Epping railway station, Sydney

Epping railway station is a railway station in Epping, in the Northern Sydney[2] region of Sydney. It is served by Sydney Trains T9 Northern Line, NSW TrainLink Central Coast & Newcastle Line, and Metro North West Line services.

Epping
Langston Place exit in November 2007
Location	Beecroft Road, Epping
Coordinates	33°46′23″S 151°04′56″E
Elevation	97 m (318 ft) (ground level)
Operated by	Sydney Trains Metro Trains Sydney NSW TrainLink
Line(s)	Main Northern Metro North West Line
Distance	23.32 kilometres from Central
Platforms	5 (2 island, 1 side)
Tracks	5
Connections	Bus
Construction
Structure type	Ground Underground
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Status	Staffed
Station code	EPG
History
Opened	17 September 1886
Rebuilt	7 October 1899 (Current) 23 February 2009 (Epping to Chatswood) 26 May 2019 (Metro)
Electrified	Yes
Previous names	Field of Mars Carlingford
Passengers
2018	25,500 (daily)[1] (Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink)
Rank	23
Services
Preceding station Sydney Metro Following station Cherrybrook toward Tallawong M1 Metro North West Line Macquarie University toward Chatswood Preceding station Sydney Trains Following station Cheltenham toward Hornsby Northern Line Eastwood toward Gordon via Central Preceding station NSW TrainLink Following station Hornsby toward Newcastle Interchange Central Coast & Newcastle Line Strathfield toward Central

History

The station opened as Field of Mars on 17 September 1886.[3] It was renamed Carlingford on 5 April 1887, and again to Epping on 7 October 1899 when it moved to its current site.[4][5][6][7][8]

After much campaigning from locals a wooden overhead booking office was constructed along with an additional island platform in 1928, The centre track was originally a terminating road, and was served by platforms on each side. This was intended as part of John Bradfield's proposed Epping to St Leonards line. A new booking office on the footbridge was added in 1967 after the 1928 wooden structure was destroyed by fire.

In the mid 1980s the concourse was extended with more shade provided over platforms as well as the addition of two clock towers.

In 1979, the centre terminating track was converted to a bi-directional main line with the platform face on the eastern side fenced off. As part of the 2000s upgrading works, the fencing was switched to the opposite platform.

Upgrade works began in 2004 to prepare the station for the Epping to Chatswood rail link. Works included a new concourse and pedestrian overpass, wider platforms, an underground transfer concourse and the addition of two underground platforms (5 & 6) for the new line. The new aerial concourse was constructed to the north of the 1967 concourse, which was demolished. The above ground upgrades were completed on 14 April 2007, while the underground concourse and platforms were opened on 23 February 2009 in conjunction with the new line.[9][10]

To the north of the station, an additional track was laid as part of the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor project opening in June 2016.[11] The new track opened on 14 June 2016.[12]

In September 2018, the Epping to Chatswood rail link (ECRL), the underground concourse and platforms 5 & 6 were closed and upgraded to metro standards, including fitting the underground platforms with platform screen doors, as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest project.[13] As a result, the Northern line reverted to operating from Hornsby to Central via Strathfield, and was later designated its own route T9 in April 2019. On 26 May 2019, the underground concourse and platforms reopened and serviced the new Metro North West Line, operating between Chatswood and Tallawong. The tunnels from the ECRL to the surface was kept, however the track for the Up line was lifted. The track for the down line was kept in case access to the Sydney Metro tunnels was required by maintenance vehicles. However, this access has never been used, with the points clipped and several stop blocks (a piece of wood bolted across the rails) and buffer stops in the way.

Signal box

Epping signal box opened on 31 October 1928 and operated the interlocking at Epping until its closure on 12 November 2006. The original miniature lever frame was replaced by an NX panel circa 1980. Control of the area was transferred to Strathfield signal box, and then to the new Homebush Control Centre in October 2008.[14] The signal box remained derelict and unused until its demolition in 2010. In 2019, control of the area was passed to the Rail Operations Centre in Alexandria.[15][16]

Services

Platform	Line	Stopping pattern	Notes
1	CCN	Southbound services to Sydney Central via Strathfield	[17]
	T9	Southbound services to Gordon via Strathfield & North Sydney	[18]
2	T9	Southbound services to Gordon via Strathfield and northbound services to Hornsby	[18]
3	T9	Morning and afternoon peak services to Hornsby	[18]
	CCN	services to Gosford, Wyong & Newcastle Interchange	[17]
5	M	Services to Chatswood	[19]
6	M	Services to Tallawong

Epping station is served by bus routes operated by State Transit and Hillsbus, and one NightRide route.[20]

External image
Epping Bus Guide by Transport for NSW

Trackplan

Track layout prior to construction of the Epping to Chatswood line

[16]

Current Trackplan (Underground)
Down→ E← To Macquarie Uni W→ To Cherrybrook ←Up To Main North (surface)

Current Trackplan (ground level)
US UM DM DS S↑ To Eastwood Down Siding Stop block Former portals to ECRL UM DM DR N↓ To Cheltenham

Gallery

• 
  Epping circa 1920, looking south
• 
  Beecroft Road exit circa 2006, this exit has since been rebuilt
• 
  Old concourse prior to its demolition in 2006
• 
  Transfer concourse
• 
  Underground platform, prior to the opening of the Sydney Metro Northwest
• 
  Sydney Metro Northwest platform

References

1. NSW Train Stations – Barrier Counts Dashboard 2004–2018
2. https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/PHN-Northern_Sydney
3. Original plan of Epping Railway Station, retrieved 6 June 2019
4. Epping Station NSWrail.net
5. Epping Railway Station Group NSW Environment & Heritage
6. Hazlewood, Rex, Epping Railway Station c.1910, retrieved 6 June 2019
7. "RAILWAY FROM PETERSHAM TO FIELD OF MARS". The Daily Telegraph (3928). New South Wales, Australia. 28 January 1892. p. 6. Retrieved 6 June 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "PROPOSED FIELD OF MARS RAILWAY". The Australian Star (527) (SECOND ed.). New South Wales, Australia. 10 August 1889. p. 5. Retrieved 6 June 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "Station work is on track" MX 9 February 2007 page 2
10. CityRail – Epping to Chatswood rail link CityRail
11. Section 5.2.2, Epping to Thornleigh Third Track Environmental Impact Statement NSW Department of Planning & Infrastructure
12. "Weekly Notice 21" Sydney Trains May 2016 page 5
13. Planning starts to convert Epping to Chatswood rail line to rapid transit Transport for NSW 19 September 2014
14. "Signalling & Safeworking" Railway Digest February 2007
15. Bungard, Matt (30 May 2019). "'Bigger and better than NASA': $300m rail control centre opened". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
16. DRIVERS ROUTE KNOWLEDGE DIAGRAMS – MAIN NORTH LINE (PDF). Sydney Trains. 2019. pp. 13–14.
17. "Central Coast & Newcastle line timetable". Transport for NSW.
18. "T9: Northern line timetable". Transport for NSW.
19. "M: Metro North West line timetable". Transport for NSW.
20. Epping Station Transport for NSW

External links

• Media related to Epping railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Epping station details Transport for New South Wales