Such an excellent video! I've always loved this section of track but, its so much easier to appreciate with this lovely explainer!

@Taitset

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Reece, glad you enjoyed it! I reckon there are quite a lot of places around the world that could benefit from something like this.

@mkkm945

2 жыл бұрын

Since you cover more global stuff, you should do a video on the flying junctions of the NY subway (if you haven't already). There are many and some are wonderfully convoluted but allow for many different service patterns.

@nomadMik

2 жыл бұрын

@@mkkm945 I'm a Sydneysider in the US, and if you're talking about the ones I'm thinking about (giant-arse shunting yards that you drive over if you're on the way to Long Island when the freeway is fucked up), then yeah, I'd love that video too!

@ChengHe-zv6so

10 ай бұрын

catch you

I'm a Sydney train driver and that was basically spot on! In fact the only thing I can add is that trains crossing from Up Airport to Down Airport at 850 points can also arrive on Platform 22 as well as 23 to terminate - and I much prefer arriving on 22, it's less hassle! Other than that, your explanation was pretty damn good! Thanks 👍🏻

@roballen3281

Жыл бұрын

David, I speak from afar, but you are surely right as You always have been a str8 A student, but darling The Practise of being a Guard is knowing not to open the doors on the wrong side of the train. hmmmm must be so stressful now as a Driver!

Before the airport line was introduced, the flyover was the ultimate "pass go, collect $200" section of track on the network. In our training schools we were told that was the only section of track we could never challenge if wrong roaded because it could take us anywhere.

I always found it fascinating seeing the brick supports going by and seeing adjacent tracks going up and down. It added to the experience of travelling home from the city. It's a very elaborate set up.

@AndrewJens

2 жыл бұрын

For some reason, as a kid I imagined the brick supports to be pages in a very large book flipping by.

The Flying Junctions is an interesting piece of infrastructure that has changed and adapted as the Sydney network has expanded over the years. The conversion of the Bankstown line to a metro line will bring more changes as those trains are removed from this part of the network. The great advantage of the flyovers is they remove conflicting movements by avoiding 'at grade' crossings. Such a simple idea that makes you wonder why it hasn't also been employed in many other locations. You have provided a very good explanation of the operation of the flyovers.

@kittehRwin

2 жыл бұрын

they do exist at Glenfield (down direction to leppington, up direction to east hills), merrylands (up direction to granville) and blacktown (down direction to richmond), redfern even has an underpass for south coast train to access platform 1-12 other places don't make sense because of engineering challenges, money or traffic frequency

@u1zha

2 жыл бұрын

Simple idea that comes with a significant price tag, so no wonder tbh

@hannahranga

2 жыл бұрын

@@u1zha I'd be curious how the long term costs stack up especially if the crossovers are done as sets of points with their significant ongoing maintenance costs and tendency to fail occasionally (generally at the most inconvenient moment)

@dat581

Жыл бұрын

@@hannahranga The cost is far lower than having all the required movements made through points at the same level and the cost of the delays this would cause.

@roballen3281

Жыл бұрын

@@hannahranga The problem with crossovers is Time. With this system trains only have to slow down entering or exiting the platforms due to delays, otherwise the system allows trains to continnously move. thru the junction

I've been travelling over and under this for 43 years with no clue what it did. Now I know what it does I can get on a train doing the city circle as it empties at Central but more importantly before it fills up before coming back in the direction I wish to travel. Hahaha brilliant.

@fale892

2 жыл бұрын

Ive done that a few times. A few extra minutes travel but it ensures you get a seat!

Love the coat hanger reference 👌

This is pretty much spot on for what the flyovers achieve. Essentially they are there so no flat junctions interfere with capacity of the city lines, unlike what happens between Flinders street and Southern Cross.

I was lucky enough to have a bricklayer Grandfather who worked in the Construction of this Brick Flyover project. He was always very proud to have been part of it with the many other bricklayers employed on this great project

@stoobieman

4 ай бұрын

I'll bet he was. I often look at it as I go over wondering how many years and men it took. How long did he work on it?

This was amazing! For the next explanation could you maybe do the city circle tunnels? Like there’s 2 levels of platforms at town hall and 2 at Wynyard. Could you explain how some go on the lower platforms and how they stay up?

@Taitset

2 жыл бұрын

I probably will make that one at some point, yes.

@nomadMik

2 жыл бұрын

It's actually not that complicated. Two of the upper platforms at Town Hall and Wynyard go to the bridge, the lower ones at Wynyard and ones from each level at Town Hall go around the City Circle, and the two remaining lower ones at Town Hall go to the Eastern Suburbs line. There are no platforms 1 or 2 at Wynyard; they used to be tram platforms connecting to the Harbour Bridge. (Platforms 26 and 27 at Central, 13 and 14 at Redfern, and a couple of filled in platforms at St James, were for lines that were never built.) But a video would still be cool.

@roballen3281

Жыл бұрын

@@nomadMik yes correct, I am always wondering if they are ever going to make use of the Tunnels at Central and Redfern stations that lie south of the main Illawarra LInes? Airport Line, and Metro line could have utilised these oddities!

The dual-level construction of Town Hall (and Wynyard) provides one more crossover for trains going north from Central to Circular Quay to not be in the way of North Shore trains going south to Central. It is all very clever.

Have travelled on this track for 48 years and my thoughts on it were 'on the right track' but now it is all much clearer for me. Thanks!

Love how you took the effort to teach people about what seems like an overcomplicated piece of track from a foreign city to you but you did it anyway! Great work mate

You've done well for 'just some guy from Melbourne" 👏

Martin, thanks so much for this brilliant video! I'm a Sydneysider, and even though I've used the trains often, and been intrigued by the central crossover complex, haven't pursued it the way you have. I didn't know I needed to know all this but your excellent explanation kept me interested till the end. Thanks again and best wishes

@Taitset

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Harry, glad you enjoyed it!

That's insanely good construction there. What great forward thinking and just. We need this kinda smarts in the UK

I worked at TNT so I had a bird's-eye view of the flying junctions (we called them the cross-overs) and it took some time to work out why they were in place. You don't explain why until about four minutes into the video. You see, on the left, each one of those lines has got an up line and a down line side-by-side, which is the usual situation since they're coming from/going to the same stations but at Sydney central you have platforms which take trains in the same direction on both sides of the platform. This is great for the commuter who wants to jump off one train to get onto another on their way to work. All they have to do is cross the platform and they will be on the appropriate train. I just wish you had explained that at the beginning. Go to the TNT Towers at Redfern ('Fawlty Towers'), ask to go to the top floor to see for yourself, it's beautiful to watch. It's actually consumer-focused - so rare!

Well done. I live in the U.S., and have recently become a Sydney Trains fan, (I watch your channel, too). KZread is my way to travel to systems worldwide.

i love the coathanger!

This was easier to understand than my local mess of Subway,Intercity, Long Island Railroad maps here in NY

Upgraded the signals through there. Fun times.

I just subscribed. I’m from Adelaide so I’m always fascinated by metro railway junctions of cities where their central stations are through lines. Adelaide doesn’t have trains in the eastern suburbs so our central station is a terminus. I’ve traveled to Sydney twice in my life and I’ve been on the city loop every time. I’ve always wondered how it’s southern end flyover works so thanks for this video

Your explanation brings back a lot of memories. I lived in Australia for about 25 years before returning home to England. I held several jobs and obtained a degree from the University of N.S.W. However, I lived in Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide. I have also travelled extensively around the almost aall of Australia, both by car, but in the earlier years by train. Many of the trains I travelled with, no longer run. My biggest regret was that I had the opportunity to travel on the original Ghan, to Alice springs. I knew Sydney Central very well, having probably used all services either terminating air passing through the suburban platforms. I always marvelled at how when approaching Central, you would encounter the section highlighted in this video. As you looked through the wyindow, you would be, for example running parallel with trains running slowly but at different speeds, then as you emerged from the flyover, slowing further to either terminate or sa stop at the suburban stations. I often marvelled at finding that a train on my starboard side was. then seen again ont the port side. I also remember talking to some friends I’d met who were Station Assistants on the suburban and circle line platforms, used tio have bets who could run across all lines ad platforms between the north and south sides of the suburban lines - not the sort of thing you would do

5:35 Me, a Transport Tycoon baron: No, it makes perfect sense.

I have puzzled over that flyover for the last 48 years. Thanks for the answer. If you wanted to clutter your diagrams even more, you could have shown platforms 24 & 25 as well as the never used, for trains at least, platforms 26 & 27.

@mr.jamster8414

Жыл бұрын

used for ghosts O.o

@dat581

Жыл бұрын

@@mr.jamster8414 It is quiet and rather spooky in those platforms. I've been in there once and that was enough!

I've recently changed jobs to where I not only commute to Haymarket, I also get to sit high up in an office and watch Central Station out of the window, like a big train set. I've always noticed more up-trains moving than down-trains from this viewpoint and now I know why; the down-trains disappear from view a few seconds after leaving the station. Anyway, super interesting.

Well, for a bloke from Melbourne, you explain it better than the Sydney train lot...lol...well done. I was born in Sydney but live in SA, but thanks to Sydney vloggers, and you too, I can keep tabs.

Great video, thanks so much. As a fellow Melburnian also looking to travel up to Sydney soon, this should help me heaps.

@sydnorth5868

2 жыл бұрын

As a passenger it really isn't complicated at all.... unlike the City Loop!

Being a train loving Sydneysider for 10 years, I’ve loved this part of the network! It also is pretty fascinating to look at as you travel over it :)

I've always marvelled at the engineering of the network and the obvious age of the flyover (and other old sections along the T1 loop) but never thought to have a good overhead look on maps. I did notice that they seem to have reconnected the Illawarra up line to the platform 20/21 up, I can't speak to volumes on those lines but maybe something changed to justify the outlay (I'm a Hornsby kid, used to watch Bugsy, Bert and Ernie do their thing at the yards from my high school) Not even a rail guy really but was fascinated, rad video my dude.

As some bloke from Melbourne , you have nailed that explanation to this bloke from Sydney. Really clear, marvellous description. Thank you!

It's iconic. I spent several years heading up the central coast line and it was always relaxing to watch the trains using the flyover as you crawled out of the Sydney Terminal side of Central

Awesome video Martin! - You explained that really well!

That is a great explanation. I used to travel these lines a lot and was always intrigued by the flyovers.

Many thanks for posting this: a very clear and concise explanation of a fascinating piece of engineering. I wish this video had been available before my own visit to Sydney some years ago!

Thanks for the video! Always been a train enthusiast and you made it crystal clear for me to understand.

This is an great explanation with excellent visuals and narration, thanks so much for compiling this!

Wow, really interresting to see all the thoughts behind this amazing junction. Thanks for the video.

Nice work Sydney, nice explanation too.

This is a great video. I had long reasoned that this flyover could get any train on to any platform at Central, but never new the ins and outs of exactly how it did it. Thank you!

I loved the coat hanger representing the Harbour Bridge. Also, great video - very informative. Thanks 👍

Really nice explanation. I live next to redfern Station so I’ve used this bit of rail infrastructure most days for the past 20 years. (Love the diagram with coat hanger too!)

Very good video! Explains everything in simple details!

Leaving Fairfield at 5.26am, get into Sydney just to dart across the bridge on sunrise 🌅 is an amazing way to do an apprenticeship

Thank you for your wonderful discussion about Central Station to which I arrived by train in 1967 from Melbourne and promptly travelled almost everywhere possible on the city circle and North Shore and later on the Eastern line.

This is really interesting and very well presented. Thanks!

This is a brilliant video. Nothing more to add

I was only traveling into the city circle the other day and wondering what was going on with these flyovers.... Well done and Thanks

First travelled on it in abut 1950, aged 4,before the city circle was complete. i was more interested in what was happening on platforms 1 - 15 with STEAM TRAINS, as we usually arrived on platform 16, but within a few years I had it worked out, especially when they added the city circle. It is a brilliant pre-war engineering solution, to my mind. These days we enter the city on T6 from Sutherland deep underground, and I miss the fly-overs. I first encountered the Melbourne network in 1964, could not figure it out; and still can't. All I know is these days I board an XPT on platform 1 or 3 at Central and 11 hours later it pulls into platform 1 at Melbourne Southern Cross; and the taxis & trams are right outside!! Truth is I am terrified of the Melbourne network. One day I will get a route map.

Yay I understand them now! I agree, it looks annoying that the Airport line branches off at such an angle but oh well. A neat video detailing a neat piece of infrastructure!

Wonderful stuff and it is a masterpiece of engineering I have marvelled at since childhood. Central has two more underground platforms as well, 24 and 25 supporting the Cronulla to Bondi Junction line.

It doesn't really come into the flyover arrangement, but you can certainly add that the Illawarra trains mostly now go underground a few kilometres south and just north of Erskineville. They then stay underground through Central and go on to Bondi Junction. When I was very young my mother took me into the city from the south. On the way home we continued around the circle and when we got home I thought there must be another house just like ours in the north!

@mr.jamster8414

Жыл бұрын

ha! I used to think Melbourne had this complex, slummy inner-suburban subway system connecting the suburban lines, because of the underground toilets. I assumed we were just ducking off to the side instead of heading down to where the trains were. Even now in my dreams Melbourne has an east-west station underground someplace like Collingwood. does anyone else have *very specific* alternate versions of real places in their dreams...?

Used to do heaps of track work & drainage works between Redfern/Central/Circular Quay in the 90's. Week days were usually drainge etc 1am till 4am & weekends mostly track work. Actually miss doing that job.

Excellent video Some-Guy-from-Melbourne. Being Sydney born and bred, I've been wondering since the 70s how the flyovers work. Thank you for ending my suffering.

Travelling into the city, I always wondered what the up and down lines were for! Coool

this is a really good explanation. as someone who lives on the airport line (and who is especially lazy) it can be useful to time a trip as such so if you have an extra 15 minutes, you can go from the airport all the way into a station on the inner west via the city circle without changing trains. one of the best features of the sydney train network in the rain. :)

RMTransit sent me! Loved this explainer!

One word - brilliant!

I'm fromt he illawarra line, sometimes when travling into the city there was trackwork on the ungerground stations beginning at Redfern, & the train would run via the flying junction and terminate at Central. It was always an exciting change of scenery as it was an uncommon event!

It's an incredible, visionary piece of infrastructure. The people who built it were really forward thinking.

Excellent video on a truly fascinating piece of infrastructure that has bedevilled me for 5 decades. The wicked mind-trick it plays is that when you’re on the top heading in to Central, you’re not conscious of any of it, but when you’re on the lower tracks you’re suddenly immersed in a world not dissimilar to Hogwarts moving staircases. Then you forget entirely about the whole thing til next time.

What I experienced, before actually understanding the engineering and discovering all those crossovers,was coming into Central from Parramatta and being able to walk straight across the platform and onto a city circle train. The crossovers change the format from a usual configuration in just about every station in the network with an up line and a down line sharing a platform platform to two uplines sharing a platform. This made my journey, Parramatta to Circular Quay, a straight across the platform change. Marvellous engineering by people smarter than me!

Another reason for the shuffling of the lines could be for inter-platform changes (changing trains without leaving the platform), so notice how redfern has the same colour/line on each side of the platform, then central slightly shifts things so that each platform has a different line opposite it. Not sure if on purpose, but this ordering of being able to reverse directions in redfern and then change lines but stay the same direction for central is also convenient as you'd want to reverse directions as soon as possible, which is great for anyone coming in from the west as redfern is first. Townhall also has some interesting cross platform intersections, I need to check if the combination of redfern/central/townhall creates the most optimal combination of changing lines from any line to any other line with minimal movement between platforms.

@Woodland26

2 жыл бұрын

For me it was common to change from platform 18 to 19 coming from the North Shore but going to the inner west station. On a rainy day it can be done at Town Hall 2 to 1. City Circle outer track line, can arrive at Town Hall platform 4 and change to 5 to go to Bondi Jn. At Chatswood Metro train platform cross over to continue the journey to the city or from city to join metro train

This is so cool!

pretty good explanation I would also add that the station indicators at central are set up to display the next line, the train's front indicator changes after leaving Redfern and the train's internal indicators change either after leaving central or at circular quay.

When you take into account that the Bankstown line trains will be removed in 2024 with the Sydney Metro. you can see how there will be smoother operations. This also helps people understand why a delay on the Inner West, Airport and South West or Bankstown line has so much flow on impact to the trains on the other line. If a Bankstown train misses it's path, it needs to displace another train to make up it's path. This needs to be done in the next available path as the Bankstown line train will have other Bankstown line trains come behind it. So maybe a late running train might be because someone at Sydenham hesitated in the train door for 30 seconds, or held the train for a friend by blocking the door from closing, delaying other trains. Great video! Excellently and clearly explained!

@albertbatfinder5240

2 жыл бұрын

Did someone mention bats?

Well done!

It is a cool setup. Last time i was in Sydney I made it from the Airport to Circular Quay for a beer at the Opera House in less than an hour.

great video

That is super cool.

Watch out Sydney Trains...you are next! They've already started on the buses! Great video, I seen Hitachi 66M sitting in the bush at Bumberry NSW last year in Met colours.

Don't feel bad Sydney if a guy from Melbourne had to explain your rail network. I'm from Perth and we had a guy from Canada explain ours 😂

Great video firstly. Great explanation of a fairly integral part of the Sydney Trains system. There are also a number of crossovers on the other end of the Central platforms. These and the fly overs allow for failed trains to be worked around to keep the system "kinda" operating. if a train in Plat 16 had someone with a medical emergency, you can stop the train there and work Shore and City outer services via Plat 17. shore services then cross back over on the approach to Goulburn st tunnels. I suppose explanation of trains changing lines as they go around the city circle can also be explained by the names for these lines, the City Inner and City Outer. all signals and track circuits are referred to by CI or CO numbers, these only apply Central to Central though. after that they revert back to SH, IL, M, S, etc

Top video “guy from Melbourne” 🤣🤣 respect.

makes sense, concise too

Fantastic information. I never knew it, but had wondered what the deal was with the upper and lower tracks at central. Also oblivious to 2 tracks coming in or out at each station island compared to your typical 2 track station.

good video mate

An amazing video

My brain hurts a tiny bit taking this in all at once but it's very concise and understandable!

I worked in the Signal Box that controlled this area from 1987 to 2017, I think you explained it very well. 2 other pieces of infrastructure to the south of this location that may interest you are the Engine Dive which allows engines or trains to travel from Eveliegh to Sydney Yard or via versa under the 10 running lines and enters the up main line the Central side of Redfern also the up and down Illawarra dives which travel under the running lines to allow trains from Sydney Yard to join the Illawarra lines just before Erskinville

@davidrayner9519

2 жыл бұрын

I remember talking to you Russell, many times over the years before I retired in 2017, taking the track possessions every night. I think after all the years there I probably know a bit of how it all works as well. The control area in the old Sydney box is where they now run the nightly possessions from.

@russellchristison8425

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidrayner9519 how are you Dave, I always enjoyed working with you. I received as a farewell present a scaled down version of the Sydney Yard panel which takes pride of place in our lounge room. I retired to the Southern Highlands

@flamingfrancis

Жыл бұрын

It must be confusing at times for the controllers in that box. For the South Coast / Illawarra line there are specific times when trains from the south coast run into terminating platforms at Central and other times when they go underground and through Redfern to Central to Bondi Junction

Very interesting.

The value of the Central flyovers has been demonstrated when it's smooth operation has been compared to the delays that can happen to conflicting movements when trains have had to use the crossovers just west and east of Redfern Station to go to or from "Sydney Terminal" platforms. I have been on a train from Helensburgh that had to do this because of flooding of the Illawarra Dive (which takes Illawarra trains underneath the suburban lines just west of Redfern Station). The other was a steam tour train headed for Bankstown via Sydenham (although it could have used the Dive as there is a crossover to the Bankstown line just before Sydenham).

Thank you. Makes sense to me. :)

A superb video a very simple explanation of a very complex and useful piece of infrastructure. A slight addition, trains from the airport can terminate on P23 or P22 using the bidirectional signalling you've mentioned. An excellent video and a topic I'd be interested to see you revisit following the changes to the network brought on by the Bankstown Metro changes.

@Taitset

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Trent, I wasn't 100% sure about 22!

@Raichase

2 жыл бұрын

@@Taitset Totally fair enough too, better to say nothing when you're unsure rather than providing incorrect information. Keep up the good work! :)

watch those fun trackwork clips where Illawarra trains got switched to North Sydney and terminate and then return. Quite a lot of points crossing.

Thank you.

I would think that some of the reasons for this later set up was due to the location of the earlier Sydney terminus. You can find details that position the platforms some 200 metres further to the south, more nearer to the Old Mortuary platform. Earlier still, much adoo was had when a cemetary was relocated from this southern area out to the Botany area. There is a lot of great history attached to earlier lines both north to Newcastle and south to Wollongong. In particular the line north which required a ferry (steamer) ride from Brooklyn / River Wharf along Broken Bay / Brisbane Waters to Woy Woy to catch the northbound train. The section between Hawkesbury River and Woy Woy was a major feat of engineering in the 1890's. The southern line with the realignment that included the magnificent Stanwell Park viaduct is also noteable.

There is also another tunnel/flyover just South of Redfern station with the tunnel bit just before Redfern station. Reason being that if a train comes from platforms 1 etc at Central. They can get to the Illawarra line tracks. Also to the Redfern train works. So if you are ever on a train leaving Redfern to Central. After the bridge look to the left and you will see the tunnel entrance. The tunnel comes out just South of Redfern station and the track goes under the normal suburban tracks.

There's also platforms 24 and 25 which use the underground section of flyover and skip the loop from Central to East Sydney. Martin Place is on this line and is in the middle of the city loop. Platforms 26 and 27 are being built inderground and will connect to the metro lines instead of train lines.

I was going to point out the P23 bi-directional stuff. Last weekend they were terminating every second airport line train there due to trackwork, very rare indeed!

@Taitset

2 жыл бұрын

I was almost not going to mention it, but figured somebody would point it out!

Also noted some Inner West train, would originate from Leppington goes to city circle in the outer track, back to Central then goes to Redfern platform 10 then terminate. It then start from Redfern platform 9 and back to Central, goes via Museum than back to Platform 17, then inner west track back to Leppington. Other more regular service it could have gone to Airport track and end up in Macarthur.

Purely because of the Coathanger…. I will give this video a like 😁

I think it is also handy as if you arrive from the "inner west" and want to go to the north short, you only walk to the other side of the platform. Likewise in reverse. (Coming form the north shore line wanting to get to the inner west.) Rather than having to change platforms by going down the steps along and up steps to the other platform.

I enjoyed this presentation very much My interest in public transportation and schemes is satisfied like if I ate delicious cheesecake

Did you know Redfern Station platform 11 is actually directly adjacent to one of the down lines? It's not underground but underneath/next to the flyover junction

Bondi Junction has entered the chat.

I personally didn't understand why the flying junction was there prior to this video, thanks a lot! By the way, I think for the tracks heading for the Harbour Bridge was the one thing you got incorrect, because the "Up" would become the new "Down" and vice versa.

@Taitset

Жыл бұрын

I did make a little note that the colours for up and down are reversed on that side of the diagram. :)

I enjoyed the vid, but I think it would've been worth mentioning the cross-platform changes possible at Central… and if the footage wasn't of the oldest trains still running on the system. 😏)

I love this and I need to know who is "The Dulcet Toned Narrator from Melbourne" I just spent one viewing to remember all this when I was a guard on the network. Know it like the back of my hand. However would be great if you could please update the initial video of Central railway Station and to show the Metro and the tunnel systems

4:57 harbour bridge: CLOTH HANGER