Overview | |||
---|---|---|---|
Owner | Transport for NSW | ||
Locale | Sydney | ||
Transit type | Light rail/Tram | ||
Number of lines | 1 | ||
Number of stations | 23 | ||
Annual ridership | 9.7 million in 2015–16 | ||
Website | www.transdevsydney.com.au | ||
Operation | |||
Began operation | 31 August 1997 (Dulwich Hill Line) | ||
Operator(s) | Transdev Sydney | ||
Technical | |||
System length | 2016: 12.8 km (8 mi) | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
Electrification | 750 V (DC) overhead line | ||
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The Sydney light rail network is a tram or light rail system serving the Australian city of Sydney, New South Wales. The network presently consists of a single 12.8-kilometre (8 mi) line of 23 stations. A second line is under construction and two further lines serving Western Sydney have been announced. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, and is part of the authority's Opal ticketing system. In 2015-16, 9.7 million passenger journeys were made on the network.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Sydney developed an extensive tram network, which grew to be one of the largest in the world. The increasing rate of private car ownership and the perception that trams contributed to traffic congestion led to the progressive replacement of tram services with buses, with the final section of the tram network closing in February 1961.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the inner city areas of Darling Harbour and Pyrmont were the subject of an urban renewal program. In 1988 the Sydney Monorail opened, connecting Darling Harbour to the Central Business District. With poor integration between the monorail and other transport modes, and the increasing redevelopment of the Pyrmont peninsula – including the establishment of Sydney's first legal casino – it was decided to convert a disused section of the Metropolitan Goods railway line into a light rail line. A section of track between Pyrmont and Haymarket was upgraded and a new on-street section constructed to link the line to Central railway station. The line was set up as a public-private partnership and opened in August 1997 as the Sydney Light Rail.