Blacktown railway station, Sydney

Cityrail Station alt|station_name=Blacktown|

servicearea=Blue Mountains Line|servicearea_color=#Blue Mountains line colour|servicearea_textcolor=Black|servicearea2=Cumberland Line|servicearea_color2=#Cumberland line colour|servicearea_textcolor2=White|servicearea3=Western Line|servicearea_color3=#Western line colour|servicearea_textcolor3=Black|code=BAK|suburb=Blacktown|street=Main St|distance=34.87|altitude=?|traintype=Suburban all stops Suburban limited stops Intercity CountryLink|platforms=7|tracks=7|platform_arr=3 Island 1 Side|stationtype=Ground|gates=Yes|connect=Bus Train|disabled=Yes
facilities= [http://www.cityrail.info/facilities/facilities.jsp?n=33&giveOutput=true&facility= Link]

Blacktown is a railway station on the Western railway line, Sydney of the CityRail network, servicing the suburb of Blacktown and surrounding region. It is the interchange station for the Richmond Branch of the Western Line, and is considered the northern terminus of CityRail's Cumberland Line. The station is also served by the daily Countrylink XPT service to and from Dubbo. Blacktown is an Easy Access station, with lift access to all platforms.

History

Blacktown station opened on 2 July 1860 as Black Town Road with the construction of the Main Western railway line.cite web|work=Nswrail.net| title=Main Western railway line|url=http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:main_west| accessdate=27 January| accessyear=2007] Captain Martindale, the colony's chief engineer was not happy with work done by contractor John Gibbons and refused to issue a certificate for work done. Not happy with the decision Gibbons told his men to remove 3 portions of the track near Parramatta. He was arrested and placed in the Parramatta Watch House before being released on bail which soon settled the matter. Two days later the first train did run into the new Black Town Road Station tooting hip, hip hooray. The 'road' was dropped from the station name on 1 August 1862. cite book|work=Pictorial History of Blacktown District| title=Pictorial History of Blacktown District| accessdate=16 September| accessyear=2007]

In the beginning steam hauled trains were the norm passing Black Town Road and latter Blacktown Station then in the 1940s, 50s and 60s steam was giving way to firstly diesels and when the lines were electrified, electric multiple units were the norm. Today all suburban and Intercity trains are of double deck design, with the exception being Countrylink's XPT and Xplorer services to and from Dubbo and Broken Hill respectively and the Indian Pacific.

Access to Blacktown Station before the major rebuild was via a footbridge on the eastern end or Sydney end of the station. The only example of the former footbridge at Blacktown can be found at Clyde station and even then it's built a little different. The track layout around the station has changed a little with the inclusion of an extra side platform on the old Up Loop on the site of the old Trackfast Parcels Office & Building. An extension of the former Up Siding outside the old Blacktown Signal Box it's now known as the Up Richmond line continues for a distance of 1.681km from the old sidings dead end to points that connect it to the Up Main just before Seven Hills and was build to alleviate congestion of up trains from Richmond proceeding to the Up Main just after the station waiting for Down Richmond trains coming off the flyover entering platform 2.

The station received a major rebuild in the 1990s to a modern glass and steel structure with the addition of an extra platform and the provision of lift access to all platforms.Fact|date=April 2007

The new footbridge also has a mezzanine level which is home to Cityrail offices, these offices include Station Managers Office, Train Crewing Sign On/Off and Meal Rooms for station staff and train crews which include toilets and locker rooms. The station is known as the "Mother Ship" as it looks like a UFO when lit up at night. Also in the upgrade, Blacktown also received 3 escalators one from the footbridge to the bus interchange and two for access to Main Street on the southern or down side of the station.

Included in this major upgrade was a new bus interchange constructed between the Main Western & Ricmond Lines with a new bus only road between the interchange and George Street on the eastern end of platforms 1 & 2.

Platforms/Service

Platform 1
*Western line colour>Western Line (Richmond Branch) - all stations and limited stops services to Central; then to Lindfield, Gordon, Hornsby or Berowra via the North Shore line colour>North Shore Line.

Platform 2
*Western line colour>Western Line (Richmond Branch) - all stations services to Riverstone and Richmond.Platform 3
*Western line colour>Western Line - terminating services; all stations and limited stops services to Central; then to Lindfield, Gordon, Hornsby or Berowra via the North Shore line colour>North Shore Line.
*Cumberland line colour>Cumberland Line - terminating services; all stations services to Campbelltown.

Platform 4
*Western line colour>Western Line (Western Branch) - all stations and limited stops services to Central, then to Lindfield, Gordon, Hornsby or Berowra via the North Shore line colour>North Shore Line.

Platform 5
*Western line colour>Western Line (Western Branch) - all stations and limited stops services to Central, then to Lindfield, Gordon, Hornsby or Berowra via the North Shore Line.
*Blue Mountains line colour>Blue Mountains Line - intercity services to Central.

Platform 6
*Western line colour>Western Line (Western Branch) - all stations services to Penrith and Emu Plains; peak hour limited stops services to Penrith and Emu Plains.
*Blue Mountains line colour>Blue Mountains Line - intercity services to Springwood, Katoomba, Mount Victoria and Lithgow.

Platform 7
*Western line colour>Western Line (Western Branch) - all stations services to Penrith and Emu Plains; peak hour limited stops services to Penrith and Emu Plains.

Olympic Park Service

When special trains operate to Olympic Park the western service operates 12 trains (comprising 8 double deck cars) per hour which run express to Blacktown, where they terminate in platforms 5 and 6.

Bus Services

Blacktown Station Bus Interchange

Stand 1: NightRide
*N70 - Between Penrith station and Town Hall.Stand 2: Busways
*754 - to Mount Druitt.
*755 - to Mount Druitt.
*756 - to Mount Druitt.
*756G - to Glendenning.Stand 3: Busways
*753 - to Doonside.
*753W - to Woodcroft.Stand 4: Busways
*751 - to Quakers Hill.
*752 - to Quakers Hill.Stand 5: Hillsbus (702) and Westbus (830)
*702 - to Seven Hills.
*830 - to Cabramatta.Stand 6: Hillsbus
*700 - to Parramatta.Stand 7: Busways
*721 - to Blacktown Hospital.
*727 - to Tallawong Avenue.Stand 8: Busways
*722 - to Prospect.
*724 - to Arndell Park.Stand 9: Busways
*725 - to Doonside.
*726 - to Doonside station.Stand 10: Hillsbus
*611 - to Macquarie Centre.Stand 11: Hillsbus
*711 - to Parramatta.Stand 12: Hillsbus
*630 - to Macquarie Centre.Stand 15&16: Busways and Hillsbus (T61)
*T61 - to Parramatta.
*T70 - to Castle Hill.
*T71 - to Castle Hill.
*T75 - to Rouse Hill.
*T75 - to Rouse Hill and Riverstone.
*T75 - to Schofields and Riverstone.Stand 17: Busways
*743 - to Kings Langley.

Trackplan

ee also

*Railways in Sydney
*CityRail

Notes and References

Neighbouring stations

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External links