Bellambi railway station

Bellambi railway station is a station located on the South Coast Line. The station consists of 2 platforms, in a single island formation. Access to the station is provided from Bellambi Lane.

History
Trains operated in this location well before a station was built. Several short horse and steam powered tramways were built in this area to carry goods from local mines/collieries to the seaside to be loaded onto boats at Bellambi Point.

One of these lines was built in 1861 by Taylor and Walker to carry coal between their South Bulli mine and a jetty at Bellambi Point (henceforth referred to as the South Bulli line). It was originally a horse tramway, but was later closed then reopened as a steam railway.

In 1887, the South Coast line opened between Clifton and Wollongong and crossed the South Bulli line. The crossing point became known as Bellambi.

It is unknown exactly when the station at Bellambi opened, but it first appeared in the timetable on 1st January 1889. At this point, it was a single platform located just south of the crossing between the two lines.

On 17th January 1902, a triangular connection was built between the two lines, allowing trains from the South Bulli line to access the South Coast line and Wollongong Harbour.

The line was doubled north of Bellambi, converting the side platform to an island platform, on 25th September 1913 to allow for the increasing traffic on the line. The line to the south was doubled in 27th May 1923.

The South Bulli line closed in 1957, with the crossing being removed in 1958. This was probably due to the difficulties of using Bellambi Jetty as opposed to Wollongong Harbour or transporting the goods by rail, now that the South Coast line was established. Bellambi was not a sheltered harbour, meaning it could be used during bad weather. The jetty was damaged by a gale in 1955, which probably also led to its demise.

Works are currently underway to improve accessibility at Bellambi Station. The project began construction in June 2022 and is expected to be complete by mid-2023, as part of the Transport Access Program.

Platforms and Services
Bellambi is served by South Coast local trains. Most trains to/from Sydney are express and do not stop.