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#REDIRECT [[Railways in Sydney]]
'''Sydney's underground railways''' do not form a true [[metro]], because they are extensions of suburban main line services and are not a completely segregated system. However, the underground sections, especially the [[City Circle]], show many of the characteristics of a metro, such as very frequent services. In this way Sydney's railways can be considered a hybrid system. The railways are run by [[CityRail]], an agency of the government of [[New South Wales]].
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Because the original underground lines were built in conjunction with the construction of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]], a decision was made to have the lines in shallow tunnels so as to minimise the height difference between the underground rails and their extension across the bridge.
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== Underground lines ==
Sydney has three underground lines; a fourth is under construction.
*The oldest is the main city loop, the [[City Circle]], which runs between [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]], [[Town Hall railway station, Sydney|Town Hall]], [[Wynyard railway station, Sydney|Wynyard]], [[Circular Quay railway station, Sydney|Circular Quay]], [[St. James railway station, Sydney|St. James station]] and [[Museum railway station, Sydney|Museum]] stations. Central and Circular Quay are above-ground stations (Circular Quay is elevated, directly underneath the Cahill Expressway), while the remainder are below ground. The line to St. James station and Museum was opened in [[1926]], but Circular Quay was a "missing link" until [[1956]]. The "western limb" of the City Circle through Town Hall and Wynyard to [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] opened in [[1932]].
*The second, the [[Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney|Eastern Suburbs line]], opened in [[1979]]. It runs between [[Redfern railway station, Sydney|Redfern]], Central, Town Hall, [[Martin Place railway station, Sydney|Martin Place]], [[Kings Cross railway station, Sydney|Kings Cross]], [[Edgecliff railway station, Sydney|Edgecliff]], Woollahra (Unused Platforms) and [[Bondi Junction railway station, Sydney|Bondi Junction]] stations. All these are underground, but there are three above-ground sections, two on viaduct and one in cutting. Most of the [[railway platform|platforms]] at Redfern and Central stations are above ground, including the platforms for the City Circle, but the Eastern Suburbs line is underground. There were plans to extend the Eastern Suburbs line from Bondi Junction to [[Bondi Beach]], but the plans have since fallen through.
*The third underground line is the [[Airport railway line, Sydney|Airport Line]], which opened in [[2000]], prior to the [[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney Olympics]]. This serves Central, Green Square, [[Mascot railway station, Sydney|Mascot]], [[Domestic railway station, Sydney|Domestic]] (underneath the Domestic terminal), [[International railway station, Sydney|International]] (underneath International terminal at Sydney Airport), and [[Wolli Creek railway station, Sydney|Wolli Creek]]. After Wolli Creek it joins the above-ground East Hills line at [[Turrella railway station, Sydney|Turrella]].
*The [[Epping to Chatswood railway line, Sydney|Epping to Chatswood rail link]] is under construction. It will link [[Chatswood railway station, Sydney|Chatswood]] to [[Epping railway station, Sydney|Epping]], with new underground platforms at these two stations and new underground stations at [[Macquarie University railway station, Sydney|Macquarie University]], [[Macquarie Park railway station, Sydney|Macquarie Park]] and [[North Ryde railway station, Sydney|North Ryde]]. The line was intended to continue from Epping to [[Parramatta]], incorporating the existing Carlingford line, but this section has been postponed indefinitely, though a stub tunnel has been constructed at the northern end of Epping station.
There are also vague plans for:
* a new underground line to extend from Epping to [[Castle Hill, New South Wales|Castle Hill]], and possibly later to the new development underway at [[Rouse Hill]].
* a subway to travel from [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]] to [[St Leonards railway station, Sydney|St Leonards]] under the city and the harbour. See [[MetroPitt]].
== Disused tunnels ==
Sydney has several disused tunnels. The best known of these are those leading out of [[St. James railway station, Sydney|St. James station]]. There are also several disused tunnels and platforms on the Eastern Suburbs line, which like St. James station provided for the possibility of four tunnels even though only two were ever built. Most of the stations have these disused platforms adjacent (but walled off from) the platforms currently in use. There are stub tunnels at North Sydney railway station for a never constructed Manly to Mona Vale line.<ref>Besser, Linton, ''[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ghost-trains-the-forgotten-rail-network/2007/07/20/1184560040257.html "Ghost trains: the rail network that never was"]'', [[Sydney Morning Herald]], [[21 July]], [[2007]]. Accessed [[July 21]], [[2007]].</ref>[http://www.railpage.org.au/ausrail/98nov/msg00490.html].
From the top of the northern stair to platform 10 at Redfern Station it is possible to view the unfinished structure for the low-level "up" (toward Central) Southern Suburbs platform. The associated never-used tunnels are quite complex. Immediately to your left is the (surface level) stub tunnel for the "down" Southern Suburbs track. This short tunnel exits on the northern side of Lawson Street road bridge. As a matter of interest, there are at least nine railway tunnels under the suburb of Redfern: some in use, some never used.
The never-used platforms at Central, numbered 26 and 27, lie above the Eastern Suburbs Railway platforms and have never been used for trains.<ref>Besser, Linton, ''[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/on-the-rails-to-nowhere/2007/07/20/1184560040323.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 "On the rails to nowhere"]'', [[21 July]], [[2007]]. Accessed [[21 July]], [[2007]].</ref> Like St. James station, these stations have stub tunnels, although they are much shorter. They were used in filming the movie ''[[The Matrix]]''.{{fact|date=July 2007}}
There are two tunnels for the old Pyrmont goods line, not part of the passenger railway system. One runs underneath Railway Square, between the Central station railway yards and the [[Powerhouse Museum]], the other underneath [[Glebe, New South Wales|Glebe]]. The first tunnel is no longer used, but the old railway from the [[Powerhouse Museum]] to [[Lilyfield]], including Glebe tunnel, has been converted to form part of the [[Metro Light Rail]] line from Central station (''see [[Metropolitan Goods Railway Line, Sydney|Metropolitan Goods Line]]'').
Also of interest is a tunnel connecting the Eveleigh rail yards, on the southern side of the main line, to the northern side of the main line, just past Redfern.
==References==
<references />
{{CityRailSydney}}
[[Category:Rapid transit in Australia]]
[[Category:Underground rapid transit systems]]
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