Railways and Tramways of Australia

31 August

Variotram light rail vehicle 2103, Paddy’s Markets, 26 November 2011. Photo: David Matheson.

Light rail era

The light railway between Central station and Wentworth Park in Sydney was officially opened on 31 August 1997.

When Sydney’s tramway system closed in February 1961 it was the end of an era. The city had once boasted one of the world’s the largest tramway networks. However, trams were withdrawn when buses and cars became the modern mode of travel.

A new era beckoned when light rail gained popularity from the 1980s, particularly in European and North American cities. Light rail in Sydney became viable and construction of the first line commenced in 1996.

The line between Central station and Wentworth Park is 3.6 kilometres in length. Parts of the line were built on roadways, while some sections had their own right of way, including along the corridor of the former Metropolitan Goods railway, which was disused.

Limited public services began on 11 August 1997, with full services commencing when the line was officially opened. Grand celebrations were held on the opening day. An opening ceremony took place in Hay Street, near Paddy’s Markets. New South Wales Premier Bob Carr pulled a lever to officially declare the line open. This was followed by banners dropping, fireworks exploding, balloons rising into the sky and Light Rail Vehicle 2105 bursting through a wall of polystyrene blocks amid clouds of smoke!

Light Rail Vehicles carried official guests to a luncheon, and then free public services operated for the rest of the day, many with full loads. Entertainment was provided at each of the stops.

The line was extended to Lilyfield in August 2000 and Dulwich Hill in March 2014. It is 12.7 km long and has 23 stops. Other light rail routes also now operate in Sydney.

Sydney’s light rail era had begun.

Bibliography

K Date, ‘Sydney’s light rail’, Railway Digest, vol. 39, no. 3, March 2001, pp 15–17, 26.

D Rogers, ‘Sydney’s new light rail system’, Railway Digest, vol. 35, no. 9, September 1997, pp 14–17, 43.

‘Sydney light rail opens with a bang’, Trolley Wire, no. 271, November 1997, pp 3–13.

‘Trams return to Sydney: opening of Sydney Light Rail line, Transit Australia, vol. 52, no. 10, October 1997, p 225–30.

Sydney Light Rail Variotram 2101 in Hay Street, Sydney, 6 January 2006. Photo: Hourann Bosci, Wikimedia Commons.