Rozelle Yard
History
History
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By 1908, goods traffic on the line to [Darling Harbour](/wiki/Darling_Harbour "Darling Harbour") and the neighbouring suburban lines had become excessive, with 592 wagons arriving each day and 512 being dispatched.Forsyth, J.H. (ed.) (1988–93\), Stations \& Tracks; Vol. 1: "Main Suburban \& Branches \-\- Illawarra \& Branches" [State Rail Authority](/wiki/State_Rail_Authority "State Rail Authority") Sydney, p. 97\. It was decided to construct the [Metropolitan Goods line](/wiki/Metropolitan_Goods_railway_line "Metropolitan Goods railway line") from [Sefton](/wiki/Sefton_railway_station "Sefton railway station") to Darling Harbour via [Enfield](/wiki/Enfield%2C_New_South_Wales "Enfield, New South Wales"), [Dulwich Hill](/wiki/Dulwich_Hill "Dulwich Hill") and [Rozelle](/wiki/Rozelle "Rozelle"), with extensions to [Botany](/wiki/Botany%2C_New_South_Wales "Botany, New South Wales") and the State [Abattoirs](/wiki/Abattoir "Abattoir") at [Homebush Bay](/wiki/Homebush_Bay "Homebush Bay"). The initial scheme, approved by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Works, approved the initial line from Dulwich Hill to Darling Harbour. To avoid an opening rail bridge alongside the existing [Glebe Island Bridge](/wiki/Glebe_Island_Bridge "Glebe Island Bridge"), a circuitous route was built around [Rozelle Bay](/wiki/Rozelle_Bay "Rozelle Bay") through [Pyrmont](/wiki/Pyrmont%2C_New_South_Wales "Pyrmont, New South Wales"). The proposal, which included two tunnels under Pyrmont and [Glebe](/wiki/Glebe%2C_New_South_Wales "Glebe, New South Wales"), was approved on 23 November 1914, and the line opened on 23 January 1922\.The Direct \& Scenic Routes to Darling Harbour *[Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin](/wiki/Australian_Railway_History "Australian Railway History")* issue 741 July 1999 pages 265\-271 A branch line from the yard served the [White Bay Power Station](/wiki/White_Bay_Power_Station "White Bay Power Station") and [White Bay](/wiki/White_Bay_%28New_South_Wales%29 "White Bay (New South Wales)").[Rozelle\-Darling Harbour Goods Line](http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:wardell_road_central) Nswrail.net The yard was electrified in September 1967\.News *[Railway Gazette](/wiki/Railway_Gazette_International "Railway Gazette International")* 15 December 1967 page 923

In January 1996, the [Lilyfield](/wiki/Lilyfield%2C_New_South_Wales "Lilyfield, New South Wales") to [Central](/wiki/Central_railway_station%2C_Sydney "Central railway station, Sydney") section of the Metropolitan Goods line closed. Much of the alignment was reutilised by the [Inner West Light Rail](/wiki/Inner_West_Light_Rail "Inner West Light Rail") that opened to [Wentworth Park](/wiki/Wentworth_Park "Wentworth Park") in August 1997 and was extended to Lilyfield in August 2000\.Last Freight Finishes on Darling Harbour Line *[Railway Digest](/wiki/Railway_Digest "Railway Digest")* March 1996 Page 15Sydney's Tram Extension Opens *Railway Digest* September 2000 page 4[Sydney Metro Light Rail, Australia](http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/sydney/) railway\-technology.com The stop serving Lilyfield was built adjacent to the rail yards.Light Rail Extension Opens *[Trolley Wire](/wiki/Trolley_Wire "Trolley Wire")* issue 2828 August 2000 pages 14\-20 The yard saw a considerable decline in traffic throughout the 2000s, becoming overgrown and being used only intermittently for storage of disused passenger and freight carriages. Traffic on the line ceased in 2009 and the yard fell out of use.

### Redevelopment

[thumb\|200x200px\|Lilyfield Maintenance Depot](/wiki/File:Lilyfield_Maintenance_Centre.jpg "Lilyfield Maintenance Centre.jpg")
In February 2010, following the cessation of goods traffic the previous year, the [Keneally Government](/wiki/Keneally_ministry "Keneally ministry") announced a  extension of the light rail from Lilyfield to [Dulwich Hill](/wiki/Dulwich_Hill "Dulwich Hill"). The Lilyfield Maintenance Depot was built to the west of the Lilyfield station for maintenance and stabling. A second platform was added at Lilyfield for services towards Dulwich Hill. The Dulwich Hill extension opened in 2014\.

A maintenance depot was constructed next to the station on the site of the yard. Part of the yard was utilised by the [WestConnex](/wiki/WestConnex "WestConnex") M4\-M5 Link and the [Rozelle Interchange](/wiki/Rozelle_Interchange "Rozelle Interchange"). As a result of the renewal works, the precinct now includes ten hectares of green space featuring smokestacks, sports fields and recreational facilities. The Rozelle Parklands were opened on 17 December 2023\.


Why was the Metropolitan Goods line constructed from Sefton to Darling Harbour?