| South Line | |
|---|---|
| Mode | Commuter rail line |
| Owner | CityRail |
| Operator(s) | CityRail |
| Connects | Museum Town Hall Central Strathfield Clyde Liverpool Glenfield Campbelltown |
| Stations | 28 |
| Fleet | R, S, C, T, G & M sets |
| Depot(s) | Flemington Eveleigh Mortdale |
| Line colour | Light blue |
| Key dates | |
| 1855 | Opened |
The South Line (line colour: light blue, originally green) is a railway line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and is part of the CityRail suburban network. This line conveys passengers between stations on the City Circle and the south-western suburbs of Sydney, including Fairfield, Liverpool and Campbelltown, travelling via Granville.
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What is marketed by CityRail as the 'South Line' branches from the Main Western Line at Granville. A flyover carries the 'up' (northbound) line over the 'Y Link' tracks (which carry the Cumberland Line services) between Merrylands and Harris Park. The line proceeds south through Merrylands, Guildford and Yennora stations which all have side platforms. North of Yennora station is a connection to a non-electrified goods siding to a Wool Store. The next station is Fairfield, where a set of trailing points at the north of the station allow southbound trains to terminate on platform 2 and return to the city. The line then continues south through Canley Vale station (2 side platforms) before joining the line from Lidcombe via Regents Park at Cabramatta. This junction is at-grade. This line thus described is known technically as the 'Old Main South' line.[1] It is the original alignment of the Main South Railway Line before a more direct route was constructed between Lidcombe and Cabramatta via Regents Park (what CityRail now markets as part of the Inner West Line).
The line continues as a two track electrified line south through Warwick Farm (2 side platforms) station. South of Warwick Farm, a former line to Warwick Farm Racecourse branched off in an eastbound direction. This line is now closed and the tracks lifted, however the platform face remains at the racecourse station site. The line continues south to meet the East Hills line at-grade at Glenfield Junction. Three platforms are provided at Glenfield to allow southbound trains to terminate and return to the city. The line continues south to Campbelltown, where three platforms are also provided. The final station is Macarthur, south of Campbelltown. This is the current limit of electrification and of suburban services. Three platforms are provided here to allow suburban trains to terminate clear of the mainlines which continue south through the Southern Highlands to Albury and ultimately to Melbourne.
Most trains services operate from the City Circle in an anticlockwise direction, their origin is most commonly the Airport and East Hills Line. Services then continue south from Central and along the Main Suburban Railway between Redfern and Strathfield usually utilising the 'local' or southern-most set of the six tracks between these two stations. From Strathfield, South Line trains operate on the southern pair of the four tracks to Granville, services then branch off heading south. Most South Line trains terminate at Campbelltown, however during peak hours many trains terminate at Liverpool and Glenfield instead. This is partially to relieve South Line trains of commuters travelling from the City to stations between Glenfield and Campbelltown who are encouraged to use the more direct Airport and East Hills Line instead.
During weekdays, there are at least four services during peak hours and two trains per hour during off-peak hours. On weekends, there are four trains per hour at weekends day times between 7:30 am to 5:30 pm which is additional two trains an hour terminates at Glenfield.
The South Line is also particularly used by commuters travelling from the south-western suburbs to the regional business districts of Parramatta and Blacktown - especially when the part-time Cumberland Line is not in operation - by changing for the Western Line at Granville.
In 2009-2010 the South line ranked 12th out of 16 lines in reliability and only managed to provide 93.7% of services on time. [2]
The South line has had several different names. As mentioned, the section between Granville and Cabramatta is technically the 'Old Main South', and the section south of Cabramatta is technically the 'Main South' (which continues to Albury). Prior to 1991, the line was advertised as the Macarthur Line, and it included the section from Lidcombe to Cabramatta via Regents Park, which is now part of the Inner West Line. From 1992-1996, the South Line was designated the Campbelltown via Liverpool Line. From 1996-1999, the line was known as Macarthur via Granville. The line is sometimes still known colloquially as the Granville Line, due to announcements at some stations, particularly between Liverpool and Campbelltown, referring to city-bound trains as going to the "City via Granville". Since 1999, the line has carried its current designation of South Line. The line has previously been coloured green and integrated with the East Hills line on promotional material and in directional signage. Since 2000 the two lines have been separated and the South Line has been coloured pale blue. Despite these cosmetic changes, since 1987 when the Glenfield to East Hills link was completed, the manner in which trains operate on the line has remained essentially unchanged.
The current off-peak service pattern is as follows: (includes continuations onto Airport & East Hills Line)
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