Stanwell Park railway station

Stanwell Park

South Coast Line
Station code	SWP
Town	Stanwell Park
Street(s)	Railway Crecent
Distance from Central Station	55.95 km
Altitude (above sea level)	? m
Types of stopping trains	Intercity
Number of platforms	2
Number of tracks	2
Platform arrangement	2 side
Type of station	Ground
Ticket barriers	No
Transfers available	Bus
Disabled access	No
Station facilities	Link

Stanwell Park Railway Station is a CityRail railway station on the South Coast railway line of New South Wales, Australia. It serves the town of Stanwell Park on the northern end of the Illawarra Escarpment. The current station opened in 1920, and was previously located down on Lawrence Hargrave Drive.^[1]

Stanwell Park is one of the few railway stations serving an open ocean beach in Sydney area and is popular with surfers. The station has two side platforms, on a sharp curve.

The station is served by roughly one train every two hours in either direction, with extra services during weekday peak periods.

The station has street access to both platforms, connected by a tunnel passing under the line with stairs. This does not allow for the station to be classed as having Easy Access for wheelchairs.

1 Buildings and railway history
2 Platforms and services
3 Gallery
4 Neighbouring stations
5 References
6 External links

Buildings and railway history

The original rail line followed what is now Lawrence Hargrave Drive, curving around the southern headland and through Stanwell Park. The station opened on 14 March 1890 at its original site opposite Station Street under the footbridge. To the north the line followed Chellow Dene Avenue to the Otford Tunnel through Bald Hill.^[1]

A platform was provided on the eastern side on 24 April 1890, and was moved to the western side to make room for a crossing loop which opened on 23 December 1901. Station buildings were added on 4 June 1903 and a signal box on 17 May 1909. A second platform was provided on 13 July 1909, and the footbridge over the station installed on 9 October 1911.^[1]

To the north a steep grade of 1 in 40 faced up (Sydney bound) trains almost all the way to Otford. This combined with the 1,550-metre (5,090 ft) long Otford Tunnel meant that many trains were divided at Stanwell Park and taken through to Otford or Waterfall in stages. Refuge sidings were provided for up trains at Stanwell Park from 17 December 1912 so that the rear portion of divided trains no longer had to be left on the main line.^[1]

In 1920 the original single line was replaced with a double track deviation. The deviation avoided the Otford Tunnel and steep grades by tracing around the Stanwell Park amphitheatre at a higher level, and the present station was constructed.^[1] The new line featured an eight span, 145-metre (476 ft) long, 42-metre (138 ft) high^[2] curved viaduct over Stanwell Creek south of the station which required over three million bricks in its construction^[1].

Platforms and services

Platform	Line	Stopping Pattern	Notes
	South Coast Line	intercity services to Helensburgh, Waterfall and Sydney Terminal	peak hour intercity services to Bondi Junction
	South Coast Line	intercity services to Thirroul, Wollongong, Port Kembla, Dapto and Kiama via Wollongong

Gallery

View from Bald Hill showing the scenery toward Coalcliff, with a passing V set train

Neighbouring stations

Preceding station		CityRail		Following station
Coalcliff towards Bomaderry (Nowra) or Port Kembla		South Coast Line		Otford towards Central

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Oakes, John (2009) [2003]. Sydney's Forgotten Illawarra Railways (2nd rev. ed.). Sydney: Australian Railway Historical Society, NSW Division. pp. 54, 56, 67, 79–80. ISBN 978-0-9805106-6-9.
^ "Stanwell Park Railway Viaduct. Interim Report - Stage 1 - Inspection and Condition Assessment". RailCorp. June 2003. p. 1. http://www.railcorp.info/__data/assets/file/0005/689/Cardno_MBK-SPV_Stage_1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-06.