View source for T8 Airport & South Line

{{Infobox public transit
| logo            = TfNSW T8.svg
| logo_width      = 60px
| name            = T8 Airport & South Line
| type            = Commuter rail
| operator        = [[Sydney Trains]]
| ridership       = 
| website         = 
| start           = Central
| stops           = 32
| end             = Macarthur
| distance        = 
| journeytime     = 
| frequency       = 
| trainnumber     = 
| line_used       = {{Plainlist|
*[[City Circle]]
*[[Airport railway line, Sydney|Airport]]
*[[East Hills railway line|East Hills]]
*[[Main Southern railway line, New South Wales|Main South]]}}
| class           = 
| access          = 
| seating         = 
| sleeping        = 
| autorack        = 
| catering        = 
| observation     = 
| entertainment   = 
| baggage         = 
| otherfacilities = 
| stock           = [[Sydney Trains K set|K]], [[Sydney Trains C set|C]], [[Sydney Trains M set|M]], [[Sydney Trains A & B sets|A and B]] sets
}}
The '''T8 Airport & South Line''' is a [[commuter rail]] line in [[Sydney]], New South Wales, Australia. It connects the Sydney central business district with the southwestern suburbs via Sydney Airport. The line forms part of the [[Sydney Trains]] network and is coloured green on maps and informational material. The line was created on 26 November 2017, when the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line was split in two. Sydney Trains' predecessor [[CityRail]] operated the '''Airport & East Hills line''' over an identical route between 2000 and 2013.

==History==
{{Sydney public transport services|train=}}<!--
[[File:EHLinePromo.png|thumb|right|State Rail East Hills Line timetable from 1987, prior to the Glenfield extension. Prior to the opening of the Airport railway line, the line was marketed as the "East Hills Line".]]
[[File:CityRail Airport & East Hills Line 2006 Timetable .jpg|thumb|right|CityRail Airport & East Hills Line timetable from 2006.]]-->
T8 traverses several railway lines; the [[City Circle]], [[New Southern railway line|New Southern (Airport)]], [[East Hills railway line|East Hills]] and [[Main Southern railway line, New South Wales|Main South]] lines. The origins of the current train service can be traced back to the opening of the East Hills line in 1931. The East Hills line was extended to Glenfield in 1987, where it joins the Main South line. The Airport line opened in 2000, providing an additional pair of tracks into the city.

The East Hills line was opened in 1931. Electrification only extended as far as Kingsgrove.<ref>{{cite news|title=New railway. Tempe to East Hills|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16813795|accessdate=4 November 2011|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 December 1931}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Kingsgrove-East Hills. Railway officially opened|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16814580|accessdate=4 November 2011|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=21 December 1931}}</ref> Services on the non-electrified section were by [[wikipedia:CPH railmotor|CPH railmotor]], supplemented by through steam trains from Central in peak hours.<ref>'''''Salt Pan via Dumbleton – The Story of the East Hills Line''''' Oakes, John Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, September 2001 pp323-346</ref> The section between Kingsgrove and East Hills was opened for electric services on 17 December 1939.<ref>Mok, Danny ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20030215154843/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fordghia/transport/EastHill.html "FordGhia's Railway & Transport in Australia Page: East Hills Line Information & Photos"]''. Retrieved 3 February 2003.</ref> Services generally ran all stations from East Hills via Tempe and Sydenham, to the city. Occasional services terminated at Riverwood, Kingsgrove, and Padstow. Most trains use to stop at Erskineville and St Peters - now served by the [[T3 Bankstown Line]].

When services on the Glenfield extension commenced,<ref name="EHTT">Bozier, Rolfe, ''[http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:east_hills "New South Wales Railways: East Hills Line: History"]''. Retrieved 30 December 2006.</ref> there were only limited services from Campbelltown via East Hills during peak hours only; however, in 1988 an all-day half-hourly service was provided. Local (all stations) services generally ran every 15 minutes from East Hills.<ref>''[http://www.geocities.com/nswrail/PreCityrail.htm "NSW Rail Historical Timetables: Pre CityRail"]''. Retrieved 30 December 2006. [https://www.webcitation.org/5kmDnvidj?url=http://www.geocities.com/nswrail/PreCityrail.htm Archived] 24 October 2009.</ref>

Once the Airport line opened, the running patterns of trains changed. The "[[wikipedia:flying junction|flying junction]]s" near Central Station were altered to give the Airport line its own platforms (21 & 23) at Central. Local (all stations) trains generally were timetabled to run from East Hills via the airport, peak hour express trains from Campbelltown run along the original route via Sydenham, taking newly built express tracks between Kingsgrove and Wolli Creek Junction.

The Airport line stations (except Wolli Creek) are operated by a private company, the [[wikipedia:Airport Link Company|Airport Link Company]], as part of a public private partnership (PPP). Under the deal, the private company would cover the costs of building four of the stations. In return, they would operate those stations for 30 years and have the right to impose a surcharge on fares for their use.<ref name="TA 55n7">''The Opening of Sydney's New Southern Railway'', Transit Australia, Vol 55 no 7, July 2000.</ref> The company's involvement was predicated on passenger estimates and train reliability guarantees that later proved to be optimistic. The New South Wales Government would fund (and own) the railway itself and Wolli Creek station.<ref name="TA 55n7"/> The Airport Link consistently failed to meet patronage targets. In 2000, the Airport Link Company went into receivership, exposing the government to costs of around $800 million; it was put up for sale in early 2006.<ref>Baker, Jordan & Nixon, Sherrill, [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/03/10/1141701698598.html "For sale: ghost train to Sydney Airport"], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 11 March 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2006.</ref> State Rail blamed "lower than expected patronage" and stated it was working with the company to increase it.<ref>State Rail Authority Annual Report 2000–2001 p?</ref> In October 2005, the government and the company signed a revised agreement on revenue and patronage, settling the latter's claims against the former.<ref>Rail Corporation New South Wales, ''Annual Report 2005–6'', pp. 59 & 81.</ref> The stations were purchased by Westpac. In 2009 the business made a profit of A$5.8 million. In 2010 it increased to A$9.3 million.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cheaper-for-some-on-airport-rail-link-20110218-1azm0.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | first1=Jacob | last1=Saulwick | first2=Linton | last2=Besser | title=Cheaper for some on airport rail link | date=19 February 2011}}</ref> In March 2011 it was announced that the government would cover the cost of the station access fee at Green Square and Mascot stations, meaning that passengers no longer need to pay a surcharge to access these stations. A fee remains in place for Domestic and International stations.<ref>[http://cityrail.info/news/2011/110302-access_fee Green Square and Mascot commuters to save $17 a week] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721192806/http://cityrail.info/news/2011/110302-access_fee |date=21 July 2011 }} CityRail. 2 March 2011.</ref> Patronage on the link had been growing at 20% per year, but between March and June 2011 patronage increased by 70% as a result of the reduced fares.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tickets-sales-rocket-on-airport-line-as-prices-plunge-20110608-1ft9l.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | first1=Jacob | last1=Saulwick | title=Tickets sales rocket on airport line as prices plunge | date=9 June 2011}}</ref>

<!--{{Mapbox|from=T2 Sydney (2015-17).map|text=Map of the 2015-17 route of the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line.}}-->
The early 2010s saw a shift in how public transport services are delivered in New South Wales. The state government created a new transport authority, [[Transport for NSW]], in 2011. Sydney Trains replaced CityRail as the operator of Sydney's commuter rail services in 2013. These changes saw Transport for NSW take control of the timetabling and branding of services. Transport for NSW introduced a new timetable in late 2013 that saw the Airport and East Hills Line replaced by the T2 Airport, Inner West & South Line. This new line was created by combining three of CityRail's lines. Operationally, the services between Macarthur and the city via the East Hills and Airport lines remained much the same as before.

The 2017 timetable saw the 2013 branding changes partially wound back. The T2 line was split in two. The new T2  consists of services from Leppington to the city via Granville, with a branch to Parramatta being added. Services from Macarthur to the city via Sydney Airport or Sydenham were transferred to the new T8 line. The T8 inherited the green colour of the old T2 and the Airport and East Hills Line.<ref name="changes aug">{{Cite web |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2017/mtms-sydney-network-changes-aug-2017.pdf |title=Changes to Sydney’s train network |publisher=Transport for NSW |access-date=2017-08-09}}</ref> T5 services were also modified to no longer travel to and from Campbelltown, instead starting and terminating at Leppington.<ref name="27 feb">{{cite web |work=Transport for New South Wales |date=27 February 2017 |url=https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/b2b/projects/more-trains-more-services-sw-sydney-fact-sheet.pdf |title=More Trains, More Services for South Western Sydney |publisher=Government of New South Wales |access-date=27 February 2017 }}</ref> These changes mean the section of the network between Glenfield and Macarthur is served exclusively by services operating via the [[East Hills railway line]] for the first time.<ref name="27 feb" />

==Operations and stations==
Apart from the Airport line's troubles, the line as a whole also suffered a loss in patronage when the [[wikipedia:M5 South Western Motorway#M5 East Freeway|M5 East road tunnel]] opened in 2001. The tunnel joined the Eastern Distributor and M5 South Western Motorway, shortening road travel times between the city and the south-west. The line was estimated to have lost 384,450 commuters over 12 months after the tunnel opened.<ref>Kerr, Joseph, [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/01/1048962755880.html "Motorway takes toll on rail trips"], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 2 April 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2006.</ref> Since that time, however, the line appears to have gained commuters again, with a reported 3.5% increase in patronage up to early 2006.<ref>Pearlman, Jonothan, [http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/passengers-crowd-onto-fewer-trains/2006/03/02/1141191796935.html "Passengers crowd onto fewer trains"], ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 3 March 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2006.</ref>

<!--{{#tag:mapframe| {{Map of T8 Airport & South Line}} | width="670" | height="500" | longitude="151.0174" | latitude="-33.9727" | zoom="11" | align="left" | text="T8 interactive map"}}
{{-}}
{{Sydney Trains Line/Airport and East Hills Line}}-->

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:center;"
|+ T8 Airport & South Line stations
!Name
!Distance from<br />Central (km)
!Opened<br /><ref name="EHTT" /><ref name="ms">Bozier, Rolfe, ''[http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:main_south "New South Wales Railways: Main South Line"]''. Retrieved 10 July 2007.</ref><ref name="il">Bozier, Rolfe, ''[http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:south_coast "New South Wales Railways: South Coast Line"]''. Retrieved 10 July 2007.</ref><ref name="cc">Bozier, Rolfe, ''[http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:city_circle "New South Wales Railways: City Circle"]''. Retrieved 1 July 2007.</ref>
!Railway line
!Sydney Trains interchanges
!Other interchanges*
|-
|'''[[Town Hall station (Sydney)|Town Hall]]'''
|1.21
|1932
|rowspan="6"|City Circle
|{{NSWPTL|T1}}{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}{{NSWPTL|T4}}{{NSWPTL|T9}}
|rowspan="5"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Wynyard station (Sydney)|Wynyard]]'''
|
|1932
|{{NSWPTL|T1}}{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}{{NSWPTL|T9}}
|-
|'''[[Circular Quay station (Sydney)|Circular Quay]]'''
|
|1956
|{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}
|-
|'''[[St James station (Sydney)|St James]]'''
|
|1926
|{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}
|-
|'''[[Museum station (Sydney)|Museum]]'''
|
|1926
|{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}
|-
|'''[[Central station (Sydney)|Central]]'''
|N/A
|1855
|{{NSWPTL|T1}}{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}{{NSWPTL|T4}}{{NSWPTL|T9}}
|
*{{Link:NSW intercity trains}}
*{{Link:NSW regional trains}}
|-
|colspan="14"|''At Central, the line branches. The south western branch runs via Sydenham, and the southern branch runs via the airport.''
|-
!colspan="14"|Via Sydenham
|-
|align=center|'''[[Redfern station (Sydney)|Redfern]]'''
(peak hours only)
|1.30
|1878
|rowspan="3"|Illawarra
|{{NSWPTL|T1}}{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T3}}{{NSWPTL|T4}}{{NSWPTL|T9}}
|rowspan="3"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[St Peters station (Sydney)|St Peters]]'''
(peak hours only)
|3.81
|1884
|{{NSWPTL|T3}}
|-
|'''[[Sydenham station (Sydney)|Sydenham]]'''
(peak hours only)
|5.31
|1884
|{{NSWPTL|T3}}{{NSWPTL|T4}}
|-
!colspan="14" |Via the airport
|-
|'''[[Green Square station (Sydney)|Green Square]]'''
|2.71
|2000
|rowspan="5"|Airport
|rowspan="4"|{{color|grey|none}}
|rowspan="4"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Mascot station (Sydney)|Mascot]]'''
|5.19
|2000
|-
|'''[[Domestic station (Sydney)|Domestic]]'''
|6.74
|2000
|-
|'''[[International station (Sydney)|International]]'''
|8.27
|2000
|-
|'''[[Wolli Creek station (Sydney)|Wolli Creek]]'''
|7.31
|2000
|{{NSWPTL|T4}}
|
*{{Link:NSW intercity trains}}
|-
!colspan="14" |Both branches rejoin.
|-
|'''[[Turrella station (Sydney)|Turrella]]'''
|8.66
|1931
|rowspan="12"|East Hills
|rowspan="12"|{{color|grey|none}}
|rowspan="17"|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Bardwell Park station (Sydney)|Bardwell Park]]'''
|10.10
|1931
|-
|'''[[Bexley North station (Sydney)|Bexley North]]'''
|11.37
|1931
|-
|'''[[Kingsgrove station (Sydney)|Kingsgrove]]'''
|12.62
|1931
|-
|'''[[Beverly Hills station (Sydney)|Beverly Hills]]'''
|14.65
|1931
|-
|'''[[Narwee station (Sydney)|Narwee]]'''
|15.78
|1931
|-
|'''[[Riverwood station (Sydney)|Riverwood]]'''
|17.50
|1931
|-
|'''[[Padstow station (Sydney)|Padstow]]'''
|19.34
|1931
|-
|'''[[Revesby station (Sydney)|Revesby]]'''
|20.96
|1931
|-
|'''[[Panania station (Sydney)|Panania]]'''
|22.55
|1931
|-
|'''[[East Hills station (Sydney)|East Hills]]'''
|24.03
|1931
|-
|'''[[Holsworthy station (Sydney)|Holsworthy]]'''
|26.76
|1987
|-
|'''[[Glenfield station (Sydney)|Glenfield]]'''
|33.03
|1869
|rowspan="7"|Main South
|{{NSWPTL|T2}}{{NSWPTL|T5}}
|-
|'''[[Macquarie Fields station (Sydney)|Macquarie Fields]]'''
|43.80
|1888
|rowspan=6|{{color|grey|none}}
|-
|'''[[Ingleburn station (Sydney)|Ingleburn]]'''
|45.65
|1869
|-
|'''[[Minto station (Sydney)|Minto]]'''
|49.67
|1874
|-
|'''[[Leumeah station (Sydney)|Leumeah]]'''
|52.63
|1886
|-
|'''[[Campbelltown station (Sydney)|Campbelltown]]'''
|54.71
|1858
|
*{{Link:NSW intercity trains}}
|-
|'''[[Macarthur station (Sydney)|Macarthur]]'''
|56.73
|1985
|
*{{Link:NSW intercity trains}}
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Most stations are served by connecting bus services. Some additional stations may be served by intercity trains at certain times.

==Patronage==
The following table shows the patronage of Sydney Trains network for the year ending 30 June 2018.
{{Sydney Trains patronage by line|T8=y}}
{{reflist|group=n.b.}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Attribution:en.wp|name=Airport & South Line|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airport_%26_South_Line&oldid=892647718}}

[[Category:Sydney Trains]]