Strathfield railway station is a heritage-listed suburban railway station located at the junction of the Main Suburban and Main Northern lines, serving the Sydney suburb of Strathfield. The station is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore & Western Line, T9 Northern Line, T2 Leppington & Inner West Line and T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line services and intercity Blue Mountains Line and Central Coast & Newcastle Line services, as well as NSW TrainLink regional services. The station and its associated infrastructure was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
History
thumb|Former Strathfield station
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Strathfield suburb
This suburb, extending from Concord Plains to the Cooks River, was part of the area known (early in the colony) as Liberty Plains, so called because the first free settlers received grants there. James Wilshire received in 1808 and called it Wilshire Farm - the grant lay between the present streets The Boulevarde, Chalmers Street and Liverpool Road. The first use of the present name "Strathfield" was adopted on 8 March 1886 and was named after the mansion Strathfield House, owned by James Hardy. Strathfield station came into prominence with the construction of the Main Northern line, which had its junction off the Western line at Strathfield. The first section to Hornsby station opened on 17 September 1886. Four platforms were provided, two for the Western line and two for the Northern line. A new mechanical signal box was built on the down-side behind the down western platform, this was the first signal box at Strathfield. A station was built on a new site in 1900, and yet again in 1922. In addition, a platform and building was erected at the southern end of platform eight which provided a mortuary receiving facility. This was subsequently converted to a store for the railway refreshment room on the station.
As part of reconstruction of the station area and for the future electrification of the western and northern rail lines a new Power Signal Box was built at Strathfield. This (the third signal box) was located on the Down side parallel to the Down Local at the country end of the station. It was built on a resumed, triangular block of land bounded by the Main Western Line to its north and Clarendon Street (Albert Road) to its south. The power signal box was the third signal box erected at Strathfield, the previous two signal boxes becoming "mechanical signal boxes". Strathfield power signal box controlled all train movements from the Sydney side of Wentworth Road overbridge (east), through Strathfield platforms and the tracks to the north and west of the flyover at the country end. The incident was commemorated with the placement of a clock and plaque on platform 3 of the station.
In 1982, as part of the upgrading and modernising of the suburban signalling system the Strathfield power signal box was close to being replaced by the new Strathfield Signal Box complex located at Homebush incorporating a Relay Based Route Locking Signalling System. The new complex also replaced signal boxes at Ashfield, North Strathfield, Concord West, Homebush, Flemington Car Sidings, Flemington Goods Junction and Lidcombe.
Strathfield substation
In 1927, the section of the suburban line to Strathfield was electrified, and at this time the Strathfield Substation was built. The Substation came into use on 27 August 1928, and was one of the 15 electrical substations built in the Sydney area between 1926 and 1932. When the federal capital moved to Canberra, direct services from Strathfield extended there. Other prime ministers of the early 20th century who lived near Strathfield station included George Reid and Frank Forde (in Strathfield), Billy Hughes (in Homebush) and William McMahon (in Burwood). However, in 2013, with the upgrading of the East Hills line, intercity trains heading southwest to Canberra and Melbourne from Sydney Central began to use that line, leaving only intercity trains to the north and west to continue using Strathfield station.