Sydney's North Shore & Western Line (T1) is one of the cities most iconic railway corridors. The North Shore section of the line, running from Central to Berowra, comes in at 44.7km with 24 stops along the way - this will be the main focus of this route suggestion. The North Shore corridor is situated in the urbanised areas between 4 different national parks; Lane Cove, Garigal, Mt. Kuring-Gai and Berowra Valley. The terrain is often challenging, supported by the steep and varying gradients, tight curves and narrow thoroughfares. The line is almost entirely single track for each direction, paired with a tight schedule and the fact that this line is also shared with the T9 and peak hour only CCN (intercity) trains, certainly makes for an interesting, dynamic, busy and unique rail scene. The (expected) timetabled services could vary from 10 up to 70 minutes. Warrawee Station The trains that typically service this corridor are the Tangaras, Waratahs A & B and Oscars (CCN) Tangara at Waverton Station Waratah 2 at Milsons Point Station Waratah 1 at Killara Station Other additional details about the North Shore corridor include; Lavender Bay sidings - originally the terminus of the North Shore line (pre Harbour Bridge), now used as a quick access depot for trains dedicated to the rush hour timetable. It's proximity to the CBD makes it a highly valuable asset, serving the entire Sydney trains network, with a notable amount of services running the short length from Central to North Sydney post-peak, before arriving at an access track at Waverton, where drivers switch ends for the steep ~2% gradient into the yards. They are located directly next to Luna Park. Harbour Bridge crossing - as mentioned, the historical terminus of the line was where the Lavender Bay sidings now reside. After the completion of the Harbour Bridge, the line was extended into the CBD to connect with the rest of the railway network in the City Circle portion, as it does today. Crossing the Harbour Bridge provides picturesque views of not only the CBD, but the surrounding suburbs, water and greenery. Route scenery - the T1 is known to have some great views along the way. It's snakey and consistent gradient rise from the harbour to the Kuring-Gai chase mountains through low, medium and high density urban and commercial areas, provide an array of different scenery types along the corridor. Notable stations; Central Station - the largest and busiest train station in Australia, serving all forms of railway transport in Sydney; commuter, regional, intercity, interstate, metro and light rail. 85.4 million passenger movements were recorded through this station in 2018, or 250,000 people each day, in a city of 5.5 million. Town Hall - the second largest station in the Sydney trains network, along with Central, it is the only station serving all commuter train services that run via the CBD. Milsons Point - located at the Northern end of the Harbour Bridge, this station has been providing Sydney-siders with one of the best views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge since it opened. North Sydney - one of the busiest non-CBD stations on the network, with large numbers of services terminating, starting and calling at the quad-platform, semi-enclosed station. Chatswood - arguably the busiest train station (CBD exempt) on the network. This station is elevated, with high denisty commercial and residential spaces surrounding all four sides, underneath, left, right and above. Chatswood and Central are the only stations on the network with direct Metro connections. Gordon - decently busy station, serving as the current terminus of the T9 Northern Line Hornsby - a large interchange located 33.9km from Central. Here, the T1 can terminate or continue onwards to Berowra. The T9 also terminates or continues to Berowra here, but it does so from it's own dedicated corridor via Epping and Strathfield. All CCN (intercity) services call here, but apart from a few services at peak hour, they run on the faster and more spacious Epping/Strathfield corridor. Hornsby is also home to a large depot, dedicated to servicing the T1, T9 and select CCN trains. Wollstonecraft - curvy and pretty Scenario ideas: "Stowing for Smoko" - drive a Waratah A on a Hornsby - Central run in the late morning, switching ends, running the short length from Central to North Sydney, before arriving at Waverton, switching ends again to store the train until the late afternoon. (~70 min) "Battle of the Ages" - drive a Tangara from Central to North Sydney, then store at Lavender Bay. Switch to a Waratah B bound for a return journey from North Sydney to Central. (~30 min) "Return and Earn" - Late evening in the rain, drive a Waratah A from Gordon to Central (T9), changing trains at Central to drive a Waratah B to Hornsby (T1) and then store at Hornsby depot. (~1 hr 30 min) "Hotbox" - Drive a mid-summer evening service from Central to Berowra in a Tangara, a full train and 40 year old air conditioning units make for an interesting ride on a dry, hot, 36 degree evening. A busy track and rapidly approaching intercity service should keep you on your toes. (~60 min) "Vivid" - At night, drive a Tangara from North Sydney to Central (T1), switch trains at Central and drive a Waratah A back to Gordon (T9). This time of year is when Sydney holds its annual Vivid festival, where lights are projected onto buildings in the CBD at night to turn it into a beautiful landscape of vibrant colours. Enjoy the Harbour Bridge views. (~45 min) And if the Oscars are included: "Awkward Morning" - Early morning, drive a CCN limited stop service, taking over a train that originated at Wyong, from Hornsby to Central, competing with high volumes of commuter traffic along the way. Only certain stations along the route allow for passing trains, so be aware of signals, expect delays and a few minutes of sitting around. (~40 min) "Cruisy Evening" - Mid-evening, drive a CCN limited stop service from Central to Berowra, leaving another driver to take over the rest of the journey to Wyong. The wet conditions leave some aspects to be desired, but the commuter traffic is running on-time, so trains will not be occupying passing tracks and/or interrupting your timetable. (~35 min) Incentives for Dovetail: DLC - there are many add-on possibilities with this route. The Oscar trains (H-sets) could be a paid loco DLC, the Northern Line could be a paid extension DLC and the CCN line could also be a paid extension DLC. Demand - the demand for a railway that isn't of British, European (especially German) or American origin is at an all time high, I think it would be safe to assume that a Sydney route would sell very well. Outreach - a TSW route based in Australia would incentivise more players in the region to purchase the game. Incentives for the Community: Variety - a unique, scenic and dense suburban rail corridor in Sydney would make a great addition to any players collection. Rolling stock - the long, heavy, double decker EMU trains will provide a change of pace as careful calculations and skills are required to navigate the busy, steep and narrow corridor. The sluggish but powerful nature of the rolling stock adds to the appeal. Value - if executed correctly, the line has the potential to be a wonderful DLC with (hopefully) good value for money, with lots of timetable and rolling stock options, as well as all kinds of scenery over a relatively short route length. For a cab ride over the Sydney Harbour Bridge:
We neeeeeeeeeeed a Sydney trains route seriously. If DTG are able to craft this route similarly to BML I can see it being very successful. If the T1 line is too long the t9 also has potential. Both lines also have potential for an XPT loco dlc, which I would buy in a heartbeat
