Noarlunga Centre Interchange


Noarlunga Centre Interchange is a railway station on the Seaford line, and for almost 36 years it was the terminus of the line. Situated in the southern Adelaide suburb of Noarlunga Centre, it is 30.2 kilometres from Adelaide station. The station has a bus interchange directly alongside and is adjacent to a large commuter park & ride facility.

History

Prior to the railway line being extended in the mid-1970s, most local trains from Adelaide terminated at either Marino or Hallett Cove, a station on the closed line to Willunga. Noarlunga Centre opened on 2 April 1978 as the terminus of the line when it was extended from Christie Downs. It was built as an island platform between the two rail tracks and the ticket office on the bridge above. Passengers accessed the platforms via escalators or a ramp and typically had a long walk between trains and buses.
In 1996, a third platform face was added alongside the western track, and the ticket office relocated onto the platform level. The project was completed in March 2004, since then most trains have used this western track, giving passengers safer and more direct access to connecting buses. Prior to the Seaford expansion, Platform 1 had been disused. There are no storage facilities for trains at Noarlunga Centre. However a number of the extra railcars needed for peak-hour services on the line are stabled overnight in secure sidings at Port Stanvac, around four kilometres north, just beyond Lonsdale station.
Since the 1990s, there has been significant residential development at Seaford and Aldinga, south of Noarlunga Centre with several proposals to extend the rail line southwards from Noarlunga Interchange to serve the Seaford district. A corridor of land had been reserved. In 2009, construction of the extension to Seaford commenced, and was opened on 23 February 2014. Ticket gates have been proposed for the station to combat against fare evasion. Similar gates already exist at Adelaide railway station and Salisbury.

Services by platform