Belair railway line

Coordinates: 34°59′33″S 138°37′56″E / 34.992597°S 138.632355°E / -34.992597; 138.632355

Belair Line
Overview
Locale Adelaide, South Australia
Termini Adelaide
Belair
Stations
Services
  • Every 20–30 mins (peak)
  • Every 30–40 mins (weekday)
  • Every 60 mins (weekend)
  • Every 60 mins (night)
Operation
Opened 1883
Events
Re-sleepered (concrete) April–August 2009
Technical
Line length 21.5 km (13.4 mi)
No. of tracks Quadruple track to Goodwood
Single track to Belair
Track gauge 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)

The Belair railway line is a suburban rail commuter route in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, that runs from the Adelaide station to Belair in the Adelaide Hills via the Adelaide-Wolseley line.

History

The Adelaide-Wolseley from Adelaide to Belair and Bridgewater opened in 1883.

In 1919, a new alignment was built around Sleeps Hill as part of the duplication of the line. This involved a new double track tunnel being built to replace two tunnels and two viaducts.[1] The new alignment was also 400 metres shorter. On 18 June 1928, the line was duplicated from Eden Hills to Blackwood and on to Belair on 24 June 1928.[2]

Passenger services were curtailed beyond Belair on 23 September 1987.[2]

In 1995, the track used by Adelaide bound services was converted to standard gauge as part of the Adelaide to Melbourne standardisation project. The broad gauge passenger services were thus restricted to one track with crossing loops located at Mitcham, Blackwood, Eden Hills and Sleeps Hill. At the same time, the stations at Millswood, Hawthorn and Clapham were closed to speed up services. Millswood reopened on 12 October 2014.[3]

Services

All services are operated by Adelaide Metro's 3000 class railcars. Until June 2007, some services on weekends were operated by a 2000 class railcar modified to incorporate increased bike capacity. In 2005, trains ran the route every 30 minutes on weekdays (hourly after 7pm) and every 60 minutes on weekends and public holidays. From 2006, because of the single line, this was downgraded to every 36/24 minutes on weekdays.

The standard gauge track is used by Great Southern Rail's twice-weekly Overland service to Melbourne and freight trains operated by Aurizon, Genesee & Wyoming Australia, Pacific National and SCT Logistics.

Resleepering

In 2008, the State Government announced a plan to rebuild the Belair line.[4]

This work saw the track removed, with the track bed and track renewed. Dual gauge sleepers were laid to allow for the line to be converted to standard gauge at a future date. Unlike other lines is not planned in the immediate future due to extra engineering work and complications with the standard gauge line. The line closed on 26 April 2009 and reopened on 23 August 2009 with buses replacing trains.[5]

2013 Closure

The Belair line was closed from 1 January 2013 to 14 July 2013 to allow for electrification of the line from Adelaide to Goodwood and construction of a grade separation at Goodwood Junction with relatively work performed on the Belair line itself.[6][7]

Gallery

Belair Line suburban service

Legend
 Gauge and interchange key 
Broad gauge
Standard gauge
Adelaide Metro commuter trains
Adelaide Metro trams
Adelaide Metro buses
GSR interstate trains
to Glenelg

0km
0:00
Adelaide
Montefiore Road
City West

to Gawler, Grange and Port Adelaide

to Port Augusta (ARTC)
West Terrace1
Adelaide Depot (closed 2011)
Port Road
to Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Glover Avenue
To Glenelg via Plympton
2.0km
0:04
Mile End
Sir Donald Bradman Drive
Mile End Goods(closed 1994)
Adelaide Parklands Terminal
Keswick(closed 2013)
Anzac Highway/Greenhill Road /
4.0km
0:07
Adelaide Showground
Leader Street
5.0km
0:08
Goodwood
Glenelg Tram
to Seaford & Tonsley
Victoria Street
Goodwood Road
5.9km
Millswood
Cross Road
7.0km
0:11
Unley Park
western platform
demolished 1995

Sussex Terrace
Hawthorn(closed 1995)
Angas Road
Grange Road
8.5km
0:13
Mitcham(Crossing loop)
Wattlebury Road

9.3km
0:15
Torrens Park
western platform
demolished 2008

Old Clapham(closed 1917)
Clapham(closed 1995)
Springbank Road
Barretts Road
10.7km
0:17
Lynton
Sleeps Hill loop
Sleeps Hill(closed 1946, later demolished)

Original alignment(closed 1920)
Sleeps Hill Tunnel
Sleeps Hill Viaduct

14.2km
0:21
Eden Hills
Willunga Street
Eden Hills Tunnels
Eden Hills loop
17.2km
0:26
Coromandel
Brighton Parade
Coromandel Parade
Main Road
18.1km
0:28
Blackwood(Crossing loop)
19.3km
0:30
Glenalta
Main Road
Main Road
20.2km
0:32
Pinera
Upper Sturt Road
21.5km
0:34
Belair

End of broad gauge
Belair Depot
Bridgewater Line (closed 1987)
Bridgewater(closed 1987)
to Bordertown & Melbourne

^1 West Terrace tram stop will become
Royal Adelaide Hospital when hospital is constructed

^1 West Terrace tram stop will become Royal Adelaide Hospital when Hospital is constructed.

Interchange Key:

Image Service Operator(s) Where
Suburban Trains Transfers Adelaide Metro Adelaide, Goodwood
Lightrail Transfers Adelaide Metro Adelaide
Suburban Bus Transfers Torrens Transit
SouthLink
see Bus Routes
Interstate Trains Transfers Great Southern Adelaide Showground
Bus or Rail Interchange n/a Adelaide, Goodwood, Blackwood

References

  1. Sleep's Hill Reserve City of Mitcham
  2. 1 2 Callaghan, WH (1992). The Overland Railway. Sydney: Australian Railway Historical Society. pp. 124, 217, 239. ISBN 0 909650 29 2.
  3. Adelaide's Millswood Station reopens after almost 20 years ABC News 13 October 2014
  4. 2008/09 State Budget South Australian Department of Treasury & Finance June 2008
  5. Belair Line Renewal Adelaide Metro
  6. Goodwood Junction upgrade Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure
  7. Goodwood Junction Rail Grade Separation York Civil
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