Blue Mountains Line

The Blue Mountains Line (BMT) is an intercity rail service serving the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The line travels west from Sydney to the major town of Katoomba and on to Mount Victoria, Lithgow and Bathurst. Mount Victoria is the terminus for most electric services, but some services terminate at Lithgow instead. Two express services per day in each direction, known as the Bathurst Bullet, extend to the regional city of Bathurst, which is supplemented by road coaches connecting Bathurst to Lithgow. Due to electrification limits at Lithgow, the Bathurst Bullet is run using the Endeavour railcars, which operate on diesel. The Blue Mountains Line operates over a mostly duplicated section of the Main Western line. As such, the tracks are also traversed by the Central West XPT, Outback Xplorer and Indian Pacific passenger services and by freight trains.

Blue Mountains Line
A V set at Glenbrook
Overview
Service type	Commuter rail
Status	In operation
Locale	Blue Mountains and Central West, New South Wales
First service	1868 (as part of the Main Western Line)
Current operator(s)	Sydney Trains
Former operator(s)	State Rail, CityRail, NSW TrainLink
Ridership	10,154,000 passengers in 2019
Route
Termini	Central Bathurst
Stops	21
Line(s) used	Main Western
Technical
Rolling stock	NSW TrainLink V set and Endeavour railcar
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	1957 (west to Lithgow)
Track owner(s)	Transport Asset Holding Entity
Timetable number(s)	BMT
Route map Sydney Trains intercity services Blue Mountains Central Coast & Newcastle Hunter South Coast Southern Highlands

BMT Blue Mountains Line
Routemap design based on official Transport for NSW branding
km from Central to Chatswood to the City Circle 00.0 Central 01.3 Redfern for services and stations between Redfern and Strathfield see: Sydney Trains 11.8 Strathfield 12.7 Homebush 14.3 Flemington 16.6 Lidcombe 18.6 Auburn 20.7 Clyde 21.2 Granville to Liverpool 22.5 Harris Park 23.2 Parramatta 25.2 Westmead 26.6 Wentworthville 28.3 Pendle Hill 30.0 Toongabbie 32.1 Seven Hills 34.9 Blacktown to Richmond 38.3 Doonside 40.9 Rooty Hill 43.8 Mount Druitt 47.4 St Marys 49.1 Werrington 52.7 Kingswood 55.1 Penrith 57.4 Emu Plains 63.6 Lapstone 67.1 Glenbrook 71.5 Blaxland 74.3 Warrimoo 77.4 Valley Heights 79.7 Springwood 83.0 Faulconbridge 86.8 Linden 90.4 Woodford 93.5 Hazelbrook 96.0 Lawson 97.7 Bullaburra 102.6 Wentworth Falls 107.6 Leura 109.9 Katoomba 115.8 Medlow Bath 120.7 Blackheath 126.7 Mount Victoria 137.1 Bell 150.9 Zig Zag 155.8 Lithgow Limit of electrification 181.4 Rydal 198.3 Tarana 239.9 Bathurst
Legend
Station Interchange station  North Shore & Western Line  Inner West & Leppington Line  Cumberland Line  NSW TrainLink Western Region Not all rail services shown For closed stations, wheelchair access and other features see: Template:Main Western railway line, New South Wales

History

See also: Main Western railway line

The Blue Mountains line is a section of the Main Western line which opened in 1868. The line was built with gradients as steep as 1 in 33 (3%) and curves as sharp as 8 chains (160 m; 530 ft). Most of the curves were eased to 12 chains (240 m; 790 ft) with duplication.

The line originally ascended the eastern and descended the western sides of the Blue Mountains via a series of zig-zag track sections. The eastern zig zag was by passed by a tunnel in 1892 and the western zig zag (currently a tourist railway) was bypassed in 1910 with the Ten Tunnels Deviation.

Electrification and further upgrades

View immediately north of Lithgow station. This is the limit of electric services on the Blue Mountains Line.

In the 1950s, the line was electrified primarily as a means of easing the haulage of coal freight from the western coalfields to the coastal ports, but a by-product of this programme was the introduction of electric interurban passenger services as far west as Bowenfels, later cut back to Lithgow. Goods trains are now exclusively diesel hauled. Electric passenger services were originally provided by a combination of electric locomotive hauled carriages and single deck electric multiple unit sets (known as U sets), both of which have now been withdrawn and replaced by more modern rolling stock.

In June 2012, New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell announced that services would be extended to Bathurst. The service, commonly known as the Bathurst Bullet, commenced on 21 October 2012. A second Bathurst Bullet return service was introduced on 16 September 2019. Springwood services were previously the only services where an H set train would be scheduled. Due to the width of H sets, they risked striking platforms past Springwood with their outward opening plug doors and tunnels past Katoomba. The last H sets were removed from the line in 2017 and 2018, but they are still used as a replacement train. As the V sets are being replaced by the New Intercity Fleet, which are wider, the loading gauge of the line past Springwood will be increased. This will be done by a combination of carving notches into tunnel walls and reducing required clearances by lowering speed limits.

Station upgrades as part of the Transport Access Program (TAP) were carried out, as well as more minor upgrades. A full list of completed upgrades can be viewed at the TAP's completed projects page, whilst current projects can be viewed here.

Station upgrades for the Blue Mountains Line
(Information accurate as of March 2024)

Station	Upgrade details	Upgrade status	Year completed	Notes
Lapstone	New lift, new toilets, general station refresh, upgrades to footbridge and ramp, and new kiss and ride bay.	Complete	April 2021
Glenbrook	New lift, new kiss and ride bay, general station refresh, and new bathrooms.	Complete	December 2019
Faulconbridge	New lifts, new toilets, general station refresh, upgrades to ramp, accessible car space and kiss and ride bay.	Complete	April 2021
Hazelbrook	New toilet, new lift, upgrades to pathways and accessible parking spaces.	Complete	December 2019
Wentworth Falls	New lifts, new canopies, new kiss and ride bays, improved forecourt, improvements to toilets and waiting areas.	Complete	December 2017
Leura	New lift and stairs, new canopy, new taxi rank, new pathway, general station refresh, new kiss and ride bay, and new bicycle facilities.	Complete	February 2018
Katoomba	New commuter carpark and new accessible parking spaces.	Complete	July 2010
	Platform extension as part of new fleet program, as well as modifications to canopies and platform edges.	Complete	July 2020
Blackheath	New lifts, upgrades to taxi rank, kiss and ride bay, accessible parking spaces, general station and platform refresh, new water fountain, removal of pedestrian level crossing, and new bicycle hoops.	Complete	August 2023
Mount Victoria	Platform extension as part of new fleet program, as well as modifications to canopies and platform edges.	Complete	July 2020
Lithgow	Platform extension as part of new fleet program, as well as modifications to canopies and platform edges.	Complete	July 2020

Services

A V set at Wentworth Falls station

The line is operated almost entirely by V sets. As the electric overhead wiring ends at Lithgow, diesel Endeavour railcars operate the services to and from Bathurst.

All electric Blue Mountains line services start and terminate from the intercity platforms (4–15) of Central (Sydney Terminal) station. During the weekday off-peak, they operate hourly, alternating between services to Mount Victoria and Lithgow. During the morning and afternoon peaks, some express services operate, together with short workings to Springwood and Katoomba.

There are two services each way from Bathurst to Central, known as the Bathurst Bullet, mainly catering for commuters working in Sydney. Two services run toward Central in the morning and return in the afternoon. Two shuttle services operate from Lithgow to Bathurst in the early morning and return to Lithgow late at night.

Some off-peak electric interurban services on the line only consist of four carriages, with peak hour services usually consisting of eight carriages. Regional diesel services on the line consist of two carriages.

Stations

Blue Mountains Line stations

Name	Railway line	Serving suburbs/towns	Notes
Central – Emu Plains (Suburban section)
Central	Main Suburban	Sydney CBD, Chippendale, Strawberry Hills, Ultimo, Surry Hills	Transport hub featuring Sydney Trains, other Intercity trains, Regional trains, buses and light rail
Redfern		Redfern, Waterloo, Darlington, Eveleigh	Interchange with Sydney Trains Selected peak hour services only
Strathfield		Strathfield	Transport hub featuring Sydney Trains, other Intercity trains, Regional trains and buses.
Parramatta	Main Western	Parramatta	Interchange with Sydney Trains and Regional trains.
Westmead		Westmead	Interchange with Sydney Trains Bathurst Bullet only
Blacktown		Blacktown	Interchange with Sydney Trains
Penrith		Penrith	Interchange with Sydney Trains and Regional trains
Emu Plains		Emu Plains, Emu Heights	End of the Sydney Trains network
Emu Plains – Lithgow (Electrified section)
Lapstone	Main Western	Lapstone	N/A
Glenbrook		Glenbrook
Blaxland		Blaxland
Warrimoo		Warrimoo
Valley Heights		Valley Heights
Springwood		Springwood	Intermediate terminus, primarily during peak hours.
Faulconbridge		Faulconbridge	N/A
Linden		Linden
Woodford		Woodford
Hazelbrook		Hazelbrook
Lawson		Lawson
Bullaburra		Bullaburra
Wentworth Falls		Wentworth Falls
Leura		Leura
Katoomba		Katoomba	Major intermediate terminus. Interchange with Regional trains
Medlow Bath		Medlow Bath	N/A
Blackheath		Blackheath
Mount Victoria		Mount Victoria	Intermediate terminus
Bell		Bell	Request stop
Zig Zag		N/A	Request stop, alight for Zig Zag Railway museum, No service on weekday nights.
Lithgow		Lithgow	Terminus for Electric Services. Interchange with Regional trains
Lithgow – Bathurst (Non-electrified section)
Rydal	Main Western	Rydal	N/A
Tarana		Tarana
Bathurst		Bathurst	Terminus for limited Endeavour services.

The Blue Mountains Railway Line showing station altitude vs distance from Central Station

Coach services stop at the following locations:

• Lithgow
• Wallerawang
• Mount Lambie
• Meadow Flat
• Yetholme
• Raglan
• Kelso
• Bathurst

Patronage

The following table shows the patronage of each line of the NSW TrainLink Intercity network for the year ending 30 June 2024, based on Opal tap on and tap off data.

2023–24 NSW TrainLink Intercity patronage by line

Blue Mountains Line	7,152,563
Central Coast & Newcastle Line	13,189,811
Hunter Line	803,606
South Coast Line	7,132,670
Southern Highlands Line	755,919

External links

• Blue Mountains Railway Pages