Central Coast & Newcastle Line

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (April 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Central Coast & Newcastle Line
A NSW TrainLink H set aproaching Tascott station
Overview
Service type	Intercity rail
Locale	Central Coast and Newcastle, New South Wales
Current operator(s)	NSW TrainLink
Route
Start	Central
Stops	36
End	Newcastle Interchange
Distance travelled	165.60 km
Line(s) used	Main North railway line Newcastle railway line
Technical
Rolling stock	NSW TrainLink H and V sets
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Track owner(s)	Transport Asset Holding Entity
showNSW TrainLink intercity services Blue Mountains Central Coast & Newcastle Hunter South Coast Southern Highlands v t

The Central Coast & Newcastle Line is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service that runs along the Main North railway line in New South Wales, connecting the state's two largest cities, Sydney and Newcastle. The service runs from Central through to Broadmeadow on the Main North railway line to Newcastle Interchange on the Newcastle railway line, and services the Hawkesbury River region, the Central Coast and the city of Newcastle.

Description of route[]

The Hawkesbury River separates Sydney and the Central Coast. The bridge over the river is one of the major engineering structures on the line.

The route traverse the Main West and Main South railway line routes until Strathfield, where it diverts north and follows the route of the Main North line until Broadmeadow, before diverting east along the route of the Newcastle branch line. To Newcastle Interchange The line is electrified at 1500 V DC throughout, and is primarily double track, although there are refuge loops at Hawkesbury River, Gosford, Wyong, Awaba, and Sulphide Junction (between Cockle Creek and Cardiff). Some services terminate at Gosford and Wyong.

Sometimes when there is trackwork between Strathfield and Hornsby, trains will operate via the North Shore line to Hornsby, then follow the Main North railway line as normal.

show Route
Legend
Continues via T1 Western Line Central (suburban) Central (intercity) Town Hall Redfern (morning peak only) Wynyard Milsons Pt Nth Sydney Strathfield Waverton Wollstonecraft St Leonards Artarmon Chatswood Epping Lindfield Gordon Hornsby Asquith (afternoon school peak & late night only) Mount Colah (late night only) Mount Kuring-Gai (late night only) Berowra Cowan Hawkesbury River Wondabyne Woy Woy Koolewong Tascott Point Clare Gosford Narara Niagara Park Lisarow Ourimbah Tuggerah Wyong Warnervale Wyee Morisset Dora Creek Awaba Fassifern Booragul Teralba Cockle Creek Cardiff Kotara Adamstown Broadmeadow Hamilton Newcastle Interchange

Partial closure of Newcastle Line[]

The section of the Newcastle railway line between Hamilton and Newcastle was closed on 25 December 2014. Until the opening of Newcastle Interchange in 2017, Hamilton formed a temporary terminus.^[1] The closed section between Wickham and Newcastle was replaced with the Newcastle Light Rail that opened in February 2019.^[2][3]

Services[]

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: see talk page. Please help if you can. (July 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Prior to electrification of the route, steam hauled passenger trains were varied.^[4] From November 1929 until April 1988, the Newcastle Flyer operated on the route. After electrification, services were taken over by U and V sets. Later the U sets were replaced by K and G sets which in turn were replaced by H sets.

From the time the line was electrified, services to Gosford were hauled by 46 class locomotives, their sphere of operation increasing as the wires were extended.

The last electric locomotives were withdrawn in March 1998^[5] with all services since hauled by diesel locomotives.

Most all-stations trains have four carriages, with the first and last car being quiet carriages. Peak-hour and most express services usually have eight cars, with quiet carriages on the first, last, and the two middle carriages.

Upgrades[]

Completed[]

The line was electrified to Gosford in January 1960, Wyong in April 1982^[6] and Newcastle in June 1984.^[7]

As part of the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor project the following projects were completed:^[8] The projects were:^[9][10]

Proposed[]

Glendale station[]

A railway station is proposed to be constructed in Glendale as part of the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange project. The station will be located between Cockle Creek and Cardiff railway station and will have connections to buses. An extension of Glendale Drive leading to the proposed station has been built and completed in June 2017. The station, however, has not commenced construction.

A NSW TrainLink H set. H sets, along with V sets, service the line.

New Warnervale station[]

A new station is proposed for Warnervale.^[11][12] The draft Central Coast Transportation Strategy stated that construction of the new railway station was to be completed by 2016.^[13] In October 2014 there were some differences between Wyong Council and the State Government over how a strategic piece of land should be developed at Warnervale.^[14]

Stations[]

This table does not include the services which run via the North Shore line and extend to Gosford and Wyong via Gordon .

Patronage[]

The following table shows the patronage of each line of the NSW TrainLink Intercity network for the year ending 30 June 2020, based on Opal tap on and tap off data.^[15]

See also[]

• Main Northern Line- for details of history and construction.
• Newcastle Branch line- for the branch line between Broadmeadow and Newcastle.
• Woy Woy Tunnel.
• Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge.

References[]

Further reading[]

• The Short North, Singleton C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May et seq, 1965