25-673: The Central West Express is the legacy name for the Australian passenger train operating on the Main Western line in New South Wales from Sydney to Dubbo . As of 2023, the name has fallen out of official use by NSW TrainLink to refer to the XPT service over the years. The Central West Express commenced operating in June 1941 operating on alternate days from Sydney to Dubbo and Parkes . In
50-578: A Sunday service was introduced, a frequency it still maintains. The XPTs cut one hour and 54 minutes off the travel time from Sydney to Dubbo. Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway is a major railway in New South Wales , Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains , and Central West regions. It is 825 kilometres (513 mi) long, of which 484 kilometres (301 mi)
75-485: A significant downturn in traffic. In the following decade a branch to Brewarrina (in 1901) increased its catchment while that to Walgett (in 1908) from another artery, reduced its catchment area. The line beyond Dubbo became loss-making in 1901, and continued that way throughout its existence. Tonnages increased following World War 2, but declined from the 1970s. Passenger services beyond Dubbo ended in 1974. Electrification reached Parramatta in 1928 and Penrith in 1955. In
100-658: Is a heritage-listed railway station located on the Main Western line in Tarana , in the Central West region of New South Wales , Australia. It is also known as the Tarana Railway Station and yard group . The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. It opened on 22 August 1872. The track was lifted from the northern platform in 1996 when the section of
125-660: Is currently operational. The Main Western Railway Line is a westwards continuation of what is known as the Main Suburban Line between Sydney Central station and Granville . The line is six electrified railway tracks between Central and Strathfield , where the Main Northern line branches off. The line is then four tracks as it passes through Lidcombe , where the Main Southern line branches off, and then through
150-599: Is now closed. The Central West XPT operates as far as Dubbo. The Sydney Railway Company , a private company established to serve the interests of the port of Sydney, announced proposals to build a railway line to Bathurst in 1848. The company was taken over by the New South Wales Government in 1854, and in 1855 the first railway in the state was opened between Sydney and the present-day Granville (see Rail transport in New South Wales ). This railway
175-483: Is the extent of urban electric passenger train services, although the electric wires extend slightly to Bowenfels . The line then proceeds through Wallerawang , where the line becomes single track, and then passes through Tarana , Bathurst , Blayney , Orange (where the Broken Hill line branches), Wellington , Dubbo , Narromine , Nevertire , Nyngan , Byrock and to Bourke . The section between Nyngan and Bourke
200-789: The Cobar branch which connects at this point. NSW TrainLink operates the Central West Express XPT service to Dubbo and a twice daily return passenger service to Bathurst using DMU Endeavour rolling stock. The section between Sydney and Orange carries the Indian Pacific train to Perth (via the Broken Hill line ) and the once weekly NSW TrainLink Sydney to Broken Hill Xplorer DMU. The section to Lithgow carries electric commuter trains to and from Sydney (the Blue Mountains Line ). Tarana railway station Tarana railway station
225-491: The 1950s, the section of the line over the Blue Mountains was electrified primarily as a means of easing the haulage of coal freight from the western coalfields to the coastal ports, but a by-product of this programme was the introduction of electric interurban passenger services as far west as Bowenfels, later cut back to the current terminus of Lithgow. Since the late 1990s goods trains are now exclusively diesel hauled, with
250-547: The 1990s the operator of interstate freight, the National Rail Corporation , made the decision to divert Sydney- Perth traffic from the Blue Mountains section, to travel via the Main South line to Cootamundra , and then via the cross country line to Parkes . This resulted in reduced goods traffic and subsequent reduction of the line between Wallerawang and Tarana from double to single track. Significant flooding saw
275-409: The 4 times daily Bathurst Bullet also stops here. As at 9 January 2008, the structures form a large group indicating the form of the site following duplication during 1916. It is largely intact, the only significant element missing being the goods shed. It contains a fine example of a station/residence in combination with a range of interesting supportive structures. The station group forms one of
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#1733085815064300-602: The Main Western line between Wallerawang and Tarana was singled. It was the junction for the Oberon line that closed in 1979. The Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway group has a vision to restore the line from Oberon to Tarana. The railway station complex comprises: Tarana is served by NSW TrainLink 's daily Central West XPT service operating between Sydney and Dubbo . The XPT only stops here on request if passengers have booked to board/alight here. From 16 September 2019
325-556: The Sydney suburbs of Parramatta and Blacktown , where the Richmond railway line branches off. At St Marys , the line becomes two tracks as it passes through Penrith and Emu Plains , the extent of Sydney suburban passenger train operation. From Emu Plains, the line traverses the Blue Mountains passing through Katoomba and Mount Victoria before descending down the western side of the Blue Mountains through ten tunnels to Lithgow . Lithgow
350-399: The best station complexes surviving from the early period of railway construction. Tarana railway station was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. This item is assessed as historically rare. This item
375-524: The early 1950s it received air-conditioned RUB sets and began to be hauled by 42 and 43 class diesel locomotives, although steam locomotives of the 36 and 38 classes would regularly haul it until July 1967. In September 1956 in a reorganisation of rolling stock, the Central West Express was cut back to operate as a day return service to Orange with the RUB sets replaced by a HUB set . From 1957,
400-466: The key centre for pastoralists in western New South Wales since its formation in 1861. Provision was thus made to extend the line to Dubbo, reaching Wellington in 1880 and Dubbo in 1881. At the time, Dubbo had grown into a town of strategic importance on the stock routes between northern New South Wales and the Victorian goldfields. Beyond Dubbo, the railway opened up new land to European settlement, and
425-563: The line cut between Nyngan and Bourke in April 1989, and the army destroyed a section of track north of Nyngan to relieve flood waters surrounding the town. It was not financially viable to repair and maintain the line, and the line was thus abandoned between Nyngan and Bourke. Many branch lines were built or being built from and/or to the Main Western Line, some of which remain operational. Goods traffic continues as far as Nyngan, to and from
450-471: The only electric trains being passenger services using double deck interurban cars. In 1980, quadruplication of the track between Blacktown and St Marys was completed. With the introduction of the XPT , the tracks between Blacktown & St Marys were authorised for 160km/h track speeds by the SRA in 1982. These speeds were subsequently reduced to 115km/h due to signalling deficiencies discovered in 2007. In
475-528: The service was hauled by 46 class electric locomotives between Sydney and Lithgow following the electrification of the Main Western line over the Blue Mountains . The service was selected as the first to be converted to XPT operation. Rebranded the Central West XPT , it commenced operating in April 1982. Initially it operated six days a week to Orange extending to Dubbo on alternate days. From August 1983 all services ran to Dubbo and from December 1985
500-421: The town of Nyngan. Beyond Nyngan, the line swept across the plains in a straight line for 116 miles (187 km), then the longest stretch of straight railway line in the world. It reached the temporary terminus of Byrock in 1884 before reaching its final destination of Bourke in 1885. Wool and livestock was the main source of goods traffic on the line throughout its life. In the 1890s a severe drought caused
525-459: The western descent from the Blue Mountains, the Lithgow Zig Zag was constructed between 1866 and 1869. It was laid out in the shape of a 'Z' including reversing points . It involved extremely heavy rock cuttings, three fine stone viaducts with 30-foot (9.1 m) semi-circular arches and a short tunnel. The Lithgow Zig Zag was replaced in 1910 by a deviation, which included ten tunnels. From
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#1733085815064550-548: The western descent. The first "little" zigzag line opened near Glenbrook in 1867 as part of the ascent of Lapstone Hill on a gradient of 1 in 30–33. It was built with comparatively light earthwork, although it included a substantial seven-span sandstone viaduct (the Knapsack Viaduct) built by engineer, John Whitton . By 1910, the line was replaced with a gentler alignment with 1 in 60 (1.67%) grades. The line reached Wentworth Falls in 1867 and Mount Victoria in 1868. On
575-453: The western foot of the Blue Mountains, the line was promptly extended to Wallerawang by 1870, Tarana in 1872, Bathurst , Blayney in 1876 and Orange in 1877. By 1877, there was significant political pressure to minimise the diversion of trade from western New South Wales to Victoria and South Australia via river trade along the Darling and Murray Rivers. The town of Bourke had become
600-462: Was directly responsible for the development of townships. The line reached the future site of Narromine in 1883, and the railway station was the first building in the future settlement. The line reached the site of Nevertire in 1882, serving the nearby established village of Warren (a branch opened to Warren in 1898). Construction reached the site of Nyngan in 1883, with the nearby coach-stop village of Canonbar moving in its entirely to establish
625-438: Was extended from Granville to the current Parramatta station and Blacktown in 1860 and Penrith in 1863. The railway then crossed the Blue Mountains between 1867 and 1869. The Blue Mountains were a significant geographical barrier to the development of western New South Wales, and the crossing required significant feats of engineering for the railways, including two 'Zig Zags': one for the ascent at Lapstone, and another for
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