WHAT IS IT? The T9 Northern line is a 52 km commuter rail line operated by Sydney Trains in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, serving some of Sydney's Inner West and Northern suburbs, spun off from the old T1 North Shore, Northern & Western Line as a separate line in April 2019. This line, as shown in the map below runs from Hornsby in the North and Gordon in the Upper North Shore region. (shown in red) WHERE DOES IT GO? Begining at Hornsby, 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. Then trains continue north along the North Shore before "terminating" at Gordon (although most services continue onto Hornsby). HOW MANY TRAINS Trains travel in the following pattern: All stations from Hornsby to Epping, then all stations to Burwood except for Denistone, Concord West and North Strathfield, then terminating at Central. 4tph (peak times only) 7-8am and in the opposite direction 4-5 pm Week days, 3tph weekdays 6pm All stations from Epping to Strathfield, then Redfern, Central, and all stations to Gordon 4tph in both directions to Strathfield. After Strathfield T1 services join, 1tph 4 am 16 tph 6am 17 tph 7 am 20 tph 8am 9 tph 9 am 8tph 5am, 10am-2 pm and 7pm-11pm 12 tph from 3 pm-6pm 7 tph 12 am Intercity services (CCN) from Central to Gosford, Wyong and Newcastle, as well as some Blue Mountains services (BMT). For this route CCN would run from central to Hornsby and Gordon and BMT from Strathfield to Central. Stopping patterns include to Hornsby-(CCN services) Central, Strathfield, Epping and Hornsby and vice versa 2tph (5am-9pm) then 1tph from 3pm-4am to Gordon(CCN services)- Central, then all stops to Gordon then Hornsby and vice versa 3tph (4pm), 2tph (5pm) and 1tph from 11pm-2am to Gordon.) to Strathfield(BMT services) Strathfield then Central and vice versa 1tph from 7pm-12am, 4am-5am and 8am-12pm. 2tph from 6am-7am, 1pm-3pm and 6pm. 4tph at 4pm. 3tph at 5pm. Also on parts of the line run the T1,(from Gordon-Strathfield) T2, (Central-Strathfield) and T8 City circle (Central) lines, as well as South Coast Line Expresses (Central-Redfern) Stations on the line include Gordon Killara Lindfield Roseville Chatswood Artarmon St Leonards Wollstonecraft Waverton North Sydney Milsons Point Wynyard Town Hall Central Redfern Burwood Strathfield North Strathfield Concord West Rhodes Meadowbank West Ryde Denistone Eastwood Epping Cheltenham Beecroft Pennant Hills Thornleigh Normanhurst Hornsby Central Station Redfern Station Sydney harbor bridge, which this route passes over 'A' set on the harbour bridge Strathfield station. Central Station
TRAINS OPERATING THE ROUTE Waratah 'A' and 'B' Set Trains A set (more common on t9) on right and B set on left. The waratah series of trains are EMU Double Deck commuter trains formed of eight carriages – a break from the previous standard Sydney practice of four car sets, which are then coupled to form eight-car trains. The configuration is: driving trailer car + motor car + motor car + trailer car + trailer car + motor car + motor car + driving trailer car.[3] This means that guards operate from the rear of the train rather than the centre and that commuters are able to walk through the entire train. There are currently 78 A sets and 41 B sets in service and are numbered A 1, A3-A78, A80, and B1-B41. These trains form the backbone of Sydneys train fleet and serve multiple lines North Shore & Western Inner West & Leppington Bankstown Cumberland Olympic Park (weekends, public holidays and special events) Airport & South Northern (more information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Trains_A_&_B_sets) Tangara 'T' Sets T set The 'T' set class, also refered to as Tangaras are Double Decked EMU Commuter trains formed of a four-car set (though almost always are coupled with another, therby forming an 8 car train), with the two outer cars being driving control trailers (carrying a D prefix) that are fitted with one pantograph each and the middle two cars being non-control motor cars (carrying an N prefix). All sets are equipped with chopper controls. Two subclasses of Tangara were built, the suburban sets targeted as T sets, and outer-suburban sets originally targeted as G sets. The T sets replaced the first generation of Sydney's electric rolling stock.[5] The G sets differed from the T sets in originally having manual door buttons, high-backed reversible seats, toilets, fresh water dispensers and luggage racks. Additionally, the G sets were delivered with a revised design at the front and rear of the train, most notably an angular cutout in the bottom of their noses. Additionally, the pinstriped grey panels below the cab windows were replaced with light orange panels for improved visibility. All T sets have a number plate below 100 while all G sets are numbered at or above. In 2009, the conversion of G sets to T sets began, to improve their suitability for suburban working as H sets took over their outer suburban duties. Conversion work consisted of the removal of toilets and their replacement with additional seating. Other work included the installation of new handrails and hangers and the recoding of cars and sets. The carriage numbers were kept, however the O (outer suburban) prefix was dropped. OD became D, while ONL and ON became N. The set numbers were reclassified from G1-30 to T100-130. G4 was the first to be converted (into T104). In 2010, sets being converted started receiving a full interior refurbishment as part of the program to refurbish all the Tangara carriages. In 2018, sets T14 and T121 (ex G21) both became mixtures of T set and ex-G set carriages, with both sets swapping two carriages with each other. The Tangaras usually operate on the following lines: T1 North Shore & Western Line: Emu Plains to City via Parramatta, City to Berowra or Hornsby via Gordon T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line: Bondi Junction to Waterfall & Cronulla via Hurstville & Sutherland T7 Olympic Park Line: Lidcombe to Olympic Park T9 Northern Line: Gordon to Hornsby via Strathfield South Coast Line: Waterfall & Thirroul to Port Kembla (more informationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Trains_T_set) OSCAR 'H' Sets 'H' Set OSCAR train departing Central. The 'H' Set OSCAR (Outer Suburban CAR) trains are Double Deck EMU Intercity trains formed of 4 coaches which serve the Central Coast & Newcastle and South Coast lines. There are 55 4-car sets in service, which operate in both 4 and 8 car formations. These trains run the full length of the South Coast Line and are used on the CCN primarily between Central and Wyong, though some trains travel to Newcastle. Fleet numbers OD 6901–6999, 6843–6854 (driving trailers) ON 5901–5949, 5821–5826 (motor cars) ONL 5951–5999, 5871–5876 (motor cars with lavatory) H1–H55 (full 4-car sets) (More information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSW_TrainLink_H_set) 'V' Set Intercity 'V' Set Intercity train standing at central The 'V' Set, also refered to as intercity is a 4 car Double DEck intercity EMU used for Interurban services throughout New South Waleson the Main Western line to Lithgow (note that these are the only intercity trains used currently on the BMT) and Main Northern line to the Central Coast and Newcastle (Note that Intercity trains do not terminate anywhere on the CCN apart from Newcastle. There are currently 51 of these 4 car sets, which can be formed into 8 car sets for extra capacity. (More informationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSW_TrainLink_V_set) Also used on this route are XPT Regional trains to Brisbane, Grafton and Casino. XPT train standing at Central The XPT is a Diesel powered Single Deck Passenger train based on the british InterCity 125 HST with a total of 19 XP power cars were built. These locomotives were originally powered by a Paxman Valenta 12RP200L engine with a single turbocharger. These were replaced from June 2000 by Paxman VP185 12-cylinder, diesel engines with four low-pressure turbochargers and two high-pressure turbochargers boasting 1,492 kW or 2,001 horsepower that had been successfully used by some British Rail High Speed Trains since 1994.[48][49] Traction equipment was manufactured in England by Brush Traction of Loughborough. Power cars comprise five main compartments at the platform level. At the front is the drivers' cab, followed by the clean air compartment, engine room, cooling group, and compressor room at the rear of the locomotive. The NSW State Rail Authority named the XP power cars after destinations that the XPT served; these were shown in cursive script or with the logo of the relevant area on the cab sides. Names were occasionally altered; the table below shows the final names (removed circa 2000-2005), with earlier names in brackets.[50] These were: XP2000 – City of Maitland (City of Dubbo, City of Sydney) XP2001 – City of Dubbo XP2002 – City of Brisbane (City of Armidale) XP2003 – City of Orange (City of Taree) XP2004 – City of Kempsey XP2005 – City of Newcastle XP2006 – City of Wagga Wagga XP2007 – City of Albury XP2008 – City of Goulburn XP2009 – City of Murwillumbah (City of Canberra) XP2010 – City of Taree (City of Orange)[51] XP2011 – City of Sydney XP2012 – City of Tamworth The XPT fleet is currently used on services from Sydney to Grafton, Casino, Brisbane, Dubbo and Melbourne.[62][63][64] Operating cycle[edit] The Dubbo set is captive and operates a daily return service. The other seven sets rotate on a seven-day repeating cycle as follows:[65] Day 1: 07:42 Sydney to Melbourne arrives 18:30, forms 19:50 Melbourne to Sydney Day 2: arrives Sydney 06:58, forms 11:41 Sydney to Grafton arrives 22:15 Day 3: 05:15 Grafton to Sydney arrives 15:45, forms 20:42 to Melbourne Day 4: arrives in Melbourne 07:30, forms 08:30 to Sydney arrives 19:59 Day 5: 07:08 Sydney to Casino arrives 18:41, forms 19:30 Casino to Sydney Day 6: arrives Sydney 07:01, forms 14:41 Sydney to Brisbane Day 7: arrives Brisbane 04:53, forms 05:55 Brisbane to Sydney arrives 20:10 Between each duty in Sydney, trains are serviced at the XPT Service Centre south of Sydenham station. This pattern has led to the XPT being one of the most utilised train fleets worldwide with only three significant periods of downtime in the cycle. This includes one overnight stabling in Grafton, between days 2 and 3, and two overnight stablings in Sydney, between days 4 and 5, and days 7 and 1. The XPT runs on T9 tracks between Central and Hornsby, making stops at Central, Strathfield and Hornsby. More information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_XPT Xplorer trains to Armidale and Moree Xplorer Set Standing at Central The Xplorer is a Single Deck class of DMU used on the regional Main North, Main Western and Main Southern lines throughout New South Wales. The Xplorers currently operate on these services out of Sydney: Armidale and Moree:[14] the Armidale/Moree Xplorer daily service runs along the Main North line to Werris Creek where the train divides. One portion continues on the Main North line and proceeds to Armidale, while the other transfers onto the Mungindi line to Moree. The Armidale portion normally consists of three carriages and the Moree portion two. During times of high demand these can be built up to four and three carriages respectively. Canberra:[15] 3 services each direction per day, running along the Main Southern and Bombala lines. Normally operated by a three carriage set but during times of high demand these can be built up to four. Griffith:[15] service is attached to a Canberra Xplorer service until Goulburn on Saturdays and Wednesdays only, and operates to Griffith via the Main Southern, Hay and Yanco-Griffith lines. Service returns on Sundays joining an Xplorer from Canberra at Goulburn although on occasions when either train runs late, each will run separately to Sydney. Normally operated by two or three carriages. Broken Hill:[16] the Outback Xplorer service runs along the Main Western and Broken Hill lines to Broken Hill. Outbound service operates Monday, returning Tuesday. Normally operated by three carriages. The service that matters for this route is the Armidale/Moree service, which stops at Central, Strathfield and Hornsby. WHAT TRAINS SHOULD BE USED FOR THE ROUTE For the route, the A/B sets, H sets and T sets should be made for the route, with Dlc addons including the Intercity and possibly the XPT and Xplorer sets. With the A/B sets, H sets and T sets almost a full timetable can be created and with the DLC the route's timetable can be expanded further to create the full commuter experience. CONCLUSION Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion, this is my first one and if there is any information missing please do let me know. BTW there are apps available that tell you what trains are operating which services (Trip view)
Oh how I would love a Sydney City Rail route in TSW. Matt has lived In Sydney so I am sure he would support your suggestion, silverfox#5735.
Bring it on and for the Electric trains as DLC you can put an NSW D Set or the 1977-1989 V Set. In the case of V Set during peak times around 16:00-20:00, the space behind the cab is used by Passengers if the train was Standing Room Only. Happened to me in 2002 when I did V Set Paramatta to Granville both ways
