Rawson Line

The  (/ˈrɔːsən/  raw -suhn) is a north-south rapid transit line of the Wentworth Metro network. It connects the southern boroughs of Illawarra and Crecimento with the central business district of Wentworth, as well as the northern suburbs, the Enderronian Parliament building and the Wentworth Olympic Park. The line is named after Rawson Street, which it runs under as it passes through the downtown core of the city.

The Rawson Line is the oldest and busiest metro line in the city; it carries nearly a quarter of all annual patronage on the network, and has a headway of just 2 minutes (30 trains per hour) in peak hour, making it one of the most frequent rapid transit services in the world.

The line is coloured  red  on system maps.

History
The Wentworth municipal government commissioned a study into an underground subway system in the 1920s following the realisation that population growth was outpacing the expansion of the city's roads network. Construction of the first line began in August 1927 with a proposed opening by 1930. However, the project ran out of funding by 1929 and the initial stage of the line remained unfinished until 1932, when construction restarted. The initial section of the line, stretching from South Wentworth (now named Crecimento) to McKay, including 5 intermediate stations, was dubbed the Rawson Line as a majority of the track was built directly beneath Rawson Street, then Wentworth's busiest north-south thoroughfare. The metro opened with great fanfare on 26 October 1934.

Phase 2 of the southern extension opened with 4 new stations on 23 September 2003, more than 5 years behind schedule and 25 years after originally planned. The Rawson Line thus now terminated at Gladysville, which was for a short while the southernmost station on the network, being located at the tip of the Toronto Peninsula. Since its opening, the southern extension has consistently failed to meet ridership targets. The area served by the extension is significantly less densely populated than the rest of Wentworth. As a result of the low patronage, most southbound services after 10pm terminate at Hespefield.

Route description
The Rawson Line's initial sections were constructed using the cut-and-cover method, meaning they are no less than 20 metres below the ground. The suburban extensions later constructed are regarded as deep-level as their tunnels were excavated through modern boring techniques.

Generally, the Rawson Line runs in a north-south cardinal direction, and is completely underground. The southern terminus, Hespefield, has a transfer to Enderrail. From there, the line runs in an easterly direction through to Crecimento before turning north under Kinmen Road and through to Rawson Street. It passes under Rawson Street until past City Hall where it turns east again, running under Dellbourne Avenue and crossing the Swan River. Under the intersection with Gannons Road the Rawson Line continues north to its northern terminus at Victoria Park.

Train operations
The majority of metro services on the Rawson Line during the day operate from one terminus to the other. Most services after 10 pm terminate at Hespefield instead of Gladysville due to low ridership towards the southern end of the line. For most of the year, the Rawson Line operates 21 hours a day, from 4 am to 1 am. On New Year's Day, Lunar New Year, Republic Day, Independence Day and Christmas Day, the line stays open throughout the night.