Beresfield railway station

(Redirected from Beresfield rail disaster)

Beresfield railway station is located on the Main Northern line in New South Wales, Australia. It opened on 31 July 1925, serving the western Newcastle suburb of Beresfield.[3]

Beresfield
Westbound view of the station platforms and footbridge, November 2022
General information
LocationAddison Street, Beresfield
Australia
Coordinates32°47′56″S 151°39′28″E / 32.798959°S 151.657905°E / -32.798959; 151.657905
Owned byTransport Asset Holding Entity
Operated byNSW TrainLink
Line(s)Main Northern
Distance179.81 kilometres (111.73 mi) from Central
Platforms2 (1 island)
Tracks4
Construction
Structure typeGround
AccessibleYes
Other information
Status
  • Weekdays:

Staffed: 6am-6pm

  • Weekends and public holidays:
Unstaffed
WebsiteTransport for NSW
History
Opened31 July 1925
Rebuilt2002
Passengers
2023[2]
  • 77,640 (year)
  • 213 (daily)[1] (Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink)
Services
Preceding station NSW TrainLink Following station
Thornton
towards Dungog or Scone
Hunter Line Tarro
Warabrook

History

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Beresfield railway station opened on 31 July 1925.

 
Entrance from Addison Street

1997 collision

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On 23 October 1997, Beresfield was the site of a major rail accident, when a FreightCorp coal train passed a red signal and collided with the rear of another coal train standing on the same track. Six people were injured, including the station master and a passenger who jumped from the platform moments before the collision. The crash resulted in dozens of coal wagons tumbling over the platform and across the tracks, blocking all four tracks and destroying most of the station.[4][5][6] Three 82 class locomotives were destroyed.[7]

In 2002, Beresfield was fully redeveloped, receiving new easy-access facilities, station signage and booking office.[citation needed]

Platforms and services

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Beresfield has one island platform with two faces. It is serviced by NSW TrainLink Hunter Line services travelling from Newcastle to Maitland, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Scone, Telarah and Dungog.[8]

Platform Line Stopping pattern Notes
1 services to Newcastle [8]
2 services to Maitland, Telarah, Dungog, Singleton, Muswellbrook & Scone [8]

References

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  1. ^ This figure is the number of entries and exits of a year combined averaged to a day.
  2. ^ "Train Station Monthly Usage". Open Data. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Beresfield Station". NSWrail.net.
  4. ^ "Rail Safety Investigation Report 1998001 – Coal Train Collision". Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Department of Transport and Regional Services, Government of Australia.
  5. ^ "Aviation Crash Team Investigates Beresfield Collision" Railway Digest December 1997 page 7
  6. ^ "Beresfield (Newcastle), NSW: Rail Collision". Emergency Management Australia. 13 September 2006. Archived from the original on 15 August 2009.
  7. ^ Oberg, Leon (2007). Locomotives of Australia: 1850s – 2007. Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 411, 418. ISBN 978-1-877058-54-7.
  8. ^ a b c "Hunter line timetable". Transport for NSW.
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