Central Coast & Newcastle Line
A NSW TrainLink H set approaching Tascott station
Overview
Service type	Intercity rail
Locale	Central Coast and Newcastle, New South Wales
Current operator(s)	NSW TrainLink
Route
Termini	Sydney Central Newcastle Interchange
Stops	36
Distance travelled	165.60 km (102.90 mi)
Line(s) used	Main North railway line Newcastle railway line
Technical
Rolling stock	NSW TrainLink H and V sets
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	1,500 V DC from overhead catenary
Track owner(s)	Transport Asset Holding Entity
Route map NSW TrainLink intercity services Blue Mountains Central Coast & Newcastle Hunter South Coast Southern Highlands

The Central Coast & Newcastle Line (CCN) is a NSW TrainLink passenger train service that runs along the Main North railway line in New South Wales, connecting the state's two largest cities, Sydney and Newcastle. The service runs from Central through to Broadmeadow on the Main North railway line to Newcastle Interchange on the Newcastle railway line, and services the Hawkesbury River region, the Central Coast and the city of Newcastle.

Description of route

The Hawkesbury River separates Sydney and the Central Coast. The bridge over the river is one of the major engineering structures on the line.

The route traverses the Main West route until Strathfield, where it diverts north and follows the route of the Main North line until Broadmeadow, before diverting east along the route of the Newcastle branch line. The line is electrified at 1500 V DC throughout, and is primarily double track, although there are refuge loops at Hawkesbury River, Gosford, Wyong, Awaba, and Sulphide Junction (between Cockle Creek and Cardiff). Some services terminate at Gosford and Wyong.

Services primarily operate to and from Central (Sydney Terminal) via Strathfield. During morning and afternoon peak periods on weekdays, some services will operate in the peak direction from either Wyong or Gosford to Central via the North Shore Line, then continuing on as a T1 service from the Central suburban platforms to Blacktown.^[1]

Sometimes, when there is trackwork between Strathfield and Hornsby, trains will operate via the North Shore line between Central and Hornsby, then follow the Main North railway line as normal.

Route
Continues via T9 Northern Line Central (suburban) Central (intercity) Town Hall Redfern (morning peak only) Wynyard Milsons Pt Nth Sydney Strathfield Waverton Wollstonecraft St Leonards Artarmon Chatswood Epping Lindfield Gordon Hornsby Asquith (afternoon school peak & late night only) Mount Colah (late night only) Mount Kuring-Gai (late night only) Berowra Cowan Hawkesbury River Wondabyne Woy Woy Koolewong Tascott Point Clare Gosford Narara Niagara Park Lisarow Ourimbah Tuggerah Wyong Warnervale Wyee Morisset Dora Creek Awaba Fassifern Booragul Teralba Cockle Creek Cardiff Kotara Adamstown Broadmeadow Hamilton Newcastle Interchange

History

Prior to electrification of the route, steam hauled passenger trains were varied.^[2] From November 1929 until April 1988, the Newcastle Flyer operated on the route. From the time the line was electrified, services to Gosford were hauled by 46 class locomotives, their sphere of operation increasing as the wires were extended. After electrification to Newcastle, services were taken over by U and V sets. Later, the U sets were replaced by K and G sets which, in turn, were replaced by H sets.

The last electric locomotives were withdrawn in March 1998^[3] with all services operated by electric multiple unit stock.

The section of the Newcastle railway line between Hamilton and Newcastle was closed on 25 December 2014. Until the opening of Newcastle Interchange in 2017, Hamilton served as the temporary northern terminus.^[4] The closed section between Wickham and Newcastle was replaced with the Newcastle Light Rail that opened on 17 February 2019.^[5][6]

Services

Most all-stations trains have four carriages, with the first and last car being quiet carriages. Peak-hour and most express services usually have eight cars, with quiet carriages on the first, last, and the two middle carriages.

Services via Strathfield depart from Central (Sydney Terminal) and are operated by 4- or 8-car H sets (OSCARs) and 8-car V sets.

From 2024, all services are to be taken over by 4- and 6-car D sets. That will allow H sets to be transferred to the suburban Sydney Trains network.

Upgrades

Proposed

Glendale station

A railway station is proposed to be constructed in Glendale as part of the Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange project. The station will be located between Cockle Creek and Cardiff railway station and will have connections to buses. An extension of Glendale Drive leading to the proposed station has been built and completed in June 2017. However, construction of the station has not commenced.

A NSW TrainLink H set. H sets, along with V sets, service the line.

New Warnervale station

A new station is proposed for Warnervale.^[12][13] The draft Central Coast Transportation Strategy stated that construction of the new railway station was to be completed by 2016.^[14] In October 2014 there were some differences between Wyong Council and the State Government over how a strategic piece of land should be developed at Warnervale.^[15]

Stations

This table does not include the services which run via the North Shore line and extend to Gosford and Wyong via Gordon.

Patronage

The following table shows the patronage of each line of the NSW TrainLink Intercity network for the year ending 30 June 2022, based on Opal tap on and tap off data.^[16]

See also

• Main Northern Line – for details of history and construction.
• Newcastle Branch line – for the branch line between Broadmeadow and Newcastle.
• Woy Woy Tunnel
• Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge

References

Further reading

• The Short North, Singleton C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, May et seq, 1965