Along the Lines: A Journey Through Sydney's Historic Sandown Line

Join us to day as we embark on cab ride from Sandown station to Clyde and return pausing at the now closed railway stations less than 12 months before passenger operations ceased on the once useful branchline.

The Sandown Line, situated in Sydney's western suburbs, originated as the Bennett's Railway and opened on 17 November 1888. Branching off from the Carlingford line near Camellia station, it was electrified in 1959. The line had three main passenger stations: Sandown, Hardies, and Goodyear, with Goodyear closing first. It served numerous factories, industrial sites, and sidings, including the Commonwealth Sidings built in 1943 for a military stores complex. Connections from these sidings linked to other lines and wharfs, but many of these gradually fell into disuse after World War 2.

The line provided an electric suburban service post-electrification and supported passenger services for the Abattoirs line until November 1984. Passenger services stopped in December 1991, and freight services concluded in June 2010. The racecourse platform at Rosehill remained operational for special trains until 2019. Overhead wires were taken down in 2002, and traffic was officially suspended in October 2016.

The line's western end has been repurposed for the Parramatta Light Rail project to offer access to a maintenance facility. This led to the line's official closure on 1 July 2019, with track removal starting that month. Plans are also underway to incorporate this branch into the second stage of the Parramatta Light Rail network, linking Camellia and Olympic Park.