The
Blue Mountains Line is a section of the
Main Western railway lineThe Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, Central West, North West Slopes and the Far West regions.- Description of route :...
in
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. The line is part of the 'intercity' region of
CityRailCityRail is an operating division of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter, 'intercity' and regional rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest...
, the operator of urban passenger services in New South Wales. It serves the Blue Mountains region to the west of
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
, including its primary centre of
KatoombaKatoomba is the chief town of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia and the administrative headquarters of Blue Mountains City Council. It lies at Lat: 33:42:41S Lon: 150:18:14E elevation 1030 metres on the Great Western Highway 110 kilometres west of Sydney and 39 kilometres...
, and as far west as
LithgowLithgow is situated in New South Wales, Australia and is the centre of the local political division City of Lithgow. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales...
on the western foothills of the mountains. The line is also traversed by
CountryLinkCountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and from New South Wales into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
and
Indian Pacific|}The Indian Pacific is a twice-weekly passenger rail service running between Perth and Sydney, Australia operated by Great Southern Railway, with locomotives provided by Pacific National, usually led by an NR class...
services as part of longer journeys to far-western
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
and interstate, respectively.
The line is primarily operated by CityRail's older
V setThe V Set or DDIU is a class of electric multiple unit operated by CityRail in New South Wales, Australia. These stainless-steel double deck trains operate on the Intercity lines of the CityRail network, servicing the regions of the Blue Mountains, South Coast, and the Central Coast, continuing up...
trains, however the newer outer suburban
TangaraThe Tangara is a class of electric multiple unit operated by CityRail in and around Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Tangara comes in two subclasses - suburban sets known as "T sets", and outer-suburban sets known as "G sets"...
(G set) carriages also operate on the line as far as
SpringwoodSpringwood is a town in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. Springwood is located 72 kilometres west of Sydney in the local government area of the City of Blue Mountains....
.
Most Blue Mountains line services start and terminate from the intercity platforms (4-15) of
CentralCentral Railway Station is the largest railway station in Sydney. It is located on the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all of the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services. Central Station houses the operations of New...
(Sydney Terminal) station. However, a small number of special commuter services exist during weekday peak periods: one morning city-bound and two evening out-bound services to and from Springwood arrive on the suburban platforms of Central (platforms 16 and 18 respectively). These trains run via the
North Shore LineThe North Shore Line is a part of the metropolitan rail network in Sydney, Australia, operated by CityRail. The North Shore Line extends from Sydney Central station through the western limb of the City Circle, across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and along the North Shore area to Hornsby where it...
between Central and
HornsbyHornsby railway station is a railway station at the junction between the North Shore and Northern railway lines of the CityRail network in Sydney, Australia. It serves the commercial and residential area of Hornsby....
station, where these trains terminate.
History
- See also: Main Western railway line
The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, Central West, North West Slopes and the Far West regions.- Description of route :...
The Blue Mountains line is a section of the
Main Western LineThe Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains, Central West, North West Slopes and the Far West regions.- Description of route :...
which opened in 1868. The line originally ascended the eastern and descended the western sides of the Blue Mountains via a series of zig-zag track sections. The eastern zig zag was by passed by a tunnel in 1892 and the western zig zag (now in use as a
Tourist RailwayThe Zig Zag Railway is a heritage railway at Lithgow in New South Wales, Australia on the site of the famous Great or Lithgow Zig Zag which operated between 1869 and 1910...
) was bypassed in 1910 with ten rail tunnels.
In the 1950s, the line was
electrifiedA railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
primarily as a means of easing the haulage of coal freight from the western coalfields to the coastal ports, but a by-product of this programme was the introduction of electric interurban passenger services as far west as Bowenfels, later cut back to the current terminus of Lithgow. Goods trains are now exclusively diesel hauled. Electric passenger services were originally provided by a combination of electric locomotive hauled carriages and single deck
electric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of many carriages using electricity as the motive power.- Types :...
sets (known as U sets), both of which have now been withdrawn and replaced by a combination of double deck electric interurban cars (
V setsThe V Set or DDIU is a class of electric multiple unit operated by CityRail in New South Wales, Australia. These stainless-steel double deck trains operate on the Intercity lines of the CityRail network, servicing the regions of the Blue Mountains, South Coast, and the Central Coast, continuing up...
) and
TangaraThe Tangara is a class of electric multiple unit operated by CityRail in and around Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Tangara comes in two subclasses - suburban sets known as "T sets", and outer-suburban sets known as "G sets"...
trains.
Curves and Gradients
The line was built with gradients as steep as 1 in 33 (3%) and curves as sharp as 8 chains (160m). Most of the curves were eased to 12 chains (240m) with duplication.
Blue Mountains line stations
(Continues from CityRail Western LineThe Western Line is part of the CityRail metropolitan rail network in Sydney, and is the suburban section of the Main West line which connects Sydney with the west of New South Wales. It connects the Sydney CBD to the employment centre of Parramatta and the outer western suburbs, terminating at Emu...
)
- Lapstone
Lapstone railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburbs of Lapstone and Leonay at the foot of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Glenbrook
Glenbrook railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Glenbrook in the Lower Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Blaxland
Blaxland railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Blaxland in the Lower Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Warrimoo
Warrimoo railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Warrimoo in the Lower Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Valley Heights
Valley Heights railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Valley Heights in the Lower Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia....
- Springwood
Springwood railway station is an interurban railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Springwood in the Lower Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- intermediate terminus, primarily during peak hours L, R & S sets terminate here, new OSCAR H sets terminate here also in peak periods
- Faulconbridge
Faulconbridge railway station is an interurban railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Faulconbridge in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Linden
Linden railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Linden in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. The station opened in 1874....
- Woodford
Woodford railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the suburb of Woodford in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Hazelbrook
Hazelbrook railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Hazelbrook in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Lawson
Lawson railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the village of Lawson in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Bullaburra
Bullaburra railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Bullaburra in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. The station opened in 1925....
- Wentworth Falls
Wentworth Falls railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Wentworth Falls in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Leura
Leura railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the village of Leura in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Katoomba
Katoomba railway station is a intercity railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the popular tourist town of Katoomba in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the main stations in the Blue Mountains area...
- intermediate terminus
- Medlow Bath
Medlow Bath railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Medlow Bath in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Blackheath
Blackheath railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Blackheath in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia....
- Mount Victoria
Mount Victoria railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Mount Victoria in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- intermediate terminus
- Bell
Bell railway station, originally called Mount Wilson, is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the village of Mount Wilson in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia...
- Newnes Junction
Newnes Junction is a closed railway station on the Blue Mountains Line, New South Wales, Australia. It opened in 1910 and served the former private branch line to Newnes. The station closed to passenger services in 1975, although still physically exists and is occasionally used for coal trains...
- closed
- Zig Zag
Zig Zag railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network in the Upper Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia.There has been a station at this location since 1878....
- for Zig Zag RailwayThe Zig Zag Railway is a heritage railway at Lithgow in New South Wales, Australia on the site of the famous Great or Lithgow Zig Zag which operated between 1869 and 1910...
museum.
- Lithgow
Lithgow railway station is a regional railway station on the Blue Mountains Line of the CityRail intercity network, serving the town of Lithgow in the Central West area of New South Wales, Australia...
- westernmost terminus for Blue Mountains line services
CityRail train services end here. Continues to CountryLinkCountryLink is the operator of passenger rail services in country New South Wales, Australia and from New South Wales into Queensland and Victoria. It is an operating brand of the Rail Corporation New South Wales, a government-owned entity...
services to DubboDubbo is a city in the Central West Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region with a population of 30,574 at the time of the 2006 census, and serves an estimated catchment of 130,000. It is located at the intersection of the Mitchell, Newell and...
and Broken HillBroken Hill is an isolated mining city and Local Government Area in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. The world's largest mining company, BHP Billiton, has roots in the town....
, and Indian Pacific|}The Indian Pacific is a twice-weekly passenger rail service running between Perth and Sydney, Australia operated by Great Southern Railway, with locomotives provided by Pacific National, usually led by an NR class...
services to PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. With a population of 1,650,000 , Perth ranks fourth amongst the nation's cities, with a growth rate consistently above the national average....
. CityRail bus services also run from Lithgow to BathurstBathurst Railway Station is a regional railway station on Main Western Line. It serves the city of Bathurst and its surrounding area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia...
.