View source for Northern Line (Sydney)

{{short description|Rail service in Sydney, Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox rail service
| name        = Northern Line
| logo        = TfNSW T9.svg
| logo_width  = 60
| image       = Cheltenham Station 050a.jpg
| caption     = An [[Sydney Trains A & B sets|A set]] at [[Cheltenham railway station, Sydney|Cheltenham station]]
| type        = [[Commuter rail]] service
| status      = Active
| locale      = [[Sydney]]
| ridership2  = 
| operator    = [[Sydney Trains]]
| stock       = [[Sydney Trains T set|T]], [[Sydney Trains A & B sets|A and B]] sets
| routenumber = T9
| line_used       = {{plainlist|
*[[Main North railway line, New South Wales|Main North]]
*[[Main Suburban railway line|Main Suburban]]
*[[North Shore railway line|North Shore]]
}}
| map_name    = Sydney rail services
| map         = {{TFNSW nav|T}}
| map_state   = collapsed
|color={{rcr|Sydney Trains|T9}}}}{{Sydney Trains Line/Northern Line}}
The '''Northern Line''' (numbered '''T9''', coloured red) is a commuter rail service operated by [[Sydney Trains]], serving the [[Northern Sydney|Northern]] and parts of the [[Inner West (Sydney)|Inner West]] suburbs of [[Sydney]].

==History==
{{main|Main North railway line, New South Wales}}
[[File:CityRail NorthernLine.png|thumb|left|200px|Diagram of the Northern Line prior to 2009]]

===Original incarnation (until 2013)===
The traditional Northern Line was the suburban portion of the [[Main North railway line, New South Wales|Main North railway line]] (Strathfield - Hornsby) which opened in 1886 and was electrified in 1926.<ref name=mn>{{cite web|url=https://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:main_north|title=Main North Line|website=NSWrail.net|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref> When the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] was opened, it connected railway services from the Main North line and the City underground onto the North Shore line.

Passenger services used to operate as the Main North Line (same name as the physical railway line) and was colour coded red on railway maps. It operated all the way to [[Cowan railway station|Cowan]], until the service was truncated to Berowra in January 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transitmap.net/sydney-1984/|title=Historical Map: Sydney Rail Network, Early 1980s|publisher=Transit Maps|date=5 July 2014|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref><ref>"CityRail launches new timetable" ''[[Railway Digest]]'' February 1992 page 45</ref> The service, along with the North Shore Line service (yellow), later also ran along the [[North Shore railway line]] towards the City via the Harbour Bridge, forming a continuous loop via Strathfield, Epping and back to Hornsby.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transitmap.net/sydney-1992/|title=Historical Map: Sydney CityRail Network Map, 1992|publisher=Transit Maps|date=3 May 2012|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref>

[[File:ECRL Stateplan.png|thumb|200px|left|Diagram of the Northern Line between 2009 and 2013. The line is marked in red.]]
In later years, the line operated as the Northern Line and ran from Hornsby to North Sydney via Strathfield and the City, with the North Shore line replacing services between Hornsby and Berowra. In February 2009, the Epping to Chatswood rail link was opened. In October 2009, the Northern Line service was integrated with the shuttle service between [[Epping to Chatswood rail link|Epping and Chatswood]]. As a result, the traditional Northern Line was split in two, with trains from north of Epping operating via the new link, approaching the city via the North Shore Line and rejoining the traditional route before terminating at Epping.

===Part of T1 (2013 to 2019)===
In October 2013, the Northern Line, North Shore Line and Western line were merged to form the T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line, which was colour coded yellow.

On weekdays, trains from the upper Northern Line (Hornsby via Macquarie University) joined up with the Western Line trains towards Richmond or Emu Plains, while trains from the lower Northern Line (Epping via Strathfield) joined up with the North Shore Line trains towards Hornsby or Berowra. On weekends, trains ran similar to prior to merger, where the lower Northern Line trains from Epping continue onto the upper Northern Line trains at Chatswood into Hornsby via Macquarie University.

In September 2018, the Epping to Chatswood line closed in order to be converted to metro standards as part of the [[Sydney Metro Northwest]] project. As a result, the traditional Northern line branch from Hornsby to Central via Strathfield was reinstated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/station-link-bus-services-to-connect-customers-during-metro-upgrade|title=Station Link bus services to connect customers during Metro upgrade|website=NSW Transport Info|date=7 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180408074058/https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/station-link-bus-services-to-connect-customers-during-metro-upgrade|archive-date=8 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Reincarnation (since 2019)===
[[File:T9 Sydney Trains diagram.png|thumb|300px|Diagram of the T9 Northern Line post-2019.]]
On 28 April 2019, as part of the integration with the [[Sydney Metro Northwest]], the Northern Line branch was spin-off from the T1 Line and became a separate T9 Northern Line, though using the same rolling stock.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://transportnsw.info/service-adjustments-2019|title=Service Adjustments 2019|website=Transport Info NSW|date=12 April 2019|access-date=15 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413095755/https://transportnsw.info/service-adjustments-2019|archive-date=13 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/a-new-red-line-through-sydney-s-rail-map-20190220-p50z1r.html|title=A new red line through Sydney's rail map|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald|date=21 February 2019|access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref> The new line runs from Hornsby to Gordon via Strathfield (and vice-versa). The separated line runs a similar route to the pre-2009 incarnation of the line. It is also similarly colour-coded red.

==Route==
The line begins at Hornsby - a junction station with the North Shore Line. The line heads south to Strathfield via Epping using the Main North Line, crossing the [[Parramatta River]] between Rhodes and Meadowbank. At Strathfield, trains usually head onto a flyover over the 'Main lines', before heading east onto the Main Suburban Railway, usually using the middle 'Suburban' pair of the six tracks between Redfern and Strathfield. Trains pass through Redfern and Central, then through the western limb of the [[City Circle]] before heading across the Harbour Bridge. Trains then head north along the [[North Shore railway line|North Shore]] towards Gordon, where they usually terminate. Some services continue as T1 North Shore line trains (to Hornsby or Berowra).

For off-peak and weekend services, the T9 generally runs from Hornsby to Gordon via Epping, Strathfield and the North Shore. However, the route is split into two distinct stopping patterns during the morning and afternoon peak: 

Anti-clockwise direction:
* All stations from Hornsby to Epping, then Eastwood, West Ryde, Meadowbank, Rhodes, Strathfield, Burwood and then finally terminating at Central (Grand Concourse).
* All stations from Epping to Strathfield, then Redfern, Central, then all stations to Gordon, then all stations to Hornsby or Berowra (continuing as T1 North Shore line).
Clockwise direction:
* All stations from Gordon to Redfern, then Strathfield, and then all stations to Epping.
* Central (Grand Concourse), then Burwood, Strathfield, Rhodes, Meadowbank, West Ryde, Eastwood, Epping, and then all stations to Hornsby.     

<!--Delete comment tag when a new T9 map is made
{{#tag:mapframe| {{Map of T9 Northern Line}} | width="500" | height="400" | longitude="150.9721" | latitude="-33.7629" | zoom="10" | align="left" | text="T9 interactive map"}}
{{-}}
{{Sydney Trains T9}}-->
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
|+T9 stations
!Name
!Distance from<br />Central<br /><ref name=mn/><ref name="ns">{{cite web |url=http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:north_shore|title=NSW Rail.net North Shore line|access-date=3 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="cc">{{cite web |url=http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:city_circle|title=NSW Rail.net City Circle|access-date=3 July 2007}}</ref><ref name="ms">{{cite web |url=http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:main_south|title=NSW Rail.net Main South line|access-date=3 July 2007}}</ref>
!Opened<br /><ref name="mn" /><ref name="ns" /><ref name="cc" /><ref name="ms" />
!Railway line
!Serving suburbs
!Other lines
|-
|'''[[Gordon railway station, Sydney|Gordon]]'''
|17.1&nbsp;km
|1890
| rowspan=14|[[North Shore railway line|North Shore]]
|Gordon
| rowspan="4" | {{TFNSW lines|T1}}
|-
|'''[[Killara railway station|Killara]]'''
|15.9&nbsp;km
|1899
|Killara, East Killara
|-
|'''[[Lindfield railway station|Lindfield]]'''
|14.6&nbsp;km
|1890
|Lindfield, East Lindfield
|-
|'''[[Roseville railway station, Sydney|Roseville]]'''
|13.3&nbsp;km
|1890
|Roseville
|-
|'''[[Chatswood railway station|Chatswood]]'''
|11.7&nbsp;km
|1890
|Chatswood
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}{{TFNSW lines|M1}}
|-
|'''[[Artarmon railway station|Artarmon]]'''
|10.3&nbsp;km
|1898
|Artarmon
| rowspan="6" | {{TFNSW lines|T1}}
|-
|'''[[St Leonards railway station|St Leonards]]'''
|8.4&nbsp;km
|1890
|St Leonards, Naremburn,<br />Crows Nest, Greenwich, Artarmon
|-
|'''[[Wollstonecraft railway station|Wollstonecraft]]'''
|7.2&nbsp;km
|1893
|Wollstonecraft, Greenwich
|-
|'''[[Waverton railway station, Sydney|Waverton]]'''
|6.1&nbsp;km
|1893
|Waverton
|-
|'''[[North Sydney railway station|North Sydney]]'''
|5.1&nbsp;km
|1932
|North Sydney
|-
|'''[[Milsons Point railway station|Milsons Point]]'''
|4.4&nbsp;km
|1932
|Milsons Point, Kirribilli
|-
|'''[[Wynyard railway station, Sydney|Wynyard]]'''
|2.1&nbsp;km
|1932
|Sydney CBD, Barangaroo
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}{{TFNSW lines|T2}}{{TFNSW lines|T3}}{{TFNSW lines|T8}}
|-
|'''[[Town Hall railway station, Sydney|Town Hall]]'''
|1.2&nbsp;km
|1932
|Sydney CBD
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}{{TFNSW lines|T2}}{{TFNSW lines|T3}}{{TFNSW lines|T4}}{{TFNSW lines|T8}}
|-
|'''[[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]]'''
|0&nbsp;km
|1855
|Haymarket, Chippendale,<br />Ultimo, Surry Hills
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}{{TFNSW lines|T2}}{{TFNSW lines|T3}}{{TFNSW lines|T4}}{{TFNSW lines|T8}}{{TFNSW lines|M1}}
|-
|'''[[Redfern railway station|Redfern]]'''
|1.3&nbsp;km
|1878
| rowspan=3|[[Main Suburban railway line|Main Suburban]]
|Redfern, Waterloo,<br />Darlington, Eveleigh
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}{{TFNSW lines|T2}}{{TFNSW lines|T3}}{{TFNSW lines|T4}}{{TFNSW lines|T8}}
|-
|'''[[Burwood railway station, Sydney|Burwood]]'''
|10.6&nbsp;km
|1855
|Burwood
|{{TFNSW lines|T2}}{{TFNSW lines|T3}}
|-
|'''[[Strathfield railway station|Strathfield]]'''
|11.8&nbsp;km
|1876
|Strathfield, Burwood
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}{{TFNSW lines|T2}}{{TFNSW lines|T3}}
|-
|'''[[North Strathfield railway station|North Strathfield]]'''
|13.4&nbsp;km
|1918
| rowspan=14|Main North

|North Strathfield, Concord West,<br />Concord, Homebush
| rowspan=7|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Concord West railway station|Concord West]]'''
|14.5&nbsp;km
|1887
|Concord West, Liberty Grove, Concord
|-
|'''[[Rhodes railway station|Rhodes]]'''
|16.6&nbsp;km
|1886
|Rhodes, Liberty Grove
|-
|'''[[Meadowbank railway station, Sydney|Meadowbank]]'''
|18.2&nbsp;km
|1887
|Meadowbank,<br />West Ryde, Ryde
|-
|'''[[West Ryde railway station|West Ryde]]'''
|19.2&nbsp;km
|1886
|West Ryde, Denistone
|-
|'''[[Denistone railway station|Denistone]]'''
|20.2&nbsp;km
|1937
|Denistone, Denistone East,<br />Denistone West, West Ryde
|-
|'''[[Eastwood railway station|Eastwood]]'''
|21.4&nbsp;km
|1886
|Eastwood
|-
|'''[[Epping railway station, Sydney|Epping]]'''
|23.4&nbsp;km
|1886
|Epping
|{{TFNSW lines|M1}}
|-
|'''[[Cheltenham railway station, Sydney|Cheltenham]]'''
|26.8&nbsp;km
|1898
|Cheltenham
| rowspan=5|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Beecroft railway station|Beecroft]]'''
|28.3&nbsp;km
|1886
|Beecroft
|-
|-
|'''[[Pennant Hills railway station|Pennant Hills]]'''
|30&nbsp;km
|1886
|Pennant Hills
|-
|'''[[Thornleigh railway station|Thornleigh]]'''
|30.8&nbsp;km
|1886
|Thornleigh, Pennant Hills, Westleigh
|-
|'''[[Normanhurst railway station|Normanhurst]]'''
|33.1&nbsp;km
|1895
|Normanhurst, Thornleigh, Hornsby
|-
|'''[[Hornsby railway station|Hornsby]]'''
|35.3&nbsp;km
|1886
|Hornsby, Waitara
|{{TFNSW lines|T1}}
|}

==Patronage==
The following table shows the patronage for the year ending 30 June 2024.
{{Sydney Trains patronage by line|T9=y}}
{{reflist|group=n.b.}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* The Short North Singleton, C.C. [[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]], March to June 1965

==External links==
*[https://transportnsw.info/routes/details/sydney-trains/t1/020T9 Sydney Trains Northern Line timetable] Transport for NSW
* [http://www.neety.net/ Neety's Train Page] - information on suburban stations.
* [http://www.nswrail.net New South Wales Railways] - historical information on suburban stations.
* [https://transportnsw.info/ New South Wales Transport Information]
* [http://www.railmaps.com.au Australian Railmaps] - information & maps of train services & stopping patterns.
* [http://www.tidc.nsw.gov.au/ViewSite.aspx?PageID=19 Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation project website]
{{Railway lines in New South Wales|state=collapsed}}
{{Sydney public transport}}

{{coord missing|New South Wales}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northern Line (Sydney)}}
[[Category:Sydney Trains]]