0km
0:22
Grange
Charles Sturt Avenue
Port River
12.0
0:20
East Grange
Frederick Road
Golflinks
Tapleys Hill Road
10.3
0:18
Seaton Park
West Lake Boulevard
Hendon
9.1
0:16
Albert Park
Port Road
Holdens
To Outer Harbor
7.5km
0:13
Woodville
Woodville Road
6.8km
0:11
Woodville Park
Kilkenny Road
6.0km
0:09
Kilkenny
private road
5.1km
0:07
West Croydon (Rosetta Street)
4.2km
0:06
Croydon
Elizabeth Street
South Road
Coglin Street
Chief Street
East Street
2.7km
0:04
Bowden
Gibson Street
Gibson Street
Proposed Glenelg Tram junction
Park Terrace
Entertainment Centre
To Port Augusta
To Gawler
Torrens Bridge
River Torrens
To Noarlunga, Tonsley and Belair
West Terrace
Adelaide Depot
City West
Morphett Street
0km
0:00
Adelaide Station
To Glenelg

References

  1. ^ a b c Rails Through Swamp and Sand – A History of the Port Adelaide Railway. M. Thompson pub. Port Dock Station Railway Museum (1988) ISBN 0-9595073-6-1.
  2. ^ Grange Line Timetable – Adelaide Metro Website (PDF)
  3. ^ "AAMI on a train to nowhere". AdelaideNow. 25 March 2008. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23431996-5014673,00.html. Retrieved 2008-04-28.