Location Causeway Road
Ethelton Distance 13.1 km from Adelaide Bicycle facilities No Platforms in use 2 | Line(s) Outer Harbor Line Parking Yes Opened 1916 | |
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Bus routes 156 to Port Adelaide & City Address Ethelton SA 5015, Australia | ||
Ethelton station is located on the Outer Harbor line. Situated in the north-western Adelaide suburb of Ethelton, it is 13.1 kilometres from Adelaide station. It has been unstaffed since the ticket office closed in 1980. There is a small interchange for local buses adjacent to the station.
History
Ethelton station opened in 1916, following construction of the Commercial Road viaduct at Port Adelaide and a new bridge across the Port River. This new line diverted trains from Adelaide to Semaphore and Outer Harbor away from the congested rail yards at Port Dock station and to avoid heavy traffic along St Vincents Street in the centre of Port Adelaide.
The railway tracks through Ethelton are dual gauge and capable of carrying both 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge trains. Until July 2008, the dual gauge tracks were used by freight trains from Dry Creek and the Rosewater loop which passed through Ethelton to access industrial facilities on the Lefevre Peninsula and the container terminal at Pelican Point. All freight services through the station ceased when the new Mark Mackillop Bridge opened. The disused standard gauge rails have been removed, however the dual gauge sleepers remain in place with the entire Outer Harbor line to be gauge converted in the future.