View source for City Circle

{{Short description|Railway line in Sydney, New South Wales}}
{{other uses|City Circle (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width                       = 300px
| name                            = City Circle
| other_name                      = 
| native_name                     = 
| native_name_lang                = 
| image                           = Town Hall railway station, Sydney, 2022.jpg
| image_width                     = 300px
| image_alt                       = 
| caption                         = [[Town Hall railway station, Sydney|Town Hall station]], a major interchange and one of the busiest stations on the City Circle
| type                            = 
| system                          = 
| status                          = 
| locale                          = 
| start                           = [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]]
| end                             = 
| stations                        = 6
| routes                          = [[T2 Leppington & Inner West Line]]<br />[[T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line]]<br />[[T8 Airport & South Line]]
| ridership2                      = 
| open                            = {{Start date|1926|12|20|df=y}} (first segment)<br />{{Start date|1956|01|22|df=y}} (entire loop)
| close                           = 
| owner                           = [[Transport Asset Holding Entity]]
| operator                        = [[Sydney Trains]]
| character                       = 
| linelength_km                   = 6
| linelength_mi                   = 
| tracklength_km                  = 
| tracklength_mi                  = 
| gauge                           = {{Track gauge|sg|allk=on}}
| minradius                       = 
| racksystem                      = 
| routenumber                     = 
| speed_km/h                      = 
| speed_mph                       = 
| speed                           = 
| elevation_m                     = 
| elevation_ft                    = 
| elevation                       = 
| website                         = 
| map                             = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|type=line}}
}}
The '''City Circle''' is a mostly-underground railway line located in the [[Sydney central business district]] and [[Haymarket, New South Wales|Haymarket]], in [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], that forms the core of Sydney's passenger rail network. The lines are owned by the [[Transport Asset Holding Entity]], a [[Government of New South Wales|State government]] agency, and operated under [[Transport for New South Wales|Transport for NSW]]'s [[Sydney Trains]] brand. Despite its name, the City Circle is of a horseshoe shape, with trains operating in a U-shaped pattern. The constituent stations of the Circle are (clockwise): [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]], [[Town Hall railway station, Sydney|Town Hall]], [[Wynyard railway station, Sydney|Wynyard]], [[Circular Quay railway station|Circular Quay]], [[St James railway station, Sydney|St James]], [[Museum railway station|Museum]] and back to Central.

==History and description==
The original concept for the City Railway was part of a report dated 1915 submitted to the government by chief railway engineer, [[John Bradfield (engineer)|John Bradfield]], upon his return from overseas study,<ref>{{cite journal |title=50 Years – A Long Time |author=Wylie, R. F. |journal=[[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]] |date=June 1971 |pages=140–143 }}</ref> with work commencing the following year. His concepts were largely based on the [[New York City Subway]], which he observed during his time in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Housing can deliver John Bradfield's vision|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/housing-can-deliver-john-bradfields-vision/news-story/d2e0e21080a63d9dac08a8d0f02912ec|work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|date=4 November 2014|access-date=29 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A once-visionary rail plan for Sydney lost in time|work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]|date=29 October 2014|access-date=29 December 2017|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/a-oncevisionary-rail-plan-for-sydney-lost-in-time/news-story/35039fcbeeba6c10d2f2ab8ffe4c9219}}</ref>
[[File:Open cut underground railway now completed, Museum Station, Sydney, New South Wales, ca. 1925 (9781167304).jpg|left|thumb|Construction of [[Museum railway station|Museum station]] in 1925, using a [[cut and cover]] method]]
Built in stages, the first City Circle stations to open were the [[New South Wales State Heritage Register|heritage-listed]]<ref name=oeh>{{cite NSW SHR|4801092|Museum railway station}}</ref> Museum and St James, which both opened in 1926 as part of the initial electrification of Sydney railways. Next was the "western limb" through Town Hall and Wynyard, which opened in 1932 in conjunction with the opening of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]]. This section contains four tunnels. Two connected to the Harbour Bridge, while the two City Circle tunnels terminated at Wynyard. In 1956, the dead ends at St. James and Wynyard were joined and the "missing link", Circular Quay – was opened. Central and Circular Quay stations are above-ground (Circular Quay is elevated, directly underneath the [[Cahill Expressway]]), while the remainder are underground. Several unused railway tunnels also exist. The former tram tunnels at Wynyard, and other stub tunnels at St James are well known.

{{multiple image
| footer            = The original railway network for the Sydney CBD planned by [[John Bradfield (engineer)|John Bradfield]], (left) and the network as it is today. The City Circle was built as planned and the [[Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra railway line|Eastern Suburbs railway]] was built to a different alignment, though the Northern Beaches and Southern Suburbs line was never built.
| image1            = Bradfield Scheme Sydney CBD Railways alt.png
| width1            = 229
| image2            = Sydney CBD Railways built.png
| width2            = 200
| total_width       = 250
}}

The City Circle is double track throughout, although it forms four tracks at Central as there are two ends of the same track. The outer track is known as the "City Outer" and is used by trains travelling clockwise around the City Circle. In the direction of travel it passes through Central platform 17, Town Hall platform 6, Wynyard platform 6, Circular Quay platform 2, St James platform 2, Museum platform 2. Trains can then either proceed to Central platform 22 or 23, depending on which line they are running on. Similarly, the inner track is known as the "City Inner" and is used by trains travelling anti-clockwise. It starts from Central platform 20 or 21, again depending on which line a train is coming from. It then passes through Museum platform 1, St James platform 1, Circular Quay platform 1, Wynyard platform 5, Town Hall platform 1 then Central platform 19.

==Services and operations==
{{unreferenced|section|date=May 2020}}
{{Sydney Trains City Circle}}

The current service patterns generally consist of trains from the [[Inner West & Leppington Line]] running into the City Circle Outer, becoming [[Airport & South Line]] trains as they enter the circle. Conversely, trains from the [[Airport & South Line]] generally run into the City Circle Inner, becoming Inner West & Leppington Line trains. [[Liverpool & Inner West Line]] trains also operate via the City Circle Inner. A set of [[flying junction]]s at Central enable these patterns to be varied.

Prior to the integration of the [[Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra railway line|Eastern Suburbs line]] into the [[Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra railway line|Illawarra Line]] in 1980, Illawarra line trains also operated around the City Circle.

Trains on the [[Western railway line, Sydney|Western]] and [[Northern railway line, Sydney|Northern]] lines usually do not use the City Circle but instead, proceed across the Harbour Bridge to the [[North Shore railway line|North Shore line]] and vice versa.

=== Speed control and reduced overlap ===
''For more information about signalling, see [[Australian railway signalling#Double light colour light|Australian railway signalling]]''<br>
Until the City Circle Resignalling of the 1990s, the western stations of the line were signalling such that a following train could enter the platform while the previous train was still departing. The signal granting access to the platform would show a restrictive aspect (probably calling-on, red over red over small amber, which indicates that the train can proceed but the block is not necessarily clear) and [[train stop|train stops]] spread along the platform would control the speed of the following train. That allowed these stations to deal with 42 trains per hour in either direction provided sub 40 second dwell times.

The 1990s resignalling changed the older eastern stations to follow a similar operation. At some point the system was changed again to provide additional safety. Signals on the City Circle can no longer display a calling-on aspect but can display low-speed (red over red over small green, which means that the block is clear but to proceed slowly, not exceeding {{convert|25|km/h|mph|0}}). Consequently, trains can no longer enter the platform while a previous train is departing, and the system cannot handle more than 20 trains per hour.
[[File:Sydney_Trains_Trip_Dropping_Example.gif|alt=An animated image showing the system in action|center|thumb|450x450px|Original 1932 operation of speed controlled trips on the City Circle.]]
{{-}}

=== Stations ===
The line has six stations.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" id="toc"
!rowspan=2|Name
!rowspan=2|Code
!colspan=2|Distance from<br/>Central (km)
!rowspan=2|Opened
!rowspan=2|Notes
|-
| [[kilometre|km]]
| [[mile|mi]]
|-
|-
|'''[[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]]'''
|CEN
|{{convert|0|km|mi|disp=table}}
|28 February 1855
|<ref>Bozier, Rolfe, ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20020613171622/http://www.triode.net.au/~rolfeb/nsw/codes.php3 "New South Wales Railways: NSW Station Codes"]''. Retrieved 19 June 2002.</ref><ref name="ESR1" /><ref name="IL1">{{cite journal |editor=Forsyth, J. H. |publication-date=1988–1993 |journal=Stations & Tracks |volume=1 |title=Main Suburban & Branches – Illawarra & Branches |publisher=State Rail Authority of New South Wales |location=Sydney |pages=42–44, 101–128, 206–208, ''passim'', except where noted }}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Town Hall railway station, Sydney|Town Hall]]'''
|THL
|{{convert|1.21|km|mi|disp=table}}
|28 February 1932
|<ref name="ESR1">{{cite journal |editor=Forsyth, J. H. |publication-date=1988–1993 |journal=Stations & Tracks |volume=1 |title=Main Suburban & Branches – Illawarra & Branches |publisher=State Rail Authority of New South Wales |location=Sydney |pages=42–44 |quotation=The Eastern Suburbs Railway platforms for Town Hall and Central stations opened 23 June 1979. }}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Wynyard railway station, Sydney|Wynyard]]'''
|WYD
|{{convert|2.05|km|mi|disp=table}}
|28 February 1932
|<ref>[http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Wynyard Wynyard Station] NSWrail.net</ref>
|-
|'''[[Circular Quay railway station|Circular Quay]]'''
|CQY
|{{convert|2.97|km|mi|disp=table}}
|22 January 1956
|<ref>[http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Circular+Quay Circular Quay Station] NSWrail.net</ref>
|-
|'''[[St James railway station, Sydney|St James]]'''
|SAJ
|{{convert|4.4|km|mi|disp=table}}
|20 December 1926
|<ref>''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' 21 December 1926 pp. 11-12</ref><ref name="RD60">{{cite journal |title=60 Years Ago |journal=[[Railway Digest]] |date=December 1986 |page=398}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[Museum railway station, Sydney|Museum]]'''
|MSM
|{{convert|4.99|km|mi|disp=table}}
|20 December 1926
|<ref name="RD60"/><ref>[http://www.nswrail.net/locations/show.php?name=NSW:Museum Museum Station] NSWrail.net</ref><ref name=oeh/>
|-
| colspan="6" |After '''[[Museum railway station, Sydney|Museum]]''', the line loops back to '''[[Central railway station, Sydney|Central]]'''
|}<gallery>
File:Central Railway Sydney 001a.jpg|Central, concourse of City Circle platforms
File:Town Hall railway station, Sydney, 2022.jpg|Town Hall, platforms 5 & 6
File:Wynyard station platforms 5 & 6 August 2017.jpg|Wynyard, platforms 5 & 6
File:Platform at St James railway station, Sydney, 2022, 03.jpg|St James, platform 1
File:Museum Railway Station, Sydney 03.jpg|Museum, platforms 1 & 2
File:Circular Quay railway station, Sydney, 2023, 04.jpg|Circular Quay station
</gallery>

==See also==
{{stack|{{portal|Trains}}}}
* [[List of Sydney railway stations]]
* [[Railways in Sydney]]
* [[Rail transport in New South Wales]]
* [[Sydney underground railways]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/train Transport for NSW trains]
* [http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:city_circle NSW rail] City Circle

{{Sydney public transport}}
{{Railway lines in New South Wales}}
{{Sydney landmarks}}

[[Category:City Circle| ]]
[[Category:Underground commuter rail|City Circle]]