The Sunbury railway line is a
suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
electric
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. It has 15
stations, in
Myki
Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced the ...
ticketing Zones 1 and 2. It is the
electrified
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...
section of the
Bendigo railway within metropolitan Melbourne. Prior to the line extension to Sunbury, the line was known as the Sydenham railway line,
[Media release, Terry Mulder, Victorian Minister for Public Transport, 19 September 2012](_blank)
/ref> and prior to the extension of electrification to Sydenham, the line was known as the St Albans railway line.
Description
The Sunbury line generally traverses flat country and thus has no major earthworks
Earthworks may refer to:
Construction
*Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour
* Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil
*Earthworks (military), m ...
, except on the west bank of the Maribyrnong River
The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river of the Port Phillip catchment, located in the northwestern suburbs of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria.
Course
The Maribyrnong River draws its headwaters from near ...
where it requires some moderately heavy earthworks. It has eight level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
s and several bridges under
Under may refer to:
* "Under" (Alex Hepburn song), 2013
* "Under" (Pleasure P song), 2009
*Bülent Ünder (born 1949), Turkish footballer
*Cengiz Ünder (born 1997), Turkish footballer
*Marie Under
Marie Under ( – 25 September 1980) was one o ...
or over
Over may refer to:
Places
*Over, Cambridgeshire, England
*Over, Cheshire, England
*Over, South Gloucestershire, England
* Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England
** Over Bridge
*Over, Seevetal, Germany
Music
Albums
* ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...
roads.
Infrastructure
The line is quadrupled to South Kensington railway station
South Kensington railway station is located on the Werribee and Williamstown lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the inner north-western Melbourne suburb of Kensington, and it opened on 11 March 1891.
Freight lines operate to the south o ...
, then is double track
A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.
Overview
In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...
for the rest of the line, although from South Kensington to Footscray, it runs alongside the Werribee line, effectively extending the quadruple track
A quadruple-track railway (also known as a four-track railway) is a railway line consisting of four parallel tracks with two tracks used in each direction. Quadruple-track railways can handle large amounts of traffic, and so are used on very bus ...
to there.
The line is also paralleled by a double track goods
In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants
and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not tran ...
line and the interstate standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
line, the latter being dual gauge
In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to c ...
with the goods line to West Footscray
West Footscray is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. West Footscray recorded a population of 11,729 at the .
...
. The goods line joins the Sunbury line at Sunshine, whilst the standard gauge line to Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
continues to run alongside the suburban line to Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...
, where it and a goods line head off in a north-easterly direction.
The line also runs alongside the Regional Rail Link
The Regional Rail Link (RRL) was a project to build a 47.5 kilometre length of railway through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, the main aim of which was to separate regional V/Line Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong services from the el ...
to Sunshine, before heading further north.
The line is controlled by automatic block signalling
Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections, ...
throughout. Intermediate terminating facilities are provided at Sunshine and Watergardens. Stabling facilities are provided at North Melbourne, Watergardens, Calder Park and Sunbury.
Prior to the level crossing removal of the Main Road and Furlong Road level crossings at St. Albans and Ginifer, St Albans had a 3rd platform, as well as stabling yard which could hold 2 six car trains. These were removed as part of the Project
A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal.
An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...
.
The Metro Tunnel
The Metro Tunnel (previously known during planning as the Melbourne Metro Rail Project) is a metropolitan rail infrastructure project currently under construction in Melbourne, Australia. It includes the construction of twin 9-kilometre rail tun ...
project will see the Sunbury line joined to the Dandenong line and operated as a single line after completion of the tunnel in 2025.
Services
Usually stops all stations except South Kensington. Some daytime services originate and terminate at Watergardens. Some weekday peak services run express between North Melbourne and Sunshine, stopping at Footscray. Early morning weekend services skip Southern Cross and South Kensington. Weekday morning and weekend services run clockwise, while weekday afternoon services run anticlockwise, through the City Loop
The City Loop (originally called the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop or MURL) is a mostly-underground and partly surface-level subway and rail system in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The Loop includes ...
. Early morning weekend services run via (but not stopping at) Southern Cross to and from Flinders Street.
History
Origins
The ''Melbourne and Murray River Railway'' had been built out as far as Sunbury by February 1859.
1921–2002: The St Albans line
Electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...
of the line to St Albans was done in October 1921, although electrification occurred to North Melbourne
North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...
in May 1919 as part of the Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
*Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
*Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League
United King ...
electrification and to Footscray in August 1920 as part of the Williamstown electrification.
North Melbourne to South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
was quadruplicated in 1924, and South Kensington to Footscray in November 1976.
Automatic block signalling was provided between South Kensington and Footscray (and Yarraville
Yarraville is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Maribyrnong local government area. Yarraville recorded a population of 15,636 at the .
Yarraville i ...
on the Williamstown line) in August 1927, from Footscray to West Footscray in October 1927, North Melbourne to South Kensington in June 1928, Sunshine to Albion in July 1929, West Footscray to Sunshine in October 1929, and Albion to St Albans in February 1930, thus resulting in the entire electrified line being provided with this signalling.
2002–2012: The Sydenham line
Electrification and automatic block signalling were extended to Sydenham Sydenham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Sydenham railway station, Sydney
* Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...
, opening on 27 January 2002: as such the St Albans line was renamed the ''Sydenham line''. A new station was built in northern St Albans, called Keilor Plains
Keilor is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Brimbank and Hume local government areas. Keilor recorded a population of 5,906 at the 2021 census.
...
, as part of the electrification project as well as a newly revamped station at Sydenham, Watergardens.
In early 2012, the Sydenham line was found to be one of Melbourne's five worst lines for overcrowding.
2012 onwards: The Sunbury line
On Sunday, 18 November 2012 the electrification of the line to Sunbury became operational; as a result, the Sydenham line was renamed the ''Sunbury line''. Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
's electric train service now continues on from Watergardens station, first to Diggers Rest
Diggers Rest (formerly Diggers' Rest) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Hume and Melton local government areas. Diggers Rest recorded a population o ...
and then to its new end terminus at Sunbury station, though many services continue to terminate at Watergardens. New passenger services were added on the same date across the whole line and weekly rail services for Sunbury in particular were boosted from 298 to 489.
The $270 million electrification project was first proposed in the 1969 Victorian transport plan, but was opposed by some Sunbury and St Albans residents over concerns of less comfortable travel and added congestion at level crossings on the route as a result of increased services.
Metro Tunnel
In 2015, work commenced on the Metro Tunnel, a rail tunnel through the Melbourne CBD
The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city lai ...
between the Sunbury line at South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
and the Dandenong corridor at South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...
. On completion, the Sunbury line will be merged with the Dandenong lines and operate as an end-to-end service through the tunnel.
Work to extend platforms and upgrade traction power, in order to enable the operation of High Capacity Metro Trains
The High Capacity Metro Train (HCMT) is a type of electric multiple unit (EMU) train for use by Metro Trains Melbourne on the Melbourne rail network. The first train set entered service on 27 December 2020 and will become the primary rolling st ...
on the Sunbury section of the new line, was funded in 2019.
The works will include power and track improvements to trains travelling through the Metro Tunnel, overhead electrification works between Sunbury and South Kensington and at South Yarra, signalling power upgrades and additional infrastructure at Calder Park sidings. The works are being designed by Aecom
AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm.
AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list.
The company's official name from 1990 t ...
and undertaken by CPB Contractors
CIMIC Group Limited (formerly Leighton Holdings) is an Australian construction contractor. It is active in the telecommunications, engineering and infrastructure, building and property, mining and resources, and environmental services industries ...
and John Holland Group
The John Holland Group is an infrastructure, building, rail and transport business operating in Australia and New Zealand. Headquartered in Melbourne, it is a subsidiary of China Communications Construction.
History
The company was founded in ...
.
References
External links
Statistics and detailed schematic map
at th
VicSig
enthusiast website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sydenham railway line
Railway lines in Melbourne
Railway lines opened in 1859
1859 establishments in Australia
Public transport routes in the City of Melbourne (LGA)
Transport in the City of Maribyrnong
Transport in the City of Brimbank
Transport in the City of Melton