Gawler line

TheGawler line,also known as theGawler Central line,is a suburban commuter railway line in the city ofAdelaide,South Australia.The Gawler Line is the most frequent and heavily patronised line inthe Adelaide rail network.It is also the only line to have no other interchange with another line exceptAdelaide.

Gawler line
Gawler railway station
Overview
Locale	Adelaide,South Australia
Termini	Adelaide Gawler Central
Stations	27
Service
Type	Commuter rail
Operator(s)	Adelaide Metro
Rolling stock	3000/3100 class(1987–2023) 4000 class(2022–)
Daily ridership	21,000
History
Opened	1857 (toGawler) 1911 (to Gawler Central)
Re-sleepered (concrete)	June–September 2010 (to Mawson Lakes) September 2011 – March 2012 (to Gawler Central)
Electrified	2020–2022
Closed	24 December 2020
Reopened	12 June 2022
Technical
Line length	42.2 km (26.2 mi)
Number of tracks	2(to Gawler) 1(to Gawler Central)
Track gauge	1,600 mm(5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz ACfromoverhead catenary(2022–)
Route map km toPenrice (Aurizon) Edith Street Murray Street 42.2 Gawler Central end of suburban network King Street(pedestrian only) Howard Street Victoria Terrace 41.4 Gawler Oval South Para River toRoseworthy (Aurizon) Overway Bridge Road 39.8 Gawler Gawler Depot 39.3 Gawler Racecourse Race days only Barnet Road Para Road 38.3 Evanston Gawler Bypass Tambelin(original site) 1947–86 Clark Road 37.4 Tambelin 34.1 Kudla Dalkeith Road Munno Para(original site) 1978–2012 32.2 Munno Para Curtis Road Anderson Walk 30.2 Smithfield Munitions Store 28.2 Broadmeadows Womma Road 27.3 Womma Winterslow Road 25.8 Elizabeth 24.0 Elizabeth South GMH closed 1992 Tugger Way(private road) 21.6 Nurlutta(to Gawler) Commercial Road 21.5 Nurlutta(to Adelaide) Penfield line toPort Augusta (ARTC) Salisbury Highway 20.2 Salisbury Park Terrace 18.6 Chidda Kings Road 17.7 Parafield 16.6 Parafield Gardens 15.5 Greenfields Elder Smith Road 14.3 Mawson Lakes Port Wakefield Road AurizonDry Creek North & South Yards Dry Creek Depot and Control Centre formerlyNorthfield linejunction 10.6 Dry Creek toPort Adelaide Cormack Road Grand Junction Road 6.0 Tube Mills Private freight sidings 7.7 Kilburn Adelaide Freight Terminal Islington Works closed 2000 Islington Railway Workshops Regency Road 6.0 Islington Pym Street 4.9 Dudley Park Belford Avenue 3.6 Ovingham Torrens Road Hawker Street Park Terrace 2.5 North Adelaide Outer HarborandGrangelines River Torrens toMelbourne Belair,SeafordandFlinderslines Adelaide Depot closed 2011 0.0 Adelaide km broad gauge standard gauge

History

Gawler Central station,one of two terminus stations in the town ofGawler

Elizabeth Interchangein 2023

Salisbury Interchangein 2012

Mawson Lakes Interchangein 2021

Rail Bridge over theLittle Para RiverinSalisbury,built prior to 1889 and still in use

The line was opened in 1857 fromAdelaidetoGawler.It wasextended to Kapundain 1860. Branches were later built from Gawler to termini inAngaston,Truro,Morgan,Robertstown,Peterborough,SpaldingandGladstone.Between Adelaide andSalisbury,the two broad gauge lines are paralleled by one standard gauge line on theAdelaide to Port Augusta line.A little north of Salisbury the standard gauge line heads north-west. From Salisbury toGawlerthere are two broad gauge tracks, with a single broad gauge track north of Gawler. Today, none of the lines are used beyond Gawler.

Renewal and electrification

In 2008, theState Governmentannounced a plan to rebuild the Gawler line, in preparation for the line to beelectrifiedwith theFederal Governmentalso to provide funding.The track was removed, and the track bed, sleepers and track renewed.Dual gaugesleeperswere laid to allow for the line to be converted tostandard gaugeat a future date. The line was closed betweenNorth AdelaideandMawson Lakesfor four months from June 2010 for this work to be performed, and between Mawson Lakes andGawler Central stationsfor seven months from September 2011.Following the withdrawal of Federal Government funding by the then newly elected Abbott Liberal-National government, the electrification was postponed in October 2013.

In February 2011, a newAdelaide Metrorailcar depot opened to the east ofDry Creek station,to replace the facility behind the newRoyal Adelaide Hospitalsite andAdelaide station.The depot is the major maintenance and re-fuelling facility for the diesel train fleet, with capacity to store 70 railcars with over 11 kilometres of track. The depot has been designed to allow future conversion to supportelectric rolling stock.

To facilitate work on the Torrens Rail Junction in 2017, the Gawler line between Adelaide and Mawson Lakes was closed from 1–15 October and 18 November to 5 December.

Following a decade of on-again, off-again talks,electrification of the Gawler line was announced in 2018. The announcement only promised Stage 1 electrification as far as Salisbury with works anticipated to commence in 2018.A $220 million grant from the Federal Government allowed for Stage 2 electrification for the remainder of the line to proceed.Works began in November 2019 with completion anticipated in 2021.Contrary to the Seaford line electrification, which saw the line closed completely for 11 months, from October 2020 onward, main construction on the Gawler line was spread out across a rolling schedule of partial and full line closures across 12 months. Early works before October 2020 were spread across smaller closures, typically at nights and on weekends.

The entire line was closed in December 2020. It was intended to reopen in November 2021 but was delayed due to restrictions regarding theCOVID-19lockdown in July.The line was expected to reopen around 30 April 2022, but following thestate election in March,the reopening was pushed back to the end of June.

The line was reopened on 12 June 2022.A majority of services on the line are now operated by4000 classtrains, however,3000/3100 classtrains continued to operate select services while the delivery of new 4000 class train sets continued until December 2023 when the last 4000 class set was delivered, effectively replacing the 3000 trains serving Adelaide's north.

Torrens Road Overpass

In 2021, the Australian and South Australian governments announced that the Torrens Road level crossing would be removed, at a cost of $196 million.The Torrens Road level crossing was previously identified as one of the most high risk crossings in Adelaide, in part due to it being both a passenger rail, and freight rail crossing.Earlier, in 2020, an investigation was launched after a freight train passed through the level crossing without activating the crossing boomgates.

In 2023, the Torrens Road overpass was officially opened. As part of the project, a new public park was constructed underneath the overpass, and the adjacentOvingham railway stationwas rebuilt.

Former branch lines

• Dry Creek-Port Adelaide railway line:opened 1868 (closed to passengers 1988, now freight only)
• Northfield railway line:opened 1857 (closed to passengers 1987, closed to remaining freight 1995)
• Port Pirie railway line:(closed to passengers 1991, now freight only)
• Penfield railway line:opened 1941 (closed 1991)
• GMH Elizabeth railway line:opened 1959 (closed 1992)

Route

The line runs fromAdelaide stationnorth viaProspect,Mawson Lakes,Salisbury,ElizabethandSmithfieldto the townGawleron the outer northern metropolitan fringe. The line is 42.2 kilometres (26.2 mi) in length and is the longest of theAdelaide suburban railway lines.

Like the rest of the Adelaide suburban passenger rail network, the line is1,600 mm(5 ft 3 in)broad gaugefor its entire length. TheAustralian Rail Track Corporation's standard gaugeAdelaide to Port Augusta lineruns parallel to the route from theAdelaide Gaoltriangleto Salisbury, then turns north west towardsVirginia.

Line guide

Gawler Line
Name	Distance from Adelaide	Year opened	Serving suburbs	Connections
Adelaide	0.0 km	1856	Adelaide	BelairFlindersGrange Outer HarborPort DockSeaford BusTram
North Adelaide	2.5 km	1857	North Adelaide
Ovingham	3.6 km	c. 1880	Ovingham, Renown Park
Dudley Park	4.9 km	1915	Dudley Park, Prospect
Islington	6.0 km	Un­known	Dudley Park, Prospect
Kilburn	7.7 km	1915	Kilburn
Dry Creek	10.6 km	1856	Dry Creek
Mawson Lakes	14.3 km	2006	Mawson Lakes	Bus Interchange
Greenfields	15.1 km	1969	Parafield Gardens
Parafield Gardens	16.6 km	1968	Parafield Gardens
Parafield	17.7 km	1928	Parafield, Parafield Gardens
Chidda	18.6 km	Un­known	Salisbury Downs, Salisbury South
Salisbury	20.2 km	1857	Salisbury	Bus Interchange
Nurlutta	21.5 km	1950	Elizabeth South, Salisbury
Elizabeth South	24.0 km	1955	Elizabeth South
Elizabeth	25.8 km	1960	Elizabeth	Bus
Womma	27.3 km	1950	Edinburgh North, Elizabeth North
Broadmeadows	28.2 km	c. 1950	Davoren Park, Elizabeth North
Smithfield	30.2 km	1857	Smithfield	Bus Interchange
Munno Para	32.2 km	1978	Munno Para	Bus
Kudla	34.1 km	1959	Kudla
Tambelin	37.4 km	1947	Evanston Gardens
Evanston	38.3 km	Un­known	Evanston
Gawler Racecourse	39.3 km	1913	Evanston
Gawler	39.8 km	1857	Gawler South, Gawler West	BusRegional Coach
Gawler Oval	41.4 km	Un­known	Gawler
Gawler Central	42.2 km	1911	Gawler

Services

Commuter

All suburban rail passenger services are operated byAdelaide Metro.In April 2008, new timetables were introduced on the Gawler line in an effort to boost efficiency. Shorter secondary services that terminated atDry Creekand Salisbury were withdrawn, new limited express services were introduced, and a new Hi-Frequency station policy adopted.Nearly all services either start or terminate their journey at Gawler or Gawler Central stations, apart from a morning peak express service that begins its journey at Salisbury.

Under this policy, the Hi-Frequency stations (Islington, Mawson Lakes, Parafield, Salisbury, Elizabeth, Smithfield, Tambelin and Gawler) have services every 15 minutes from Monday to Friday. All other stations have a 30-minute service, obtained by every other service skipping that station. This is in addition to several peak hour express services that stop only at selected Hi-Frequency stations.

On weekends and public holidays, services operate with a 30-minute frequency at all stations, with the exception of stations betweenDry CreekandAdelaide,which are hourly instead.

Until April 2008, most services along the line were operated by 3000 class railcars. With the introduction of the new timetable,2000 class railcarsbecame more frequent, especially during peak hour. The 2000 class railcars were retired in August 2015.

Freight

Freight is a major factor along this transport corridor, with theAustralian Rail Track Corporation's standard gaugeAdelaide to Port Augusta linerunning parallel to the broad gauge track between Adelaide and Salisbury. Since 1984, this line has beenstandard gaugeand had no interface with the suburban lines.Bowmans Rail,One Rail Australia,Pacific National,SCT Logistics,andJourney Beyondoperate services via the line. Journey Beyond operatesThe Ghanand theIndian Pacificpassenger trains along this section. Until 2007, grain trains operated fromRoseworthytoPort Adelaide.The last freight service on the Gawler line was thePenrice Stone Train,which operated toPenriceuntil it ceased operating in June 2014.

External links

• Gawler Central to City – Adelaide Metro website
• Gallery of track refurbishment work: Adelaide to Mawson Interchange 2010Johnny's Pages
• Gallery of track refurbishment work: Mawson Lakes to Gawler 2011Johnny's Pages
• Gallery of track refurbishment work: Mawson Lakes to Gawler 2011–2012Archived12 April 2015 at theWayback MachineJohnny's Pages
• Gallery of track refurbishment work: Gawler to Gawler Central 2012Archived12 April 2015 at theWayback MachineJohnny's Pages
• Gallery of electrification work: Adelaide to Gawler 2012Johnny's Pages