Liverpool & Inner West Line

The section of the Main Suburban railway line used by Liverpool & Inner West Line services is the oldest railway in New South Wales, having opened in 1855. The section of the Main Southern railway line from {{rwsa|Lidcombe}} to {{rwsa|Cabramatta}} via {{rwsa|Regents Park|S}} that it also uses is newer, having opened between 1912 and 1924 as deviation to provide a more direct route to {{rwsa|Liverpool|S}}.{{cite web |title=Opening of the Regents Park line, Cabramatta Railway Station |url=https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/1284 |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=Fairfield City Heritage Collection |language=en}} Electrification to Liverpool was completed by 1929, after which electric passenger suburban services began operating the same route from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park as they do today.

{{further|Bankstown railway line#Historic services}}

Following the 2011 state election, the newly elected O'Farrell government embarked on reform of transport in New South Wales, creating a new organisation, Transport for NSW, in November of that year. This was followed up with another government reform, which saw Sydney Trains take over operation of the Sydney suburban rail network from CityRail in July 2013.{{cite news |last=Saulwick |first=Jacob |title=All change as RailCorp is disbanded |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/all-change-as-railcorp-is-disbanded-20130630-2p5b6.html |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=1 July 2013}}

Transport for NSW developed a new rail timetable, which was put into effect on 20 October 2013.{{cite web |author=Transport for NSW |author-link=Transport for NSW |title=October 2013 timetable changes |date=18 July 2017 |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/news-and-events/articles/october-2013-timetable-changes |publisher=NSW Government |access-date=1 November 2024}} The 2013 timetable was designed to integrate the projects of the Rail Clearways Program, a 2004 plan to divide the network's fourteen metropolitan rail lines into five independent "clearways" by installing extra tracks, passing loops, turnouts and turnbacks at pinch points around the network, such as at {{rwsa|Homebush}} and Lidcombe. By 2013, the Rail Clearways Program was substantially complete.{{cite web |author=Transport for NSW |author-link=Transport for NSW |title=Rail Clearways Program – completed projects |url=http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/Projects-Completed-Projects/Rail-Clearways-Program |publisher=NSW Government |date=15 August 2014 |archive-date=11 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711182127/http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/Projects-Completed-Projects/Rail-Clearways-Program |url-status=dead}}

The 2013 timetable saw services from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park, which had previously been operated by CityRail under the name Inner West Line, phased out. Instead, from 2013 stations on the Main Southern railway line between Lidcombe and Cabramatta were only serviced by the T3 Bankstown Line, a Sydney Trains continuation of earlier CityRail services on the Bankstown railway line. This service operated as two branches, one from Liverpool and one from Lidcombe, connecting to the City Circle via {{rwsa|Bankstown}} and {{rwsa|Sydenham|S}} instead of via the Main Suburban railway line. This configuration utilised the new turnback at Lidcombe, and reduced bottlenecking on the Main Suburban railway line. However, the changes attracted criticism due to the increased number of interchanges and increased travel time for passengers from stations west of Bankstown.{{cite news |last1=Saulwick |first1=Jacob |last2=Carroll |first2=Lucy |last3=Bodkin |first3=Ed |title=New train timetable had a smooth start but not all commuters are happy |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/new-train-timetable-had-a-smooth-start-but-not-all-commuters-are-happy-20131021-2vvvo.html |access-date=2024-10-18 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=21 October 2013 |language=en}}{{cite news |last=Khalil |first=Shireen |title=Roydon Ng isn't giving up on his year-long campaign to restore the Inner West line |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/roydon-ng-isnt-giving-up-on-his-year-long-campaign-to-restore-the-inner-west-line/story-fngr8h4f-1227184268607 |work=Inner West Courier |date=14 January 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613155929/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/inner-west/roydon-ng-isnt-giving-up-on-his-year-long-campaign-to-restore-the-inner-west-line/story-fngr8h4f-1227184268607 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |last=Beech |first=James |title=NSW Election 2015: Tania Mihailuk saves Bankstown for Labor and vows to fight state privatisation |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/south-west/nsw-election-2015-tania-mihailuk-saves-bankstown-for-labor-and-vows-to-fight-state-privatisation/story-fngr8hxh-1227284817476 |work=Canterbury-Bankstown Express |date=30 March 2015 |access-date=22 August 2015 |archive-date=1 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401042826/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/south-west/nsw-election-2015-tania-mihailuk-saves-bankstown-for-labor-and-vows-to-fight-state-privatisation/story-fngr8hxh-1227284817476 |url-status=dead}}

From 30 September 2024, a new Sydney Trains timetable was introduced which restored services from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park and the Main Suburban railway line, branded as the T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line.{{cite web |author=Transport for NSW |author-link=Transport for NSW |title=Southwest Link |url=http://transportnsw.info/southwest-link |access-date=1 November 2024 |website=transportnsw.info |publisher=NSW Government}}{{cite web |author=Transport for NSW |author-link=Transport for NSW |date=October 2024 |title=Train and bus timetable changes FAQs: 2024 train and bus timetable |url=https://transportnsw.info/document/7612/Public-transport-changes-frequently-asked-questions-October-2024-WCAG2.pdf |publisher=NSW Government |access-date=1 November 2024}} This coincided with the partial closure of the Bankstown railway line between Bankstown and Sydenham for its conversion as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.{{cite news |last=Hathaway-Wilson |first=Joseph |title=What you need to know about the T3 Sydenham to Bankstown train stations closure |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-27/everything-to-know-about-sydenham-bankstown-t3-train-closure/104400828 |date=27 September 2024 |access-date=30 September 2024 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} The restoration of this service was informed by community consultation undertaken by Transport for NSW in 2020, in which 85% of respondents favoured the option of restoring services from Liverpool to the City Circle via Regents Park.{{cite web |author=Transport for NSW |author-link=Transport for NSW |date=December 2020 |title=West of Bankstown rail services in 2024 |url=https://yoursay.transport.nsw.gov.au/52978/widgets/275770/documents/189214 |publisher=NSW Government |access-date=1 November 2024}}

{{Sydney Trains Line/Liverpool & Inner West Line}}

T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services begin in the Sydney CBD on the City Circle. After leaving {{rwsa|Central|S}}, T3 services use the Main Suburban railway line to travel through the Inner West. At {{rwsa|Lidcombe}} T3 services branch off from the Main Suburban, and use the Main Southern railway line via {{rwsa|Regents Park}} to complete their journey to {{rwsa|Liverpool|S}}.

File:T3 Sydney Trains diagram.png

The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Trains network for the year ending 30 June 2024.

{{Sydney Trains patronage by line|T3=y}}

{{reflist|group=n.b.}}

{{Portal|Australia|New South Wales|Trains}}

• Leppington & Inner West Line

{{reflist}}

{{Sydney public transport}}

Category:2024 establishments in Australia

Category:Railway lines opened in 2024

Category:Standard-gauge railways in Australia

Category:Railway lines in Sydney

Category:Sydney Trains

Category:Inner West