The South Line is a railway line in Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, and is part of the CityRail

CityRail

CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...

 suburban network. This line conveys passengers between stations on the City Circle

City Circle

The City Circle is a system of largely underground passenger railway lines located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that make up the heart of the Sydney passenger railway network. The lines are owned by RailCorp, a New South Wales government agency, and...

 and the south-western suburbs of Sydney, including Fairfield

Fairfield railway station, Sydney

-Bus services:Fairfield Bus InterchangeWestbus:*824 - to Wakeley.*825 - weekdays and Saturday services - to Greenfield Park*826 - weekdays and Saturday services - to Cabramatta...

, Liverpool and Campbelltown, travelling via Granville.

Description of route

What is marketed by CityRail

CityRail

CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...

 as the 'South Line' branches from the Main Western Line

Main Western railway line, New South Wales

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 :...

 at Granville. A flyover carries the 'up' (northbound) line over the 'Y Link' tracks (which carry the Cumberland Line services) between Merrylands and Harris Park. The line proceeds south through Merrylands, Guildford and Yennora stations which all have side platforms. North of Yennora station is a connection to a non-electrified goods siding to a Wool Store. The next station is Fairfield, where a set of trailing points

Railroad switch

A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....

 at the north of the station allow southbound trains to terminate on platform 2 and return to the city. The line then continues south through Canley Vale station (2 side platforms) before joining the line from Lidcombe via Regents Park at Cabramatta. This junction is at-grade. This line thus described is known technically as the 'Old Main South' line. It is the original alignment of the Main South Railway Line before a more direct route was constructed between Lidcombe and Cabramatta via Regents Park (what CityRail now markets as part of the Inner West Line).

The line continues as a two track electrified line south through Warwick Farm (2 side platforms) station. South of Warwick Farm, a former line to Warwick Farm Racecourse branched off in an eastbound direction. This line is now closed and the tracks lifted, however the platform face remains at the racecourse station site. The line continues south to meet the East Hills line at-grade at Glenfield Junction. Three platforms are provided at Glenfield to allow southbound trains to terminate and return to the city. The line continues south to Campbelltown, where three platforms are also provided. The final station is Macarthur, south of Campbelltown. This is the current limit of electrification and of suburban services. Three platforms are provided here to allow suburban trains to terminate clear of the mainlines which continue south through the Southern Highlands to Albury

Albury, New South Wales

Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...

 and ultimately to Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

.

Services

Most trains services operate from the City Circle in an anticlockwise direction, their origin is most commonly the Airport and East Hills Line. Services then continue south from Central and along the Main Suburban Railway between Redfern and Strathfield usually utilising the 'local' or southern-most set of the six tracks between these two stations. From Strathfield, South Line trains operate on the southern pair of the four tracks to Granville, services then branch off heading south. Most South Line trains terminate at Campbelltown, however during peak hours many trains terminate at Liverpool and Glenfield

Glenfield railway station, Sydney

Glenfield railway station is an important junction station serving the small Sydney suburb of Glenfield. To the north of the station is a junction between the Main South line and the East Hills Line. To the south, a junction between the Main South and South West lines will be constructed. The...

 instead. This is partially to relieve South Line trains of commuters travelling from the City to stations between Glenfield and Campbelltown who are encouraged to use the more direct Airport and East Hills Line instead.

During weekdays, there are at least four services during peak hours and two trains per hour during off-peak hours. On weekends, there are four trains per hour at weekends day times between 7:30 am to 5:30 pm which is additional two trains an hour terminates at Glenfield

Glenfield railway station, Sydney

Glenfield railway station is an important junction station serving the small Sydney suburb of Glenfield. To the north of the station is a junction between the Main South line and the East Hills Line. To the south, a junction between the Main South and South West lines will be constructed. The...

.

The South Line is also particularly used by commuters travelling from the south-western suburbs to the regional business districts of Parramatta and Blacktown - especially when the part-time Cumberland Line is not in operation - by changing for the Western Line

Western railway line, Sydney

The 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...

 at Granville.

In 2009-2010 the South line ranked 12th out of 16 lines in reliability and only managed to provide 93.7% of services on time.

Nomenclature

The South line has had several different names. As mentioned, the section between Granville and Cabramatta is technically the 'Old Main South', and the section south of Cabramatta is technically the 'Main South' (which continues to Albury

Albury, New South Wales

Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...

). Prior to 1991, the line was advertised as the Macarthur Line, and it included the section from Lidcombe to Cabramatta via Regents Park, which is now part of the Inner West Line. From 1992-1996, the South Line was designated the Campbelltown via Liverpool Line. From 1996-1999, the line was known as Macarthur via Granville. The line is sometimes still known colloquially as the Granville Line, due to announcements at some stations, particularly between Liverpool and Campbelltown, referring to city-bound trains as going to the "City via Granville". Since 1999, the line has carried its current designation of South Line. The line has previously been coloured green and integrated with the East Hills line on promotional material and in directional signage. Since 2000 the two lines have been separated and the South Line has been coloured pale blue. Despite these cosmetic changes, since 1987 when the Glenfield to East Hills link was completed, the manner in which trains operate on the line has remained essentially unchanged.

South Line stations

Name of Station	Code	MyMulti Zone	Serving Suburbs	Pattern stops at this station			Connections
through service continues from
South Line
Museum	MSM	MyMulti1	Sydney
St James	SAJ	MyMulti1	Sydney
Circular Quay	CQY	MyMulti1	Circular Quay, Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point
Wynyard Wynyard railway station, Sydney Wynyard is a major underground CityRail station in the central business district of Sydney, Australia, 2.05 km from Central. Wynyard averages 108000 passenger movements per day Monday to Friday.-History:The station opened on 28 February 1932...	WYD	MyMulti1	Sydney, The Rocks, Millers Point
Town Hall	THL	MyMulti1	Sydney, Darling Harbour				(peak hours only)
Central Central railway station, Sydney Central Railway Station, the largest railway station in Australia, is at the southern end of the Sydney CBD. It services almost all the lines on the CityRail network, and is the major terminus for interurban and interstate rail services...	SBO	MyMulti1	Central, Strawberry Hills, Ultimo, Surrey Hills				(peak hours only)
Redfern	RDF	MyMulti1	Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington, The University of Sydney				*   * * * *peak hours only
Newtown Newtown railway station, Sydney -Transport links:Sydney Buses runs nine routes via Newtown station:*Route 352 - weekdays daytime services - between Bondi Junction Interchange and Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre...	NTN	MyMulti1	Newtown
Ashfield Ashfield railway station, Sydney Ashfield railway station is a station located on the Main Suburban railway line of the CityRail network. It is located in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield and features five platforms...	AFD	MyMulti1	Ashfield
Croydon Croydon railway station, Sydney -Transport links:NightRide runs two routes via Croydon station:*Route N50 - Between Liverpool and City *Route N60 - Between Fairfield station and City -Neighbouring stations:-References:...	CYD	MyMulti1	Croydon
Burwood Burwood railway station, Sydney Burwood is a major station on the main suburban line in the suburb of Burwood in Sydney. The station is located on Burwood Road, close to major shops and schools, and consists of platforms on all six of the tracks through the station. The concourse is situated below the platforms with access to...	BUW	MyMulti2	Burwood
Strathfield	SFD	MyMulti2	Strathfield, Burwood
Homebush	HSH	MyMulti2	Homebush
Flemington Flemington railway station, Sydney Flemington Railway Station is a railway station in Sydney Australia. It is located near the area known as Flemington; the station itself is located in an area now officially known as Homebush West. On the north side of the station are the Flemington markets, and on the south side is a local...	FMG	MyMulti2	Flemington
Lidcombe	LDC	MyMulti2	Lidcome
Auburn Auburn railway station, Sydney -Bus services:Sydney Buses runs two routes to and from Auburn railway station:*Route 540 - weekdays peak hour services - Ermington*Route 544 - weekdays and Saturday services - Macquarie Centre...	AUB	MyMulti2	Auburn
Granville	GAV	MyMulti2	Granville
Merrylands	MLN	MyMulti2	Merrylands
Guildford Guildford railway station, Sydney -Transport links:Veolia Transport runs two routes via Guildford railway station:*Route 906 - between Fairfield and Parramatta*Route 916 - Chester HillHopkinsons also run services to Guildford west and Parramatta...	GUD	MyMulti2	Guildford
Yennora	YNR	MyMulti2	Yennora
Fairfield Fairfield railway station, Sydney -Bus services:Fairfield Bus InterchangeWestbus:*824 - to Wakeley.*825 - weekdays and Saturday services - to Greenfield Park*826 - weekdays and Saturday services - to Cabramatta...	FFL	MyMulti2	Fairfield
Canley Vale	CVE	MyMulti2	Canley Vale
Cabramatta	CTT	MyMulti2	Cabramatta
Warwick Farm	WKF	MyMulti2	Warwick Farm
Liverpool	LPO	MyMulti2	Liverpool
Casula	CSL	MyMulti3	Casula
Glenfield Glenfield railway station, Sydney Glenfield railway station is an important junction station serving the small Sydney suburb of Glenfield. To the north of the station is a junction between the Main South line and the East Hills Line. To the south, a junction between the Main South and South West lines will be constructed. The...	GFD	MyMulti3	Glenfield
Macquarie Fields	MQF	MyMulti3	Macquarie Fields
Ingleburn	IGB	MyMulti3	Ingleburn
Minto	MIO	MyMulti3	Minto
Leumeah	LUM	MyMulti3	Leumeah
Campbelltown	CAM	MyMulti3	Campbelltown

Stopping Patterns

• Pattern 1: All stations to Redfern, Ashfield, Strathfield, Lidcombe, Auburn, Granville then all stations to Glenfield (and vice-versa) (off-peak and peak).
• Pattern 2: All stations to Redfern, Ashfield, Strathfield, Flemington, Lidcombe, Auburn, Granville then all stations to Campbelltown (and vice-versa) (off-peak and peak).
• Pattern 3: All stations to Redfern, Ashfield, Croydon, Strathfield, Flemington, Lidcombe, Auburn, Granville then all stations to Campbelltown (and vice-versa) (off-peak and peak).

In the morning peak

• Pattern 4: Campbelltown all stations to Glenfield, Liverpool, Warwick Farm, Cabramatta, Fairfield, Guildford, Merrylands, Granville, Auburn, Strathfield, then all stations to Summer Hill, Newtown, Redfern, Central and all to the city circle.
• Pattern 5: Campbelltown all stations to Glenfield, Liverpool, Warwick Farm, Cabramatta, Fairfield, Guildford, Merrylands, Granville, Auburn, Strathfield, Ashfield, Redfern, Central and all to the city circle.

The current off-peak service pattern is as follows: (includes continuations onto Airport & East Hills Line)

• • 2tph Campbelltown all stations to Granville, Auburn
    Auburn railway station
    Auburn railway station may refer to:*Auburn railway station, Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia*Auburn railway station, Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia...
    
    , Lidcombe, Flemington, Strathfield, Croydon
    Croydon railway station
    Croydon railway station could be:* A station in Croydon, London:** East Croydon station, the main railway station in Croydon** West Croydon station** South Croydon railway station* West Croydon railway station, Adelaide, Australia...
    
    , Ashfield
    Ashfield railway station
    Ashfield railway station is a railway station serving the Ashfield area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the Maryhill Line 4 km north of Glasgow Queen Street, a short distance west of Cowlairs North Junction. It has two side platforms...
    
    , Redfern and then all stations to Revesby via the City Circle
    City Circle
    The City Circle is a system of largely underground passenger railway lines located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that make up the heart of the Sydney passenger railway network. The lines are owned by RailCorp, a New South Wales government agency, and...
    
     and the Airport
    Sydney Airport
    Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
    
    .
  • 2tph Glenfield
    Glenfield railway station
    Glenfield railway station may refer to:* Glenfield railway station , Glenfield, Leicestershire, UK * Glenfield railway station , Renfrewshire, UK * Glenfield railway station, Sydney, Sydney, Australia...
    
     all stations to Granville, Auburn
    Auburn railway station
    Auburn railway station may refer to:*Auburn railway station, Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia*Auburn railway station, Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia...
    
    , Lidcombe, Strathfield, Ashfield
    Ashfield railway station
    Ashfield railway station is a railway station serving the Ashfield area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is located on the Maryhill Line 4 km north of Glasgow Queen Street, a short distance west of Cowlairs North Junction. It has two side platforms...
    
    , Redfern and then all stations to Wolli Creek via the City Circle
    City Circle
    The City Circle is a system of largely underground passenger railway lines located in the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that make up the heart of the Sydney passenger railway network. The lines are owned by RailCorp, a New South Wales government agency, and...
    
     and the Airport
    Sydney Airport
    Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
    
    , Kingsgrove, Riverwood and then all stations to Macarthur.

Former stations

• Rookwood
  Rookwood railway station, Sydney
  Rookwood was a railway station on Sydney's South railway line. Until its closure in 1967 it served the Rookwood Cemetery. The station was located between the bridge over Arthur street and the western most junction of the Flemington rail yard...
  
  (between Flemington and Lidcombe)