Various railway lines have been proposed for Sydney, Australia, including both heavy rail extensions to the existing network, and more recently proposals for metro style lines–one of which was completed in 2019. Pre-Bradfield Proposals Between the opening of the first railway in the Sydney area (Sydney-Parramatta, 1855) and the publication of the comprehensive Bradfield plan for expansion of the metropolitan railways, there were a number of other proposed railway schemes which did not proceed. Planning in the early 1880s for the route of the first stage of the Illawarra railway considered a route continuing south from Kogarah, crossing the George's River at Taren Point, then turning southwest to climb the gradual slope from the river to Sutherland. Opposition to this route by Thomas Holt MLC, who owned most of what is now the urban part of Sutherland Shire meant the railway had to take an indirect route via Hurstville, which necessitated the high-level crossing of George's River at Como, and the steep climb from there to Sutherland. Following the extension of the Belmore railway to Bankstown in 1909, it was intended to continue this line west in a direct line to meet the Main Southern line at Liverpool. Due to the rural nature of this area and the likely consequent low patronage levels, there was no great rush to construct this line. In the event, the railway was extended north rather than west in 1928, to connect to the Lidcombe-Cabramatta line, which had been opened as far as Regents Park in 1912 then extended to Cabramatta in 1924. Bradfield railway scheme, 1920s John Bradfield, engineer and designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, had a grand vision for Sydney's railway system that has only been partly fulfilled. After joining the New South Wales Public Works Department in 1891, he submitted a report in 1915 calling for the electrification of the suburban railways, a city underground railway and the Harbour Bridge. World War I led to the collapse of all three proposals, and it was not until 1922 that the Bridge Bill passed through parliament, and 1923 until the first sod was turned on the city railway. Bradfield's overall concept called for the construction of a network of underground city railway lines in association with the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a new rail terminal, Central. A larger network of lines was proposed for the western, eastern and southern suburbs