North Shore railway line

The North Shore Line is a part of the metropolitan rail network in Sydney, Australia, operated by CityRail. The North Shore Line extends from Sydney Central station through the western limb of the City Circle, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and along the North Shore area to Hornsby where it joins the Northern Line.

History

The North Shore Line was opened on 1 January 1890 as a single track between Hornsby and St Leonards. The line was extended to the Sydney Harbour foreshore at Milsons Point on 1 May 1893. Transport between this original Milsons Point station and central Sydney was by ferry boat. Most of the North Shore line was duplicated between 1900 and 1909. In 1927 the line was converted to electric operation using a 1500 volt DC, overhead supply.

The construction works for the Sydney Harbour Bridge necessitated truncation of the southern terminus from Milsons Point to Lavender Bay.

When the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 19 March 1932 a new Milsons Point station (on the bridge approach) came into operation and the North Shore Line was extended through it and over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to link with the underground lines of central Sydney. The result is that the two ends of the North Shore Line link to the Sydney railway system at Central and Hornsby.

After 1932 the original Lavender Bay station became a storage depot for electric trains, and the line connecting Lavender Bay to the North Shore line was reduced to single track. This line joins the current passenger-carrying North Shore line at Waverton station.

The North Shore Line is now a major commuter artery between the North Shore and central Sydney. In early years, Old Milsons Point, Bay Road, St Leonards, Chatswood, Lindfield, Gordon, Pymble, Turramurra, Wahroonga and Hornsby stations had goods yards. All but St Leonards, Chatswood and Hornsby yards had disappeared by mid-twentieth century, and the latter three did not survive into the late twentieth century.

The NSW Government Urban Transport Statement identifies capacity and service improvements for the North Shore Line with plans to add extra tracks between Gordon and Chatswood, and extra platforms at St Leonards by 2017.^[1]

North Shore Line stations

Stopping patterns

• Pattern 1: all stations to Berowra (& vice-versa)
• Pattern 2: all stations to Hornsby (& vice-versa) *
• Pattern 3: all stations to Gordon (& vice-versa) (peak hours only).*
• Pattern 4: all stations to Gordon, then Hornsby only (peak hours only)
• Pattern 5: intercity limited stops services from Wyong - Tuggerah, Ourimbah, Narara, Gosford, Woy Woy, Berowra, Asquith, Hornsby, Turramurra, (Pymble), Gordon, Chatswood and all to Central (morning peak hours only).
• Pattern 6: intercity limited stops services to Gosford or Wyong - all to Chatswood, Gordon, Pymble, Turramurra, Hornsby, Asquith, Berowra, Woy Woy, Gosford, (all to Wyong) (peak hours only).
• Pattern 7: intercity limited stops services to Wyong - all to Gordon, Hornsby, Woy Woy, Gosford, all to Wyong (evening peak hours only).

* stations marked with mean that a few trains on this pattern in peak hours may skip this station.

The current off-peak service pattern is as follows: (includes continuations onto Western Line)

• • 2tph Berowra all stations to Redfern, Strathfield, Lidcombe, Auburn, Clyde, Granville, Parramatta, Westmead, Seven Hills, Blacktown and then all stations to Penrith.
  • 2tph Hornsby all stations to Redfern, Burwood, Strathfield, Lidcombe, Granville, Harris Park, Parramatta and then all stations to Richmond

References

1. ^ http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/dev/digitalAssets/2074_1184045743740_Transport.pdf
2. ^ ^{a b} "NSW Rail.net North Shore line". http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:north_shore. Retrieved 2007-07-03. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "NSW Rail.net Main North line". http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:main_north. Retrieved 2007-07-03. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "NSW Rail.net City Circle". http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:city_circle. Retrieved 2007-07-03.