Light Rail to Dulwich Hill
Light Rail to Dulwich Hill
Why Light Rail to Dulwich Hill?
The Light Rail is being extended from Lilyfield to Summer Hill and on to Dulwich Hill by converting the Rozelle freight line to Light Rail.
The extension is 5.6km long and will include nine new stations.
Will Light Rail replace other public transport?
The Summer Hill / Dulwich Hill extension will fill a gap in the public transport network which current does not serve this area very well. The primary market would be journeys within the inner west, connecting Darling Harbour, mid-CBD and Pyrmont to an extended inner west population including Leichhardt and Haberfield. There will be numerous interchange possibilities onto Sydney Buses and CityRail for longer journeys.
How long will it take to build the extension?
The basic infrastructure is of high quality, and only the light rail specific equipment and structures are needed (such as stations, signaling, power supply). The track has been cleaned up and re-laid in places. The infrastructure could be delivered within 18 months from agreement and consent. Note that the extension of the light rail from Wentworth Park to Lilyfield in year 2000 took 9 months to complete. Extra vehicles will be required to extend the service to Dulwich Hill.
It is intended that the new service testing will commence in 2013 and revenue service will commence in 2014.
How often will the trams run?
Metro Light Rail would extend the current service onto the extension, which is a vehicle every 10-15 minutes from 06:00 to 23:00 or midnight. The service in the peak hours will be increased to cater for the extra commuters.
The Dulwich Hill Light Rail route
Going west from the Light Rail stop at Lilyfield, the extension route goes into a cutting as the surface elevation rises near Balmain Road, and then enters a tunnel which passes under City West link road.
The line generally runs southwards parallel to the Hawthorne Canal, with major bridges over Marion Street and Parramatta Road. It passes under the main west rail line near Lewisham station and runs at grade past the flour mills site.
The freight line continues further south beyond the flour mill, joining the Botany Goods Line at the Wardell Road Junction (Dulwich Hill) after a further 1.9 kms. This section of line will be used to extend Light Rail further south beyond the flour mill to Dulwich Hill.
Total length from Lilyfield to the Dulwich Hill Railway Station is 5.6km. This compares to the current Light Rail line which is 7.2km long. Approximately 9 stations will be built along the 5.6km extension at:
- • Leichhardt North
- • Hawthorne
- • Marion
- • Taverners Hill
- • Lewisham West
- • Waratah Mills
- • Arlington
- • Dulwich Grove
- • Dulwich Hill Interchange