Crystal Brook-Broken Hill railway line

The Crystal Brook-Broken Hill railway line is a 371 kilometre line running from Crystal Brook to Broken Hill on the Australian Rail Track Corporation network.[1][2]

Crystal Brook-Broken Hill railway line
A Pacific National steel train from Newcastle bound for Whyalla, passing through Yunta, between Broken Hill and Crystal Brook in 2017
Overview
TerminiCrystal Brook
Broken Hill
Continues fromAdelaide-Port Augusta line
Continues asNSW Broken Hill line
Service
Operator(s)Genesee & Wyoming Australia
Great Southern Rail
Pacific National
SCT Logistics
History
Opened1888
Reopened1970 (standardised)
Technical
Line length371 km (231 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Old gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map

394.2 km
Broken Hill
Crossing loop 1,169m
South Road
Gypsum Street
Darbon Terrace
Abbatoir Road
389.8 km
Kanandah
Crossing loop 1,014m
386.7 km
Bemax Siding
377.6 km
Pinnacle Mines Siding
363.5 km
Thackaringa
Crossing loop 996m
346.0 km
320.8 km
Mingary
Crossing loop 1,854m
276.9 km
Olary
Crossing loop 998m
239.6 km
Mannahill
Crossing loop 2,500m
195.8 km
Yunta
Crossing loop 1,984m
146.0 km
Hillgrange
Crossing loop 1,877m
Peterborough railway line
to Terowie, Hamley Bridge and Adelaide
Silver Street
109.7 km
Peterborough
Crossing loop 2,200m
Hurlestone Street
Peterborough–Quorn railway line
to Quorn
98.6 km
Yongala
Crossing loop 1,009m
73.5 km
Jamestown
Crossing loop 998m
Yhor Street
Clyde Street
Jamestown Road
60.0 km
Caltowie
Crossing loop 1,054m
Adams Street
Wilmington railway line
to Laura and Wilmington
Bondowie Street
43.9 km
Gladstone
Crossing loop 1,990m
Gladstone railway line
to Balaklava, Hamley Bridge and Adelaide
Weston Road
0.0 km
Coonamia (Port Pirie)
Crystal Brook Triangle

History

In the 1875, the South Australian Railways built a narrow gauge line from Port Pirie to Gladstone.[3] This was extended to Cockburn in 1888 where it joined with the Silverton Tramway.

In April 1963, the Federal Government decided to replace the narrow gauge line with a new standard gauge line to create an East-West rail corridor from Sydney to Perth.[4] The new line opened in January 1970.[5] Parts of the new line are on a different alignment than the old narrow gauge route. For example, the new line bypasses the town of Oodla Wirra, and followed a new alignment rather than the route of the Silverton Tramway.[6]

In 1982, the Adelaide to Port Augusta line was converted to standard gauge. As part of this the junction with the Port Pirie to Broken Hill line was moved 24 kilometres east to Crystal Brook.

The 371 kilometre line is single track throughout with 13 crossing loops.[2]

Services

The main traffic on the line is interstate freight trains operating between Sydney, Parkes, Adelaide and Perth with the majority operated by Pacific National and SCT Logistics. Genesee & Wyoming Australia operate intrastate services.[7]

The only passenger service is Journey Beyond's Indian Pacific. In the 1980s, the line was briefly served by The Alice and Australian National's Adelaide to Broken Hill service.

References

  1. Crystal Brook - Kanandah map SA Track & Signal
  2. D15 Broken Hill to Crystal Brook Australian Rail Track Corporation April 2014
  3. PGladstone Archived 28 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine National Railway Museum
  4. "Webb report" (PDF). Australian Rail Track Corporation. 1976. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  5. Broken Hill Railway Precinct NSW Environment & Heritage
  6. Ron J Fitch (2006). Australian Railwayman: From Cadet Engineer to Railways Commissioner. Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 195–199. ISBN 1-877058-48-3.
  7. Rail Transport Memorandum of Outstanding signed with Genesee & Wyoming Australia Carpenteria Exploration 31 October 2012
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