Dictionary of Meaning

<<Back
Please select a letter:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9

CityRail

*** Shopping-Tip: CityRail
Image:Cityraillogo.gif left|thumb|80px|Official logo of the CityRail network Image:Inside central railway station, sydney.jpg Central railway station, Sydney thumb|250px|The waiting area at [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central Railway Station, the main station on the CityRail network.html" title="Meaning of Central Railway Station.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|The waiting area at [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central Railway Station">thumb|250px|The waiting area at [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central Railway Station, the main station on the CityRail network">Central Railway Station.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|The waiting area at [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central Railway Station">thumb|250px|The waiting area at [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central Railway Station, the main station on the CityRail network Image:ConcordWest-Indicators.JPG thumb|right|250px|Old-style manual train indicator boards commonly used in many CityRail stations '''CityRail''' is the name of the extensive system of urban, suburban and intercity passenger railways based in metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. CityRail's intercity lines also extend outside of metropolitan Sydney to Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, New South Wales Southern Highlands, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, the Central Coast, New South Wales Central Coast and the Hunter Valley. Since the beginnings of the network were established in 1855, it has since grown to be one of the world's most complex rail systems, carrying over 900,000 passengers daily to and from List of Sydney railway stations 302 stations on over 2,060 kilometres of track. Despite the extensive service, however, CityRail is frequently criticised as not being up to standard in terms of frequency, reliability and cleanliness when compared to systems in other global cities. CityRail was established under the ''Transport Administration Act (NSW) 1988'' around 1990 and is owned by the New South Wales State Government and is a "product group" of Rail Corporation New South Wales ('''Railcorp'''), the state-owned corporation (SOC) which operates the New South Wales Railways. It is the sister company of Countrylink which operates rail services to regional New South Wales. Most of the CityRail system is electrified with 1500V Direct current DC supplied by overhead wire; however, some isolated sections outside the Sydney metropolitan area are still operated by diesel railcars. All electric trains in CityRail's fleet are double-deck multiple units.

The CityRail network
As of 2006, CityRail operates 11 suburban lines, 4 intercity lines, and 2 regional lines. They are often ascribed a colour on all CityRail signage and publicity including timetables, posters, and network maps. The previous issue of station signs had the line colour indicated underneath the station name, but the current station signs have a generic blue and white design.

=Suburban railway lines
= Image:CityRail Sydney 2006.png thumb|500px|CityRail suburban network in 2006 Illawarra railway line, Sydney '''Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line'''
Between Bondi Junction railway station, Sydney Bondi Junction and Waterfall railway station, Sydney Waterfall/Cronulla railway station, Sydney Cronulla Bankstown railway line, Sydney '''Bankstown Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Liverpool railway station, Sydney Liverpool/Lidcombe railway station, Sydney Lidcombe
(via City Circle (clockwise) and Bankstown) Inner West railway line, Sydney '''Inner West Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Liverpool railway station, Sydney Liverpool
(via City Circle (anticlockwise) and Strathfield) Airport and East Hills railway line, Sydney '''Airport and East Hills Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Macarthur railway station, Sydney Macarthur
(via City Circle (clockwise) and Sydenham (peak) or Wolli Creek) South railway line, Sydney '''South Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Campbelltown railway station, Sydney Campbelltown
(via City Circle (anticlockwise) and Granville) Cumberland railway line, Sydney '''Cumberland Line'''
Between Blacktown railway station, Sydney Blacktown and Campbelltown railway station, Sydney Campbelltown Western railway line, Sydney '''Western Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Emu Plains railway station, Sydney Emu Plains/Richmond railway station, Sydney Richmond North Shore railway line, Sydney '''North Shore Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Berowra railway station, Sydney Berowra Carlingford railway line, Sydney '''Carlingford Line'''
Between Clyde railway station, Sydney Clyde and Carlingford railway station, Sydney Carlingford Olympic Park railway line, Sydney '''Olympic Park Sprint'''
Between Lidcombe railway station, Sydney Lidcombe and Olympic Park railway station, Sydney Olympic Park
(exending to Central in off-peak and during special events) Northern railway line, Sydney '''Northern Line'''
Between North Sydney railway station, Sydney North Sydney and Hornsby railway station, Sydney Hornsby

=Intercity and regional railway lines
= South Coast railway line, New South Wales '''South Coast Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central* and Bomaderry (Nowra) railway station, New South Wales Bomaderry (Nowra)/Port Kembla railway station, New South Wales Port Kembla Southern Highlands railway line, New South Wales '''Southern Highlands Line'''
Between Campbelltown railway station, Sydney Campbelltown* and Goulburn railway station, New South Wales Goulburn Blue Mountains railway line, New South Wales '''Blue Mountains Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central* and Lithgow railway station, New South Wales Lithgow Newcastle and Central Coast railway line, New South Wales '''Newcastle & Central Coast Line'''
Between Central railway station, Sydney Central and Newcastle railway station, New South Wales Newcastle Hunter Valley railway line, New South Wales '''Hunter Lines'''
Between Newcastle railway station, New South Wales Newcastle and Dungog railway station, New South Wales Dungog/Scone railway station, New South Wales Scone * Some peak services on the South Coast Line run from Bondi Junction railway station, Sydney Bondi Junction, some on the Southern Highlands Line from Central railway station, Sydney Central, and some on the Blue Mountains Line to North Sydney railway station, Sydney North Sydney.

=Connecting bus services
= CityRail also operates several bus routes along corridors where the railway line has been closed to passenger traffic or fallen into disuse altogether. These bus services appear in CityRail timetables and accept CityRail tickets, but they are operated by private-sector bus companies contracted by CityRail. As of 2006 these CityRail bus services are: * '''Bowral to Picton (Loop Line - via Thirlmere)''' * '''Wollongong to Moss Vale (via Robertson)''' * '''Lithgow to Bathurst (via Mt. Lambie)''' * '''Fassifern to Toronto

=NightRide bus services
= Image:Nightridemap.gif thumb|right|250px|Map of the current NightRide Bus network To provide a lower-cost passenger service between midnight and 5:00 AM while leaving the tracks clear of trains for maintenance work, a parallel bus service was established in 1989. This is called the '''NightRide''' bus service and it operates typically at hourly intervals (some routes depart every half hour on weekends). NightRide services are run by private bus operators, and are identified by route numbers beginning with "N". All valid CityRail tickets for a destination (apart from single tickets) are accepted on NightRide services.[http://www.cityrail.info/nightride/index.jsp "NightRide Bus Services"], ''CityRail'', retrieved 28 March 2006 The main terminus for NightRide services is located on George Street, Sydney George Street in the Sydney central business district Sydney CBD, outside Town Hall railway station, Sydney Town Hall railway station, and all NightRide services depart from there (apart from the N20 which departs from Rockdale railway station, Sydney Rockdale instead). Bus stops and railway stations do not always perfectly coincide, but there is a reasonable approximation on most routes. The full list of routes covered by NightRide and their route numbers are: *'''N10:''' Town Hall to Sutherland railway station, Sydney Sutherland, via Rockdale and Hurstville railway station, Sydney Hurstville *'''N11:''' Town Hall to Cronulla railway station, Sydney Cronulla, via Rockdale and Hurstville *'''N20:''' Rockdale to Riverwood railway station, Sydney Riverwood *'''N30:''' Town Hall to Macarthur railway station, Sydney Macarthur, via Canterbury railway station, Sydney Canterbury and Liverpool railway station, Sydney Liverpool *'''N40:''' Town Hall to East Hills railway station, Sydney East Hills, via Bankstown railway station, Sydney Bankstown and Padstow railway station, Sydney Padstow *'''N50:''' Town Hall to Liverpool, via Regents Park railway station, Sydney Regents Park and Fairfield railway station, Sydney Fairfield *'''N60:''' Town Hall to Fairfield, via Granville railway station, Sydney Granville and Parramatta railway station, Sydney Parramatta *'''N70:''' Town Hall to Penrith railway station, Sydney Penrith, via Parramatta and Blacktown railway station, Sydney Blacktown *'''N80:''' Town Hall to Hornsby railway station, Sydney Hornsby, via Epping railway station, Sydney Epping *'''N90:''' Town Hall to Hornsby, via North Sydney railway station, Sydney North Sydney and Chatswood railway station, Sydney Chatswood A route '''N71''' NightRide service between Blacktown and Richmond railway station, Sydney Richmond was trialled in the early 2000s, but did not become a full service and is now discontinued. A now discontinued route '''N1''' existed until 1 November 2002, serving the stations on the City Circle.[http://www.aptnsw.org.au/cgi-bin/item.cgi?20021026Sat112920.txt "Changes to NightRide Buses: 1 November 2002"], ''Action for Public Transport (NSW)'', retrieved 28 March 2006

Network overview
The CityRail network is a ''hybrid'' of three different types of passenger railway - it is a combination of a metro-style underground railway system; a suburban commuter rail system and an intercity rail interurban rail system. For example, a person who lives in Blacktown, New South Wales Blacktown, 30 km west of Sydney and works in the city centre 2 km from Sydney's Central Station, Sydney Central Station can catch a CityRail suburban service from his/her local station. However, the train does not terminate at Central railway station, Sydney Central Station, instead proceeding onward into the Sydney underground railways underground network in Sydney's Central business district CBD and some inner city neighbourhoods without the need to change trains or buy tickets from a different railway organisation. CityRail also operates several interurban services which terminate at Central Station, Sydney Central Station (though some services operate in the metro-style portions of the system in the peak hours). These lines stretch over 160 km (100 miles) from Sydney, as far north as Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, as far west as Lithgow, New South Wales Lithgow, as far south-west as Goulburn, New South Wales Goulburn and as far south as Kiama, New South Wales Kiama and Port Kembla. Usually, Southern Highlands trains require a connection at Campbelltown as they run into the city during peak hours only. Regional services operate from the terminus station at Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, with local electric services to the Central Coast and diesel services to Maitland, New South Wales Maitland. After Maitland, the DMUs travel either to Scone, New South Wales Scone or Dungog, New South Wales Dungog, but most of these services terminate at Maitland or Telarah. Another regional service operates as part of the South Coast railway line, New South Wales South Coast Line, with diesel railcars travelling between Kiama, New South Wales Kiama and Bomaderry-Nowra, New South Wales Nowra. The hub of the CityRail system is Central railway station, Sydney Central Station. It is also where most lines start and end. Trains coming from the Airport and East Hills railway line, Sydney Airport and East Hills Line and Bankstown railway line, Sydney Bankstown Line, after travelling anticlockwise on the City Circle sometimes terminate upon arrival at Central and proceed to the Macdonaldtown Turnback. However, most trains continue on and become respective outward bound Inner West railway line, Sydney Inner West trains and South railway line, Sydney South Line trains. The reverse applies for trains coming from the Inner West and South Lines, which, if not terminating, become outward bound trains on the Airport and East Hills line and Bankstown Line respectively. In the same manner, all trains from the Western railway line, Sydney Western Line become North Shore railway line, Sydney North Shore line trains once they reach Central and vice-versa. As well as the intercity services mentioned above, local services also run in the Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle local area during off-peak (as part of the Newcastle and Central Coast railway line, New South Wales Newcastle & Central Coast Line. Local services also run on the South Coast railway line, Sydney South Coast Line in the Wollongong, New South Wales Wollongong local area, usually between Thirroul railway station, New South Wales Thirroul and Port Kembla railway station, New South Wales Port Kembla.

History
CityRail's origins go as far back as 1855 when the first railway in New South Wales was opened between Sydney and Parramatta, now a suburb of Sydney but then a major agricultural centre. The railway formed the basis of the New South Wales railways and was owned by the government. Passenger and freight services were operated from the beginning. The State's railway system quickly expanded from the outset with lines radiating from Sydney and Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle into the interior of New South Wales, with frequent passenger railway services in the suburban areas of Sydney and Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle along with less frequent passenger trains into the rural areas and interstate. All services were powered by steam locomotives, though in the 1920s petrol railcars were introduced for minor branch lines with low passenger numbers, both in metropolitan Sydney and rural areas. The CityRail system as it exists today is really the result of the vision and foresight of John Bradfield, one of Australia's most respected and famous civil engineers. He was involved in the design and construction of Sydney underground railways in the 1920s and 1930s, but he is more famous for the associated design and construction of Sydney's greatest icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Electrification
Image:ConcordWest-Plat1WaitingRm.JPG Northern railway line, Sydney thumb|right|250px|A typical electrified suburban station - Concord West station on the [[Northern railway line, Sydney|'''Northern Line'''.html" title="Meaning of '''Northern Line'''.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|A typical electrified suburban station - Concord West station on the [[Northern railway line, Sydney|'''Northern Line'''">thumb|right|250px|A typical electrified suburban station - Concord West station on the [[Northern railway line, Sydney|'''Northern Line'''">'''Northern Line'''.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|250px|A typical electrified suburban station - Concord West station on the [[Northern railway line, Sydney|'''Northern Line'''">thumb|right|250px|A typical electrified suburban station - Concord West station on the [[Northern railway line, Sydney|'''Northern Line''' Electrification came to Sydney's suburbs in 1926 with the first suburban electric service running between Sydney's Central railway station, Sydney Central Station and the suburb of Oatley approximately 20 km south of Sydney. In the same year, the first underground railway was constructed from Central Station to St. James railway station, Sydney St James in downtown Sydney. Electric trains that had previously terminated at the Central Station continued north, diving underground at the Goulburn Street tunnel portal, stopping at Museum railway station, Sydney Museum underground station and then terminating at St James. Other lines were quickly electrified soon after. Also, in conjunction with the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge which opened in 1932, an additional underground line in downtown Sydney was constructed, connecting the North Shore line, Sydney North Shore line with Central railway station, Sydney Central Station via two downtown stations - Town Hall railway station, Sydney Town Hall and Wynyard railway station, Sydney Wynyard. World War II interrupted programs for further electrification, but the following extensive electric network was in place in 1948 spanning the suburban area: * St James - Hurstville - Cronulla * St James - East Hills * Wynyard - Sydenham - Bankstown * Wynyard - Strathfield - Bankstown * North Sydney - Strathfield - Hornsby * Hornsby - North Sydney - Parramatta * Hornsby - North Sydney - Granville - Liverpool * Lidcombe - Regents Park - Liverpool shuttle service In 2002, CityRail electrified the portion of track running from Dapto to Kiama on the South Coast Line.

Fleet
Image:Artarmon railway station Sydney platform.jpg North Shore railway line, Sydney thumb|250px|An R set leaves Artarmon railway station, on the [[North Shore railway line, Sydney|'''North Shore Line'''.html" title="Meaning of '''North Shore Line'''.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|An R set leaves Artarmon railway station, on the [[North Shore railway line, Sydney|'''North Shore Line'''">thumb|250px|An R set leaves Artarmon railway station, on the [[North Shore railway line, Sydney|'''North Shore Line'''">'''North Shore Line'''.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|An R set leaves Artarmon railway station, on the [[North Shore railway line, Sydney|'''North Shore Line'''">thumb|250px|An R set leaves Artarmon railway station, on the [[North Shore railway line, Sydney|'''North Shore Line''' As of 2005 CityRail operates several distinct types of trains for suburban services: * Comeng/Goninan R sets (six cars) or S sets (four or eight cars). Operates on sectors 1,2 and 3 * "Chopper motor Chopper" C set (train) C sets (four or eight cars). Operates on sector 2. * Air-conditioned K set (train) K sets (four or eight cars). Operates on Sector 3. * Goninan manufactured Tangara T sets. Operates on sector 1 and 2 (shared) and sector 3. * Downer EDi EDi Rail manufactured Millennium train Millennium M sets. As of 2005, these sets are currently operating on sector 2 only. * Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle local services K sets (two cars). Sets K1-K4, attached to Hornsby Maintenance Centre (sector 3). * Comeng L sets for Wollongong local services (two cars). On interurban services, different style trains usually operate with extra comforts (such as armrests and on-board toilets) to cater for longer distance journeys: * Comeng manufactured CityRail DDIU V Sets. (two, four, six and eight car sets). Operates on sector 4. * Goninan manufactured "Outer Suburban" Tangara G sets. Operates peak hour intercity and off peak suburban services on sectors 1 and 3 (see below). * Adtranz manufactured Endeavour (train) Endeavour Diesel multiple units. They operate on the South Coast, Hunter and Southern Highlands Lines NSW Government Railways manufactured 620/720 "rattler" railcars operate on the Hunter Line only. New Hunter RailCars are being brought in to replace the ageing 620/720s. A new style of diesel multiple unit (DMU) is under contruction now by United Goninan. New outer suburban cars, known as OSCARs or H Sets, also constructed by United Goninan, will also soon be in service. Notable CityRail cars include DIM8020, formerly DIM8067, DET9216, formerly DCT9034, and D6288.

Fleet depot and operation area
A target plate is a coloured square plate attached to the lower front right side below the drivers cabin of a train identifying the train set type (listed above) and number (e.g. K78, T65).

=Sector 1 (Red target plate) Mortdale maintenance centre
= Out stabling depots/points: Cronulla, Waterfall and Bondi Junction. The Illawarra line from Bondi Junction to Cronulla/Waterfall. "T", "G", and "L" sets allocated to Mortdale are also used on the south coast line for services to Port Kembla and Dapto. Tangara "T" sets allocated to Mortdale are also used for service on sector 2.

=Sector 2 (Blue Target Plate) Flemington maintenance centre.
= Out stabling depots/points: Campbelltown and Liverpool. The Cumberland line from Campbelltown to Blacktown, Airport Line, Olympic Park sprint shuttle, Campbelltown via East Hills and Granville, Liverpool via Bankstown and Regents Park and City Circle Lines. Mortdale (Sector 1) Tangara "T" sets are used for sector 2 services.

=Sector 3 (Black target plate) Hornsby maintenance centre.
= Out stabling depots/points: Penrith, Blacktown, Richmond, North Sydney and Hornsby Yard. The North Shore railway line, Sydney North Shore Line, Main North Line via Epping, Emu Plains, Richmond and Carlingford Lines. "G" sets allocated to Hornsby are also used on the Blue Mountains line for services to Springwood via the North Shore line and the Central Coast line for services to Wyong via the North Shore line during peak hours. The 2 car "K" sets (K1-K4) are used for local Newcastle services.

=Sector 4 (Blue target plate) Flemington maintenance centre.
= Out stabling depots/points: Newcastle, Gosford, Mt. Victoria, Lithgow, and Wollongong. Intercity services within electrified area from Sydney (Central) to Lithgow, Kiama/Port Kembla and Newcastle.

=Sector 5 (Green Target Plate) Eveleigh maintenance centre.
= Millennium "M" set depot. Providing services within the City Rail suburban network. In addition, MainTrain, located in Auburn, is contracted by RailCorp for all heavy maintenance and overhauls of the CityRail electric fleet (excluding the Millennium trains).

Ticketing
Image:Cityrailticket1.png thumb|300px|right|An example of the current CityRail magnetic tickets. Unlike the ticketing systems of other cities in Australia, most of CityRail's ticket prices are calculated on the distance travelled. The distance begins in increments of 5km up to 35km, then in increments of 10 up to 135km, then increments of 20 up to 255km, with final pricings at 305km and more than 305km. As of March 2006 the minimum adult single fare for travelling up to and including 5km, is $2.20AU, whereas travelling from Scone railway station, New South Wales Scone to Goulburn railway station, New South Wales Goulburn, the two stations furthest apart on the network (a distance of 513.54km) is only $28.00AU. CityRail tickets currently use a magnetic strip ticket, having replaced a paper or cardboard version in the early 1990s. Tickets are currently available in four different types: adult, concession, adult off-peak and child off-peak. Concession tickets (priced at half the full adult fare) are available to children under 16, full time university and TAFE students, and apprentices. Off-peak tickets are available only on return tickets after 9:00am on weekdays and all day on weekends and are discounted to 60% of the full fare. The majority of available tickets are single and return trips. Return trip tickets are valid up to 4am after the day of issue. Passengers possessing single or return trip tickets are not permitted to "break" their journey, that is, alight at a station prior to that indicated on the ticket. Weekly tickets between two stops are also available. More flexible tickets are also available, including as weekly TravelPass tickets, which allow unlimited travel on a combination of train, bus, and ferry services within a designated area, given a colour. For example, a red TravelPass allows unlimited train, bus, and ferry services within the inner Sydney metropolitan area. TravelPasses not issued by CityRail are compatible with CityRail ticketing systems, though they may look different. Ticketing is also available for train and privately-run bus services in the Greater West, where the extents of the government-run Sydney Buses do not reach. Day pass ticketing is also available, including as the CityHopper which permits unlimited travel all day between stations in the Central Business District (termed "City" stations), and the DayTripper, which permits near-unlimited train, bus, and ferry use.

Corporate structure
Prior to 1 January 2004, CityRail was a joint operation of the Rail Infrastructure Corporation and the Rail Corporation New South Wales New South Wales State Rail Authority (SRA), both state-owned entities. The State Rail Authority was responsible for CityRail's ticketing, public relations, political and corporate side. Meanwhile, the Rail Infrastructure Corporation, technically operating independently of the State Rail Authority, was be responsible for CityRail's fleet, track network and maintenance side. 1 January 2004 marked the introduction of a new state-owned, entity called the Rail Corporation New South Wales, or RailCorp. RailCorp's function is to join the State Rail Authority and the Rail Infrastructure Corporation's operations relating to CityRail under one entity. As a result, the State Rail Authority has been dissolved into RailCorp, and the Rail Infrastructure Corporation's duties of track and fleet maintenance have been transferred to RailCorp. The Rail Infrastructure Corporation still has duties outside of the CityRail network, including interstate and rural lines, as well as freight services. CityRail has a loose affiliation with the New South Wales State Transit Authority (STA), which manages Sydney's government bus and Liverpool - Parramatta Transitway. Inner-city transport is supplemented by the privately owned Metro Transport Corporation, which manages Sydney City's small light rail (a modern tram) and monorail network.

Change in CityRail map
The CityRail Lines map changes the lines and colours every so often. [http://www.urbantransport-technology.com/projects/sydney2/images/sydney4.jpg Earlier rail map] Around 1995, the line colours were *Red: Hornsby Northern line *Yellow: Western lines to Penrith, Parramatta *Green: Southern lines to Campbelltown, Liverpool *Brown: Canterbury-Bankstown lines *Blue: Illawarra lines south to Waterfall and Cronulla An earlier map, used when the CityRail network was known as the ''Sydney Rail Transport System'' (probably in the 1980s), still exists on the concourse at Martin Place railway station, Sydney Martin Place railway station. This map used a pink colour for the North Shore line, orange for the East Hills line (before the connection to Glenfield railway station, Sydney Glenfield was built via Holsworthy railway station, Sydney Holsworthy), an indigo colour for the Eastern Suburbs line, and a near-black colour for the City Circle. The Carlingford line was coloured yellow as part of the Western line, and the line via Regents Park railway station, Sydney Regents Park was part of the Southern line and therefore coloured green. The map also shows now-disused lines and sidings, and the suburban network extended to Otford railway station, New South Wales Otford to the south and Cowan railway station, New South Wales Cowan to the north.

Future
Image:Christieplan.gif thumb|300px|right|Possible 2050 network under the proposed Christie report In response to public allegations of poor service from CityRail, the government of New South Wales has announced that it intends to separate the existing CityRail lines into five independent lines with more reliable and frequent services. The five lines will be called "CityRail Clearways Project Rail Clearways" and are listed as the Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs Line, the Bankstown Line, the Campbelltown Express Line, the Airport & South Line and the North-West Lines. This project is estimated to cost AUD$1 billion and is scheduled for completion in 2010. Image:Eclrailline.png thumb|350px|Diagram of Epping to Chatswood Line The Clearways project includes the construction of the new 13km Epping to Chatswood railway line, Sydney Epping to Chatswood Line which runs between Epping on the Northern Line and Chatswood on the North Shore line, with three stations inbetween, servicing the North Ryde industrial area, Macquarie University, and Macquarie Shopping Centre. It is due to open in 2008. There was a suggestion to build a privately operated underground train line that will run from the CBD to Parramatta, reducing the current 30 minute trip to ~12 minutes. This service was to operate in conjunction with RailCorp, and would have used CityRail's existing train stations and ticketing system, but a private company would have charged an extra fee on top of the normal CityRail ticket price. The train fleet and rail infrastructure would be built and maintained by the private company. The State Government has never endorsed the proposal. As of June 2005, the NSW government announced plans for a major new upgrade to the CityRail network involving a new line from the north-west to the city and then to the south-west. This massive project was estimated to cost about A$8 billion, $5 billion of which was for the building of a new tunnel under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and tunnels under the city. Under this plan, the new north-west suburbs would get a rail line by 2017, the new south-west suburbs would be linked by 2020, and the rail line would pass through the new growth corridor from Ryde to the airport. Critics of the New South Wales government have criticised what they perceive as a lack of follow through, citing the previously planned Parramatta to Chatswood rail link which has since been truncated to link only Epping to Chatswood, with the Epping to Parramatta portion postponed indefinitely.

See also
*List of Sydney railway stations *List of suburban and commuter rail systems *Sydney underground railways *Southern Sydney Freight Line *Public transport

External links
{{commonscat|CityRail Sydney}}
- CityRail - CityRail Website
- CityRail's Fleet - CityRail webpage of its rollingstock.
- Christie Report - Long Term Strategic Plan for Rail.
- Sydney Electric Train Society (SETS) Incorporated - Established in 1991 for the preservation and operation of Sydney's vintage single deck electric trains and electric locomotives 4615 and 8606.
- Details and map of Clearways
- RailCorp Homepage
- Rail Infrastructure Corporation
- State Transit Authority
- Metro Transport Sydney
- Trendy's Trainpage - Facts and photos of the trains and railways of Sydney, Australia
- The Intercity Platform - Images (and videos) of the CityRail Fleet.
- Railpage Australia - "The premier Australian rail server. Wasting time and bandwidth since 1992" is their motto. General news and discussion about Australian railways.
- NSW Audit Office: Managing Disruption to CityRail services.
- Historical NSW Rail Timetables- Historical Sydney Railway Timetables
- North West Rail Link
- South West Rail Link {{CityRailSydney}} Category:Australian regional rail systems de:CityRail ro:CityRail see CityRail {{catmore}} category:Rail transport in Australia category:Transport in Sydney

*** Shopping-Tip: CityRail