Victor P Taffa

As our population increases and ages the expansion of all heavy railway networks throughout Australia is essential in order to meet these growing pressures over the next few decades.

In a series of articles The Southern Thunderer investigates a number of issues that spells out why Governments of all persuasions must meet the challenges ahead and instead of deferring or abandoning railway expansion realise the positive impact that this will have on our economy and society as a whole.

The plans for expansion of our railways were included in the Detailed Overview Report as written by myself and distributed in the first instance in January 2001. On 26 February 2009 all of the plans became accessible via the internet. The website address is www.isput.com.au

The Detailed Overview Report will be used as a template for individual websites of Railway expansion that will be progressively launched for every State, Territory and a National focus.

Many of the plans for Sydney are simply a revival of routes laid out by John Bradfield during the 1920’s and there are routes that were drawn up during the 1910’s. This article focuses on Y LINKS AND DIAMOND JUNCTIONS and Night Trackwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Y LINK AND ‘DIAMOND’ JUNCTION POLICY:

Sydney has a jewel to which we should all be proud. In terms of size we have one of the world’s largest metropolitan rail networks. Indeed it is larger in size than the London Underground or Paris Metro. Not without its faults due in part to its size, enhancement and expansion of the network will benefit all of Sydney and not just one part of it.

The current Sydney metropolitan rail network was built mostly in the mid 19th and early 20th centuries. The only additions have been the Eastern Suburbs Line (1979), East Hills Line Extension (1984), Airport Line (2000) and the Epping to Chatswood Line (2009). 

The New South Wales railways began operations in 1855 and after most of the current lines were built no new lines have been opened. The only major change too many lines throughout Rural New South Wales has been the closure of unprofitable and unsustainable country branch railway lines. 

When the rail network was constructed the need for intersecting lined did not exist, Sydney had a Tramway network second to none and traffic congestion was only beginning.

Today’s travel patterns have dramatically changed and the need to expand the current rail network is undeniable. One of the solutions to ease Sydney’s chronic Peak Hour traffic congestion and thus encourage the use of public transport is to add Y LINKS and DIAMOND JUNCTIONS onto the existing lines and incorporate them into new rail lines.

 

Grade Separations for key rail junctions to improve the operating capacity of existing lines.

The benefits of this are:

1. Flexible timetabling

2. New and innovative services

3. Increased patronage on existing lines

Western & Illawarra Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Macdonaldtown and Erskineville stations.

This would alleviate the need to change trains at Redfern and allow for the introduction of a Newtown-Sydenham service.

Bankstown & Illawarra Lines:

Utilise or upgrade the existing freight only double track link between Marrickville and Tempe stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Tempe and allow for the introduction of a Marrickville-Hurstville service.

East Hills & Illawarra Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Turrella and Arncliffe stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Tempe and allow for the introduction of a Beverly Hills-Kogarah service.

Illawarra & Cronulla Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ link between Loftus and Kirrawee stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Sutherland and allow for the introduction of a Cronulla-Wollongong service.

 Southern & East Hills Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Holsworthy and Casula stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Glenfield and allow for the introduction of an East Hills-Liverpool service.

Southern & Bankstown Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Carramar and Canley Vale stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Cabramatta and allow for the introduction of a Fairfield-Bankstown service.

Bankstown & Western Lines:

Upgrade the ‘Y’ link between Berala and Auburn stations to two tracks. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Lidcombe and allow for the introduction of a Regents Park-Granville service.

Western & Richmond Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Doonside & Marayong stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Blacktown and allow for the introduction of a RootyHill-Riverstone service.

Western & Northern Lines:

Re-instate the double track ‘Y’ Link between Homebush and North Strathfield stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Strathfield and allow for the introduction of a West Ryde-Lidcombe service. By amplifying the Western Line between Strathfield and Olympic Park, you are able to run very frequent services to Olympic Park especially during special events at Homebush Bay.

Northern & North Shore Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Normanhurst and Waitara stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Hornsby and allow for the introduction of an Epping-Turramurra service.

Carlingford & Northern Lines:

Construct a double track ‘DIAMOND’ JUNCTION at Epping linking the Carlingford Line into the Northern Line. The construction of such a junction would ensure West Ryde-City services would not be cut when the Parramatta-Chatswood Line opens.

Western & Carlingford Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between Rosehill/Camellia (New) and Clyde stations, over the Railway workshops. Also this would make the elimination of the level crossing over Parramatta Road at Rose Hill possible. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Clyde and allow for the introduction of a Lidcombe-Carlingford service.

Carlingford & North Shore Lines:

Construct a double track ‘Y’ Link between North Ryde and Roseville stations. This would alleviate the need to change trains at Chatswood and allow for the introduction of a Macquarie University-Hornsby service.

Princes & South Eastern Lines:

Construct a double track ‘DIAMOND’ JUNCTION to enable trains to service these two new lines and bring flexibility into the network. This would allow for the introduction of such services as Marrickville to Brighton Le Sands, Mascot South to Green Square and Botany to Alexandria.

 

South Eastern & Princes Line Diamond Junction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carlingford & Ermington Lines:

Construct a double track ‘DIAMOND JUNCTION’ to enable trains to service the Western and Carlingford lines along with the new Ermington line and bring flexibility into the network. This would be enhanced by elevating the railway line over the rail maintenance facility at Clyde and over the current level crossing on Parramatta road at Rosehill.

 

Ermington & Carlingford Lines Diamond Junction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Campbelltown & Bankstown line Extension:

Construct a ‘Y’ Link at Badgerys Creek so as to avoid Branch line Terminus difficulties thus making Badgerys Creek a through running station.

The implementation of these proposed ‘Y’ Links and ‘DIAMOND’ JUNCTIONS WOULD NOT avoid the need to build additional rail lines.

• They would encourage the use of the rail network.
• They would reduce peak hour traffic congestion.
• They would increase the need for the construction of new railway lines.
• They would increase the level of patronage on existing bus services.
• They would allow flexibility to be introduced into the rail network.
• They would stop the carnage on our country roads.

 Night Trackwork:

Due to essential trackwork on the weekend of 5/6 June 2010 buses replaced trains between Rhodes and Strathfield on the Northern Line. With this in mind as someone who would normally drive to Meadowbank Station to catch a train I drove to Epping to go to the City via Chatswood. I expected without consulting a timetable that a train from Epping would go to the City without changing at Chatswood. To my dismay the train terminated at Chatswood.

The easy solution would be to have ‘Standby’ trains waiting for the arrival of the service from Epping and similarly when going to Epping trains should be on ‘Standby’ waiting to go to Epping. With the opening of the new line Chatswood Station has expanded into a twin island 4 Platform Station with Cross-over Tracks at either end of the Station. Cross-over Tracks allow for trains to wait on ‘Standby’ at Chatswood without interrupting North Shore Line Services.

 

 

Epping & Chatswood Track Crossovers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Epping-Chatswood Line opened in 2009 services were meant to ‘Integrate into the network.’ It would appear as though that this has not happened. Editor Victor P Taffa steadfastly supported Heavy Rail against Metro Rail. Having trains without a driver or guard and not integrating into the existing network made no sense at all.

Similar issues arise with essential trackwork on the Newcastle Line. From 15 June-26 June buses replaced trains between Newcastle and Broadmeadow. Tourists come to Newcastle on the weekend and the replacement bus service is ‘chaotic’ according to local residents.

While Night Trackwork is more expensive to do the railways play a large part in the tourism market. Spreading trackwork throughout the year on weeknights may end up with a shorter schedule so the cost to undertake night trackwork maybe minimal in cost.

Expansion of Our Railways is essential so that Sydney keeps moving. There are other measures that can be undertaken throughout the network that will provide an overall better service.

New and existing railway lines throughout regional and rural New South Wales will also have flexibility built in with these measures. 

On the 18th January, 1977 the Granville Disaster occurred and entire rail network was effectively cut in two with massive disruptions to the entire network.

These proposed ‘Y’ Links and ‘DIAMOND’ JUNCTIONS would allow for trains to traverse different lines and provide for new and innovative services.

Railway line construction does not remove the need to maintain or upgrade roads. However given the large expansion of residential areas over many decades without a railway line it is quite apparent that there is a bias against the construction of railway lines.

The difference between the cost of construction of roads and railway lines is marginal.