Cumberland Line - Service Cuts

Service Cuts

Upon its opening in 1996, the line had a regular half-hourly service in both directions consisting of 38 journeys per day. Subsequent timetables saw its services significantly reduced to the point of running only during weekday peak hours, and since 2005 the line only runs in one direction at a time: two services run in the morning peak from Campbelltown to Blacktown (one of which extends to Quakers Hill, via the Richmond branch of the Western line), and three services return from Blacktown to Campbelltown in the evening (as of 31 October 2011, one commences on the Richmond branch, from Schofields).

This service also occasionally operates on weekends if trackwork affects the Western and South lines, particularly between Granville and Strathfield. Services from Glenfield and Liverpool are diverted to the Western Line and proceed beyond Blacktown, to either Penrith or Richmond, and vice versa. In the extremely rare event of service disruptions, South line trains may divert to Parramatta, terminate there then reverse back to Granville and continue its trip as per the timetable.

Prior to the Y-Link's opening, passengers travelling between the Western and South lines are required to change trains at Granville. With the reduction in services to peak hours only (aside from trackwork services), this travelling strategy has been resumed by most commuters.

In 2006, the then-Iemma Labor Government's NSW State Plan committed to re-introduce a regular half-hourly service to the Cumberland line during 2007 "subject to detailed timetable and train planning... and fleet delivery, availability and rostering". A CityRail news release on 15 December confirmed this intention, based on the gradual introduction of the then-new OSCAR (H set) trains, which would displace outer suburban Tangara (G set) sets; the latter trains then reassigned to suburban service. This promise was not delivered, and the Cumberland Line to this day remains a peak-hour-only service with 4 car carriages.

Occasionally when there is weekend trackwork between Merrylands and Strathfield and Parramatta and Strathfield or Merrylands and Olympic Park and Parramatta and Olympic Park. The Cumberland trains would operate on between Glenfield and Richmond and also Campelltowna or Glenfield and Penrith. There are current plans to return full-time services in 2013.