Southern Highlands Line

This article is about the NSW TrainLink service. For the physical railway line, see Main Southern railway line.

Southern Highlands Line

Endeavour railcar at Moss Vale in December 2008
Overview
Service type	Intercity rail
Locale	Macarthur, Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands, New South Wales
First service	19 May 1869 (1869-05-19)
Current operator(s)	NSW TrainLink
Route
Start	Campbelltown, Central
Stops	22
End	Goulburn
Distance travelled	224 km (139 mi)
Line used	Main South
Technical
Rolling stock	Endeavour railcar
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Track owner(s)	RailCorp
Transport for NSW rail services Sydney Trains North Shore, Northern & Western Airport, Inner West & South Bankstown Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Cumberland Carlingford Olympic Park NSW TrainLink Blue Mountains Central Coast & Newcastle Hunter South Coast Southern Highlands

The Southern Highlands Line is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service in on the Main South line in the Macarthur, Southern Highlands and Southern Tablelands regions of New South Wales.

History

The Main South line opened in stages to Picton in 1863, Moss Vale in 1867 and Goulburn in 1869.

In 1919, a new section of line opened between Picton and Mittagong, with the original section becoming the Picton-Mittagong loop line. Originally a single track line, it was later doubled with the exception of the Picton-Mittagong loop line.

Services

Most services operate between Campbelltown and Moss Vale with a limited number extending to Sydney Central and Goulburn. All services are operated by Endeavour railcars.

Rail replacement bus services operate between Picton and Bowra paralleling the Picton-Mittagong loop line and Bundanoon and Wollongong paralleling the Moss Vale-Unanderra line. A daytime bus service also operates between Moss Vale and Goulburn. Some stations are also served by NSW TrainLink XPT and Xplorer services from Sydney to Canberra, Griffith and Melbourne.

Up until the mid-1990s, most services on the line operated through to Sydney Central. Named trains that operated on the line included the Goulburn Day Train and Southern Highlands Express. In the late 1980s, air-conditioned HUB/RUB carriages were introduced. These would later be joined by Budd and Tulloch carriages and DEB railcars.

In 1994, all were replaced by Endeavour railcars. Most services were altered to operate only as far north as Campbelltown connecting with CityRail electric services to Sydney.

As of 2014-15, the Southern Highlands Line experiences significantly worse peak hour on-time running performance than other suburban and intercity lines.

Stations

Name	Code	Distance from Central	Railway	Suburbs serviced	Connecting Services
Central - Campbelltown (Peak hour services)
Central	SYD	0.0 km	Main Suburban	Sydney, Strawberry Hills, Ultimo, Surry Hills	Services ■ Airport, Inner West & South Line ■ Bankstown Line ■ Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line ■ Central Coast & Newcastle Line ■ North Coast Region ■ North Shore, Northern & Western Line ■ North West Region ■ South Coast Line ■ Southern Region ■ Western Region
Glenfield	GFD	41.9 km	Main South	Glenfield	■ Airport, Inner West & South Line ■ Cumberland Line ■ South West Rail Link
Campbelltown - Goulburn
Campbelltown	CAM	54.7 km	Main South	Campbelltown	■ Airport, Inner West & South Line ■ Cumberland Line ■ Southern Region
Macarthur	MCU	56.5 km		Ambarvale, Blair Athol, Glen Alpine	■ Airport, Inner West & South Line
Menangle Park	MEK	62.8 km		Menangle Park, Gilead
Menangle	MGE	65.3 km		Menangle
Douglas Park	DPK	73.3 km		Douglas Park, Wilton
Picton	PIC	85.2 km		Picton, Maldon	Picton-Bowral loop line bus
Tahmoor	TAH	94.4 km		Tahmoor, Couridjah, Buxton, Thirlmere
Bargo	BZG	102.8 km		Bargo, Yanderra and Pheasants Nest
Yerrinbool	YEB	116.3 km		Yerrinbool, Colo Vale, Hill Top, Alpine
Mittagong	MIT	131.5 km		Mittagong, Braemar, Balaclava, Willow Vale, Welby, Aylmerton	Picton-Mittagong loop line bus ■ Southern Region
Bowral	BWL	136.3 km		Bowral, Berrima, East Bowral	Picton-Mittagong loop line bus ■ Bundanoon - Wollongong Coach ■ Southern Region
Burradoo	BUO	138.8 km		Burradoo
Moss Vale	MSV	145.7 km		Moss Vale, Bong Bong, Robertson, Sutton Forest, Burrawang	■ Bundanoon - Wollongong Coach ■ Southern Region
Exeter	EXT	155.8 km		Exeter	■ Bundanoon - Wollongong Coach
Bundanoon	BUN	162.2 km		Bundanoon	■ Bundanoon - Wollongong Coach ■ Southern Region
Penrose	PRS	171.4 km		Penrose
Wingello	WNE	177.1 km		Wingello
Tallong	TJG	185.3 km		Tallong
Marulan	MRX	192.9 km		Marulan
Goulburn	GUL	224.0 km		Goulburn	■ Southern Region

Stopping patterns

Towards Goulburn

• Campbelltown: all stations to Moss Vale.
• Campbelltown: (Afternoon peak hour service) all stations to Goulburn.
• Central: (Afternoon peak hour service) Glenfield, then all stations to Goulburn.
• Central: (Afternoon peak hour service) (Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays only) Glenfield, then all stations to Moss Vale.
• Moss Vale: all stations to Goulburn.

Towards Campbelltown

• Goulburn: all stations to Moss Vale, then Bowral, Mittagong, Tahmoor, Picton, Macarthur and Campbelltown.
• Goulburn: (Morning peak hour service) all stations to Moss Vale, then Bowral, Mittagong, Tahmoor, Picton, Macarthur, Campbelltown, Glenfield and Central.
• Goulburn: (Morning peak hour service) (Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays only) all stations to Glenfield, then Central.
• Moss Vale: all stations to Campbelltown.
• Moss Vale: (Morning peak hour service) (Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays only) all stations to Glenfield, then Central.

Further reading

• "Centenary of the Opening of the Southern Line to Picton", Singleton, C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin July 1963
• "Centenary of the Opening of the Southern Line to Mittagong", Singleton, C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin March 1967
• "Centenary of the Opening of the Southern Line to Goulburn", Singleton, C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin May 1969
• Southern Highlands Express Peter Attenborough, Eveleigh Press 2011 ISBN 978 1 87 656854 2

External links

• NSW TrainLink official website