North Shore railway line facts for kids
Quick facts for kids North Shore railway line |
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First passenger train crossing the Sydney Harbour bridge, 19 March 1932.
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| Overview | |
| Termini | Central Hornsby |
| Stations | 20 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 25 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC overhead catenary |
The North Shore Line is a key railway line in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It helps people travel across the North Shore region. This line starts at Sydney Central station. It then goes through the western part of the City Circle train loop.
Next, it crosses the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. After the bridge, it runs through the North Shore area. The line ends at Hornsby, where it connects to the Main North Line. Trains on this line are mainly from the T1 North Shore & Western Line and T9 Northern Line. Some trains even go to Wyong during busy times.
Contents
History of the North Shore Line
People in Sydney first thought about a railway line on the North Shore way back in 1874. They wanted a line from Pearce's Corner (Wahroonga) to Sydney Harbour. Some people doubted it would ever happen.
In 1879, surveyors confirmed a line between Pearce's Corner and Blue's Point was possible. Sadly, their plans were destroyed in a fire that same year. Later, Sir Henry Parkes supported building both a railway and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There was much debate about where the line should end.
Early Construction and Opening
Work on the line finally began. The North Shore Line officially opened on 1 January 1890. It was a single track between Hornsby and St Leonards. At first, there were no Sunday trains.
The line was extended to Milsons Point on 1 May 1893. This station was right by the Sydney Harbour water. To get to central Sydney, passengers had to take a ferry boat.
Expanding the Line
More stations were added over time. These included Waitara (1895), Warrawee (1900), Killara (1899), and Artarmon (1898). Most of the North Shore line became a double track between 1900 and 1909. This helped more trains run at once.
In 1927, the line was changed to use electricity. Trains now ran on 1500 volt DC power from overhead wires.
Connecting to the City
The building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge changed the line's end point. The old Milsons Point station was replaced. When the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened on 19 March 1932, a new Milsons Point station began operating.
The North Shore Line then extended over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It connected directly to the underground lines in central Sydney. This meant trains could now go straight from the North Shore to Central station. The old Lavender Bay station became a place to store electric trains.
In 2009, a second connection was added to the Main Northern line. This was through the Epping to Chatswood railway line. However, this connection was later changed. In 2019, it became part of the Sydney Metro system. Today, the North Shore Line is a very important way for people to travel between the North Shore and central Sydney.
Route of the North Shore Line
The North Shore Line officially begins at Central station. It connects with the Main Suburban line just south of the "Flying Junctions." These are special tracks that allow trains to cross over without stopping.
City and Harbour Crossing
From Central, the line goes underground. It runs alongside the City Circle train loop. There are stations at Town Hall and Wynyard. After Wynyard, the line comes out of the ground. It then goes onto the western side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
On the other side of the bridge is Milsons Point station. The line continues a short distance to North Sydney station. This station has four platforms. The outer two tracks are for trains that keep going. The inner two tracks are "loop lines" for trains that end their journey there.
Through the North Shore
After North Sydney, the line winds through Sydney's lower North Shore. It passes stations like Waverton, Wollstonecraft, St Leonards, and Artarmon. Near Waverton, there's a small connection to the Lavender Bay line. This line leads to train storage areas.
This part of the line also has the sharpest curve on Sydney's suburban network. It's at Wollstonecraft and is about 10 chains (200 m) tight. At Chatswood, there are four platforms. The inner two platforms are now used by Sydney Metro Northwest trains. They used to be part of the Epping to Chatswood rail link.
Towards Hornsby
The line continues further up the North Shore region. It has stations at Roseville, Lindfield, Killara, Gordon, Pymble, Turramurra, Warrawee, Wahroonga, and Waitara.
Lindfield has an extra "bay platform" in the middle. This platform is used for trains that finish their trip coming from the south. Gordon has a similar setup. Its center platform connects to a loop line. This allows trains to end their journey from either direction. After Waitara, the line reaches Hornsby. Here, it connects with the Main Northern Line. There is also the Hornsby Maintenance Centre nearby.
