Ocarina Line

The **Ocarina Line** is one of the lines of the Savannah Metro. Formerly, it was a line of Minecon National Rail until transferred on 1 January 1990.

## History

The idea of a railway stretching to the suburbs of Savannah was considered in the early 1880s. Several routes were planned, some much longer than others, but all of them accessed the rapidly growing suburb of Ocarina. Construction used methods pioneered by other railways, such as underground construction. Eventually the railway opened on 5 August 1901 as part of Minecon National Rail.

The railway was extended to Brixton in 1920 and then Whitecliff in 1922.

### Herobrine Branch

To mark the opening of the Herobrine International Airport to passenger traffic, a rail line was simultaneously proposed to link it to the city. The Ocarina Line was chosen over other rail lines for purpose of convenience. In the initial plans, the line would split at Ocarina Junction station, however, the split point was moved forward to Ocarina station. This branch opened on September 1, 1983.

### Extension to Phoenix City and refurbishment

By the early 1980s, the interchange with other lines as well as the Eastern Line of the Savannah Metro was becoming awkward as well as crowded, with Yale Station frequently being at over-capacity. Furthermore, the newly opened Science Park Underpass and Yale Hill Road, which linked Yale to Richmond, was saturated with traffic.

Another problem was the dated rolling stock, which was quickly becoming worn out and uncomfortable. One major problem with the stock was the lack of ventilation, with neither fans nor openable windows. As part of the plan, the stock would be entirely replaced.

Also, in 1990, Minecon National Rail was privatised. Uniquely, instead of becoming part of the new Minecon Railways, the line was transferred to the Savannah Metro. Savannah Metro were advocates of the extension and wanted to get the plan approved quickly. The plan was approved in December of that month.

In the plan, the line would be extended only to Bayswater Avenue station, passing under Yale Hill with no intermediate stations; the plan was later modified to add Yale Hill station, and to extend the line to Phoenix City station. This was to serve the new Savannah Science Park, to relieve congestion at Richmond Station and to serve northern Richmond and the new housing estate of Phoenix City. The plan was divided into two phases, first extending the line to Bayswater Avenue then to Phoenix City via Shrine Street and Richmond stations.

By 1992, all of the old rolling stock had been replaced. The line was extended to Bayswater Avenue station on February 29, 1996, then to Phoenix City station on 3 January 2001. The new stations pioneered the use of platform screen doors and platform gates, the latter of which were uniquely retrofitted into Yale Station.

## Rolling Stock

The line was unique among Savannah Metro lines due to its status as a former Minecon National Rail Line, that it used former main line trains until 1992, when the Savannah Metro A92 series was built to replace it. The trains are notable for having transverse seating and luggage racks for their use on long-distance journeys and airport services.

The Savannah Metro X28 series is due to replace the A92 series from 2030.