81-597: The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line (numbered T4 , coloured azure blue) is a commuter railway line on the Sydney Trains network in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney . The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to take advantage of agricultural and mining potentials in the Illawarra area. In March 1926, it became the first railway in New South Wales to run electric train services . Today,
162-575: A cast-iron fishbelly rail on an inclined plane as a gravitational railway servicing A Pit coal mine. The first steam-powered line opened in Victoria in 1854. The four km long Flinders Street to Sandridge line was opened by the Melbourne & Hobson's Bay Railway Company at the height of the Victorian gold rush. In these early years there was very little thought of Australia-wide interests in developing
243-683: A State responsibility. Nevertheless, Australian governments have made loans to the states for gauge standardisation projects from the 1920s to the 1970s. From the 1970s to 1996, the Australian Government has provided some grant funding to the States for rail projects, particularly the Keating Government's One Nation program, announced in 1992, which was notable for standardising the Adelaide to Melbourne line in 1995. Significant government funding
324-527: A Victorian government-owned not-for-profit statutory corporation, operates both regional and long-distance services along the Victorian regional network . V/Line operates eight long-distance services from Melbourne: Queensland Rail, a state entity, operates several passenger lines under its train subsidiary. Five routes target the domestic market: An additional three Queensland Rail routes are aimed at providing tourist services: The Public Transport Authority ,
405-480: A government agency of Western Australia, operates various buses and four long-distance rail routes through its Transwa subsidiary. All routes originate from Perth: There are many heritage railways and heritage tramways in Australia, often run by community organisations and preservation societies. There are also some privately operated passenger services, such as: Tramways with 610 mm ( 2 ft ) gauge for
486-448: A lease until 2049 on 5,100 kilometres of Western Australian rail infrastructure, from Geraldton in the north, to Leonora and Kalgoorlie in the east, and south to Esperance , Albany and Bunbury . It is responsible for maintaining the network and granting access to operators. Other railways continue to be integrated, although access to their infrastructure is generally required under National Competition Policy principles agreed by
567-525: A new electric service was provided to run there. From the time when the line to the Royal National Park was electrified, passengers received a steam train service at first, then when this became expensive, it was replaced by a rail motor service. This arrangement continued until the line was electrified to Waterfall, and the Eastern Suburbs Line was opened. In 1979, the Eastern Suburbs Line being
648-480: A notorious bottleneck on the line, until the New South Wales Government commissioned John Holland & Co to build a new bridge in 1969. Construction of the new bridge, made of prestressed concrete box girders, commenced in 1969 and was first used by the 18:17 service from Como on 19 November 1972. The old bridge, as well as a former alignment of the line between Mortdale and Oatley replaced in 1905,
729-465: A proposal to electrify the Illawarra Line to Waterfall, and there were disputes over the point at which the line would connect to the main line. Two early proposals to join the line at Como and north of Sutherland Station were rejected. Despite the delays, Parliament finally gave approval to the line on 2 March 1936, and a route with five new stations was surveyed that would connect with the main line at
810-604: A rail safety national law that the rail safety regulator would administer. Following an extensive consultation period with industry, governments and unions, a final version of the national legislation was submitted to and approved by the Transport Ministers in November 2011. Wolli Creek railway station Staffed: 6am-10pm Wolli Creek railway station is located at the junction of the Airport and Illawarra lines, serving
891-493: A report, the "Long-term strategic plan for rail", which outlined the critical infrastructure that would need to be built between then and 2050 to ensure the long-term survival and operation of the CityRail network. The report highlighted the problems facing the network at that time and noted that capacity on Illawarra Line trains was often at 120%, and that 180% was not unexpected. Christie said that by 2011 there would be no capacity on
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#1733085577563972-542: A viaduct out to Kings Cross, then eventually to Bondi Beach . Another line would head from St James via Taylor Square and the Sydney Cricket Ground , extending to Kingsford , with a proposal to extend from Taylor Square to Coogee . Construction commenced on sites around Central station but ceased in 1952 due to a recession. Work remained abandoned for over a decade. In 1967, construction again commenced on yet another variation on Bradfield's design. This involved
1053-833: A viaduct that passes over the suburb of Woolloomooloo and the Eastern Distributor . The line then passes into a tunnel underneath the Art Gallery of New South Wales to a station underneath Martin Place . Turning south, the line proceeds through Town Hall , Central and Redfern stations, before emerging behind the Eveleigh Railway Workshops . The line is double track throughout, with turnback sidings at Martin Place and Bondi Junction for citybound trains, and at Central for trains from Bondi Junction. The Illawarra Line commences at Illawarra Junction at Redfern and travels on
1134-487: Is 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ). While Australian federal governments have provided substantial funding for the upgrading of roads, since the 1920s they have not regularly funded investment in railways except for their own railway, the Commonwealth Railways , later Australian National Railways , which was privatised in 1997. They have considered the funding of railways owned by State Governments to be
1215-412: Is approximately that. The Transwa WDA/WDB/WDC class railcars used on the medium-speed Transwa Prospector service are high-speed capable, but are limited to 160 km/h in service. The XPT is also theoretically capable of reaching speeds of 200 km/h. Prior to 1993, the regulation of Australian Railways was under the control of the state-owned operators. The first move away from this arrangement
1296-502: Is focused on the National Network, including the following rail corridors, connecting at one or both ends to State Capital Cities: After the 2007 federal election , the government body Infrastructure Australia was created to oversee all rail, road, airports and other infrastructure at a national level. Construction and maintenance of network infrastructure is consolidated into non-profit government bodies and contracted private: in
1377-529: Is now used as a rail trail for pedestrians and cyclists. The Illawarra Line was the first railway electrified in New South Wales, and was built in conjunction with the construction of the City Railway between Central and St James , opening on 1 March 1926, a few months before the line was connected to the new underground railway. By November 1926 the electric overhead had passed Sutherland and continued to
1458-743: Is to a large extent state -based, as each state largely has its own operations, with the interstate network being developed ever since Australia's federation in 1901. As of 2022 , the Australian rail network consists of a total of 32,929 kilometres (20,461 mi) of track built to three major track gauges : 18,007 kilometres (11,189 mi) of standard gauge (1435 mm / 4 ft 8 1 ⁄ 2 in), 2,685 kilometres (1,668 mi) of broad gauge (1600 mm / 5 ft 3 in), and 11,914 kilometres (7,403 mi) of narrow gauge (1067 mm / 3 ft 6 in) lines. Additionally, about 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) of 610 mm / 2 ft gauge lines support
1539-629: The South Coast Line . The line is coloured an azure blue on Sydney Trains timetables and other promotional materials. The Eastern Suburbs Line runs between Bondi Junction in Sydney's east and Eveleigh , just south of the Sydney central business district . It is mostly underground, and consists of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) of bored tunnels and 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of cut and cover tunnels , with only 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) above ground. In
1620-527: The American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The major British company was English Electric , with Swiss firm Sulzer also supplying some equipment. This continues today, with Downer Rail and UGL Rail the modern incarnations of Clyde and Goninan respectively. Note : In the list below, narrow gauge is 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ), standard gauge is 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) and broad gauge
1701-631: The East Hills line from the Illawarra line at this site. In the initial concept for the Airport Line, no station was to be provided at this site, however the State Rail Authority decided to construct a station here as an interchange point with the new Airport line and the Illawarra line. The station, unlike the others built on the line, was constructed with government finance and hence is owned by
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#17330855775631782-620: The Eastern Suburbs , three tunnels proceed in a westerly direction from Bondi Junction via Edgecliff and Kings Cross ; in each of these tunnels there are stations. Between Bondi Junction and Edgecliff, there is a short open-air cutting in Woollahra , and between Edgecliff and Kings Cross, there is a short viaduct over Rushcutters Bay . From Kings Cross, the line proceeds west towards the Sydney Central Business District on
1863-682: The Georges River via the Como railway bridge between Oatley and Como . At Sutherland the Cronulla line branches in an easterly direction. The main line then heads in a southerly direction, parallel to the Princes Highway to the west and bordering the Royal National Park on its eastern side until Waterfall , the last suburb in the Sydney metropolitan area. The track continues south from here as
1944-546: The South Coast Line through the Royal National Park towards the Illawarra region . The Illawarra line route was approved by the New South Wales Government in 1880. This route originated near the inner-city locality of Macdonaldtown and ran to Kiama via the locality of "Bottle Forest", a distance of 109 kilometres (68 mi). The route selected comprises the present-day route of the Macdonaldtown to Waterfall section of
2025-480: The Sydney suburb of Wolli Creek . It is served by Sydney Trains ' T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line , T8 Airport & South Line services and NSW TrainLink 's South Coast Line services. Wolli Creek station was built as part of the Airport line opening on 21 May 2000. The name derives from a local creek branching from the Cooks River , and Wolli Junction is the name of the original junction point for
2106-487: The Transport Asset Holding Entity . In the initial concept and design phase, the station was named North Arncliffe, however this was changed to Wolli Creek in 1998. During construction, a set of points allowing the cross-over of trains from the Illawarra local lines to the Illawarra main lines was moved further south. A secondary motivation was to promote urban renewal around the station site. The station
2187-413: The "Bottle Forest" route was estimated at £130,175 less than the original Port Hacking route. The Minister for Works eventually agreed on this new route, although construction was again briefly halted when the contractors refused to recommence work on the disputed section. With new contractors hired, the line was complete to Hurstville by 15 October 1884, Waterfall by 9 March 1886, and the whole line to Kiama
2268-674: The 'Illawarra' (eastern pair) tracks. A dive tunnel allows Intercity services from the South Coast Line to cross underneath the main suburban lines to access Central station . The Illawarra lines are also connected at this point to the Illawarra Relief Lines which emerge from underground and lead to the Eastern Suburbs Line. From Illawarra Junction, four tracks head south through Erskineville and St Peters to Sydenham station . The 'main' pair of tracks are used by Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line and South Coast Line trains and
2349-511: The 'local' pair by Airport & South Line trains. The Airport & South Line trains continue along the Illawarra line until diverging onto the East Hills line around Wolli Creek . South of Wolli Creek station, a crossover allows trains from the 'main' pair of tracks to switch to the 'local' pair. This is used by peak hour all-stations Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line trains. The four track section ends at Hurstville . The line then continues as two tracks south towards Sutherland , crossing
2430-580: The 1890s, the establishment of an Australian Federation from the six colonies was debated. One of the points of discussion was the extent that railways would be a federal responsibility. A vote to make it so was lost narrowly, instead the new constitution allows "the acquisition, with the consent of a State, of any railways of the State on terms arranged between the Commonwealth and the State" (Section 51 xxxiii) and "railway construction and extension in any State with
2511-584: The 1980s for the coal routes. From 2014 Adelaide's lines are being gradually electrified at 25 kV AC. 25 kV AC voltage has now become the international standard. The first railways in Australia were built by private companies, based in the then colonies of New South Wales , Victoria and South Australia . The first railway was privately owned and operated and commissioned by the Australian Agricultural Company in Newcastle in 1831,
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2592-404: The 1980s, and has had bipartisan support for research and land purchase. The focus usually falls on Sydney to Melbourne, where it is seen as a competitor to the busy Sydney–Melbourne air corridor, with Sydney to Brisbane and (less often) Melbourne to Adelaide also proposed. The benefits of regional city development are frequently raised. The most recent major study into interstate high-speed rail
2673-493: The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. On 6 April 1881, Governor Augustus Loftus assented to Act 44 Vic. No. 28, which provided £1,020,000 for the construction of this railway, and proposed that the first section of 37 kilometres (23 mi), constituting approximately the present suburban route, be completed by 30 September 1884. Almost immediately, concerns were raised about the new route's viability, most specifically over
2754-631: The Eastern Suburbs Line for trains coming from the Illawarra Line. To address this, the NSW Government constructed the Bondi Junction Turnback, which enables an additional six trains per hour to terminate at the station. To take advantage of the new infrastructure, a new timetable was introduced in May 2006 which reduced the overcrowding. A second project, the full duplication of the Cronulla branch line,
2835-502: The Eastern Suburbs by means of a viaduct over Woolloomooloo . The line was to extend to Rosebery and Waterloo , with ten stations, linking with the Illawarra Line near Erskineville station . Upon the passing of the City and Suburban Electric Railways (Amendment) Act in 1947, construction finally commenced on a variation of the Bradfield's proposal. Two lines would be built: one proceeding on
2916-629: The Federal, State and Territory governments: Inland Rail is a railway construction project extending from Melbourne to Brisbane along a route west of the Great Dividing Range . Construction in stages commenced in 2018 and is scheduled to be completed in 2025, using existing routes where appropriate. The major freight operators on the rail networks (excluding integrated mining railways) are: Other rail freight operators include: Licensing of personnel with nationally recognised credentials facilitates
2997-592: The Illawarra railway line carries interurban and freight traffic. The Cronulla branch line and the Eastern Suburbs Railway are exclusively used by passenger trains. Historically, passenger services were provided to the Sydney Central by steam locomotives. The first services to Hurstville were run by steam locomotives of the Q.158 and R.285 classes. When the City Underground opened to St James in 1926,
3078-505: The Kingsway, then south past the site of the present rail terminus to Shelly Park in the centre of Cronulla. By 1932, the Cronulla tramway had closed. Competing bus services had begun to run with unrestricted competition, and the tram line by this time was so full with services that trams often ran late due to holdups at the crossing loops and passengers missed their connections at Sutherland. The line suffered large losses in its later years, and
3159-524: The Mortdale Maintenance Centre. The 2010 Metropolitan Transport Plan made no mention of the project. As of 2021, this project had not taken place but in August 2020, the New South Wales Government had announced an alternative project, the installation of a new rail crossover at Hurstville that would enable 20% more services in peak hour. The crossover project is planned to be completed by 2022. Over
3240-646: The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, Long-distance rail and regional rail in Australia mostly operates on a state-by-state basis. The main companies that provide service are Journey Beyond , NSW TrainLink , Queensland Rail and V/Line . Journey Beyond operates four long-distance trains, the first three of the following being upmarket "experiential" services: New South Wales government-controlled NSW TrainLink operates ten long-distance passenger routes. All routes originate from Sydney: V/Line ,
3321-497: The Waterfall extension in 1887 either ran to Hurstville (16 per day), Sutherland (two per day) and Waterfall (two per day), with all trains stopping at every intermediate station. By 1907, however, Como and Oatley had been added to the list of termini, with nine and seven trains per day respectively. Seven trains per day at this time also ran to Sutherland, and one to Waterfall. Most trains terminated at Hurstville. Since electrification,
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3402-421: The branch line constructed to the Royal National Park . The line between Loftus and Waterfall remained unelectrified until 1980 and was serviced by steam and then diesel railcars. A single track tramway line, with four stations and a goods siding, was opened on 12 June 1911 at a cost of £37,505. The route commenced at the southern end of Sutherland station, proceeded north-east to the Princes Highway , east along
3483-591: The case of the interstate network and various non-urban railways of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, the Australian Government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC); the New South Wales Regional Network , John Holland Rail ; and rail infrastructure throughout the southern half of Western Australia, Arc Infrastructure . ARTC "has a working relationship with Queensland Rail about
3564-405: The colony-based networks. The most obvious issue to arise was determining a uniform gauge for the continent. Despite advice from London to adopt a uniform gauge, should the lines of the various colonies ever meet, gauges were adopted in different colonies, and indeed within colonies, without reference to those of other colonies. This example has caused problems ever since at the national level. In
3645-626: The consent of that State" (Section 51 xxxiv). However, the Australian Government is free to provide funding to the states for rail upgrading projects under Section 96 ("the Parliament may grant financial assistance to any State on such terms and conditions as the Parliament thinks fit"). Suburban electrification began in Melbourne in 1919 ( 1500 V DC ). Sydney's lines were electrified from 1926 (1500 V DC), Brisbane 's from 1979 ( 25 kV AC ), and Perth 's from 1992 (25 kV AC). Mainline electrification
3726-476: The cost of tunnelling between Waterfall and Otford to reach Wollongong. Work was suspended past the 24-kilometre (15 mi) point at Como, and Government surveyors were instructed to re-survey a route via the Port Hacking River that had originally been surveyed in 1873. Their work allayed concerns about the new route: although the new route had more tunnelling, excavation and sharp curves, the total cost of
3807-477: The different states passed similar forms of legislation. With the opening up of the national rail network to private operators, the different pieces of state-based legislation provided the growing group of interstate operators with a complicated set of varying requirements for their operations. In December 2009 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to establish a national rail safety regulator and develop
3888-437: The earlier route used towards Bondi Junction through Woolloomooloo, then an extension towards Kingsford with five extra stations at Charing Cross , Frenchmans Road, Randwick, University and Kingsford. The New South Wales Government awarded the contract for the civil and structural design to the successful Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority . An official Legislative Assembly inquiry in 1976, however, recommended that costs on
3969-752: The early 21st century, the disused Queensland Rail line to Esk 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) in the Brisbane Valley was used for timber haulage. Five isolated heavy duty railways for the cartage of iron ore in the Pilbara region of Western Australia have always been private concerns operated as part of the production line between mine and port, initially commencing in 1966 with Goldsworthy Mining Associates' Goldsworthy railway , and recently in 2008 with Fortescue Metals Group's Fortescue railway and in 2015 with Roy Hill Holdings' Roy Hill railway . These lines are continually optimising axle loads (currently
4050-483: The effect of the Great Depression at the time forced it to cease its services, the last passenger service operating on 3 August 1931. The goods service continued until 12 January of the next year. Although the closure of the tramway allowed planning to go ahead for a railway, the planning for the replacement railway line suffered various delays in the 1930s due to funding issues: the line's construction competed with
4131-518: The exception of the Como bridge over the Georges River ) in April 1890, then southward to Waterfall by 12 December 1890. The section of track between Illawarra Junction and Hurstville was quadruplicated between 1913 and 1925. After duplication in 1890, the original lattice-girder Como Bridge across the Georges River was laid as gauntlet track . This arrangement remained in place for many decades, causing
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#17330855775634212-474: The extension to Kingsford was abandoned. As part of the Rail Clearways Program , the $ 77 million Bondi Junction Turnback project saw a new rail crossover was built between the single-track tunnels, enabling 20 trains an hour, up from 14, to use the station. The work was completed in time for the introduction of a new timetable on 28 May 2006. In addition to Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line trains,
4293-521: The first line to only use S set double-decker rolling stock. The current running operations for passenger services have remained generally unchanged since 1981 with the integration of the Illawarra line and the Eastern Suburbs Railway. Suburban services utilise Erskineville Junction and proceed to Central and Bondi Junction. The last S sets were withdrawn from Mortdale Maintenance Depot in March 2013; all services now provided by Tangara and OSCAR sets (as
4374-426: The former National Highway system ) of important road and rail infrastructure links and their intermodal connections. Rail funding has been announced for signalling upgrades to numerous railway lines, gauge conversion of existing broad gauge lines in Victoria to standard gauge, new rail links to intermodal freight precincts, and extensions to existing crossing loops to permit longer trains to operate. Funding
4455-696: The gauge problem are by no means complete. For example, the Mount Gambier line is isolated by gauge and of no operational value. With the electrification of suburban networks, which began in 1919, a consistent electric rail traction standard was not adopted. Electrification began in Melbourne in 1919 using 1500 V DC . Sydney's lines were electrified from 1926 using 1500 V DC, Brisbane 's from 1979 using 25 kV AC , and Perth 's from 1992 using 25 kV AC. There has also been extensive non-urban electrification in Queensland using 25 kV AC, mainly during
4536-805: The heaviest in the world) and train lengths, that have pushed the limit of the wheel to rail interface and led to much useful research of value to railways worldwide. An open access sixth standard gauge iron ore network was proposed to the Oakajee Port in the Mid-West region to the south of the Pilbara but the project is currently on hold pending a viable business case. Several medium-speed rail services operate on existing track that has been upgraded to accommodate faster services and/or tilting technology . Some of these services use high-speed capable rolling stock. High speed rail has been repeatedly raised as an option since
4617-518: The infrastructure and electrical requirements of newer models are incompatible with the line). Trains typically operate with 12 services per hour in peak, six services per hour in off-peak, and four to six services per hour on weekends and public holidays. The line currently has 33 operating stations. Only three stations or platforms have closed, the two stations on the Royal National Park Branch (the main station , which closed in 1991, and
4698-513: The investment included an Australian Government equity injection into ARTC of $ 143 million and a funding contribution of almost $ 62 million by the New South Wales Government. Under the AusLink program introduced in July 2004, the Australian Government has introduced the opportunity for rail to gain access to funds on a similar basis to that of roads. AusLink established a defined national network (superseding
4779-407: The line was closed once again between December 1885 and January 1886 to permit testing on the new bridge over the Georges River. The line was originally constructed as double track between Illawarra Junction and Hurstville with single track thereafter; however, its rising use meant that the line required duplication soon afterwards. The line was duplicated between Hurstville and Loftus Station (with
4860-548: The majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Designated Interstate Rail Network (DIRN). In 2003 the Australian and New South Wales Governments agreed that ARTC would lease the NSW interstate and Hunter Valley networks for 60 years. As part of this agreement, ARTC agreed to a $ 872 million investment programme on the interstate rail network. The funding sources for
4941-410: The patronage of Sydney Trains network for the year ending 30 June 2024. In 2009–2010, 97.65% of all Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra services ran on-time, ranking it the most reliable line on the CityRail network. In the 2019–2020 financial year, this figure was 95.2%. Planning experts recognised a need to expand capacity on the Eastern Suburbs Line. In 2002, former CityRail chairman Ron Christie released
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#17330855775635022-512: The platform for the Scout's Camp, which closed in 1947), and the station on the Woronora Cemetery branch, which also closed in 1947. The stopping patterns on the Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line have generally been determined by several different termini. The steam era saw these termini change quite frequently as more terminating facilities were constructed: the first trains on the line after
5103-453: The project be cut, and the extension to Kingsford, a proposed station at Woollahra , and the expansion of concourse areas at Bondi Junction and Martin Place stations did not proceed. Nonetheless, it was resolved to fully integrate the railway with the Illawarra line. The Eastern Suburbs Railway opened between Central station and Bondi Junction on 23 June 1979. Initially, trains ran as shuttle services between Central and Bondi Junction; it
5184-641: The railway consists of three connected lines: Operationally and historically, the entire line from the Illawarra Junction at Redfern to its terminus in Bomaderry on the South Coast was known as the Illawarra Line . However, since 1989, the suburban services to Waterfall and Cronulla have been marketed as the Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line and interurban services south to Wollongong and Bomaderry as
5265-488: The southern side of Sutherland station. The new line was opened on 16 December 1939. Although a crossing loop was installed at Caringbah Station and Gymea Station when the line was opened, the single track line prevented the expansion of services to the Cronulla peninsula, and so in the 1980s, it was decided to duplicate a 3.5-kilometre (2.2 mi) section of the line between Gymea and Caringbah, with Gymea, Miranda and Caringbah all receiving island platforms. The new section
5346-471: The sugar-cane industry. 3,488 kilometres (2,167 mi), around 11 percent of the Australian heavy railways network route-kilometres are electrified. Except for a small number of private railways , most of the Australian railway network infrastructure is government-owned, either at the federal or state level. The Australian federal government is involved in the formation of national policies, and provides funding for national projects. Very little thought
5427-476: The terminus stations for suburban trains have remained consistent. From 1926 trains terminated at either Hurstville, Sutherland and The National Park. With the opening of the Cronulla branch in 1939, Cronulla become the fourth major terminus. In 1980 Waterfall was electrified and replaced The Royal National Park as a terminus, having been served by a diesel-operated shuttle service until then. Off Peak Peak Off Peak Peak (1) Peak (2) The following table shows
5508-669: The transfer of those employees from one state or operator to another, as traffic demands. Including the mining railways, in 2015–16, there were 413.5 billion tonne kilometres of freight moved by rail. Overall railway freight in Australia is dominated by bulk freight, primarily iron ore and coal. In 2015–16, Australian railways carried over 1.34 billion tonnes of freight, 97 per cent of which were bulk movements. Intrastate bulk freight in Western Australia, principally iron-ore movements, accounted for 61 per cent of national rail freight tonnes. Bulk movements in Queensland and NSW, principally coal, were 17 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively. Unlike
5589-429: The transport of sugarcane have always been operated as private concerns associated with the relevant sugar cane mill. These tramways are quite advanced technically, with hand-me-down rails cascaded from the normal rails, remote-controlled brake vans, concrete sleepers in places, and tamping machines in miniature. The twenty or so separate tramways cooperate in research and development. Tramways were often associated with
5670-411: The transport of timber to sawmills . Various gauges were used, including the 610 mm ( 2 ft ) gauge, which was also commonly used for cane haulage. Wider gauges were sometimes used as well; Queensland had a number of 991 mm (3 ft 3 in) systems, some on wooden rails. In some areas 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) was used, a considerable investment of resources. In
5751-548: The use of the 127 kilometres of standard gauge line between the Queensland border and Fisherman Island. ARTC intends to start discussions with Queensland about leasing this track once the NSW arrangements are bedded down". ARTC also maintains the NSW Hunter Valley network under contract. On 1 January 2012, John Holland commenced the operation and maintenance of the New South Wales Regional Network under contract from Transport for NSW , comprising 2,700 kilometres of operational freight and passenger rail lines. Arc Infrastructure has
5832-593: The years, there have been a number of proposals to replace/supplement all/part of the Illawarra line with metro/light rail services. None of these have eventuated, as of 2023. Operators and companies connected to the line Other railways in the area General articles on railways in Sydney Rail transport in Australia Rail transport in Australia is a component of the Australian transport system . It
5913-529: Was also made available for the Alice Springs to Darwin line , opened in 2004. Substantial funding is now being made available for freight railways through the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the AusLink land transport funding program. The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls
5994-520: Was completed in 2010. This increases the capacity of the branch line from four to eight trains per hour. The line between Oatley, Sutherland and Cronulla also received signalling upgrades to allow more services to run at shorter intervals. A new timetable with extra services was introduced on 10 October 2010. It was proposed in the 2007 NSW State Plan that by 2017, the line capacity between Hurstville and Sutherland will be amplified to allow extra services to and from Cronulla, as well as for services accessing
6075-611: Was first carried out in Victoria in 1954, closely followed by New South Wales which continued to expand their network. These networks have fallen into decline, in contrast to Queensland where 25 kV AC equipment was introduced from the 1980s for coal traffic. Diesel locomotives were introduced to Australian railways from the early 1950s. Most units were of local design and construction, using imported British or American technology and power equipment. The three major firms were Clyde Engineering partnered with GM-EMD , Goninan with General Electric , and AE Goodwin (later Comeng ) with
6156-453: Was given in the early years of the development of the colony-based rail networks of Australia-wide interests. The most obvious issue to arise was determining a track gauge . Despite advice from London to adopt a uniform gauge, should the lines of the various colonies ever meet, gauges were adopted in different colonies, and indeed within colonies, without reference to those of other colonies. This has caused problems ever since. Attempts to fix
6237-712: Was in New South Wales with the passing of the Rail Safety Act in 1993. This Act moved the regulation away from the NSW State Rail Authority into the independent hands of the Transport Safety Bureau within the NSW Department of Transport. Each rail operator and rail infrastructure owner was accredited by the Regulator under the Rail Safety Act. This was the first such legislation in Australia and gradually,
6318-486: Was not until a year later that work was finished to integrate the lines. A double-track junction with the Illawarra Line at Erskineville south of Illawarra Junction , twin single track tunnels connecting to the Eastern Suburbs Railway platforms at Central, a set of underground platforms at Redfern and a turnback tunnel at Martin Place opened to complete the project on 20 July 1980. Bondi Junction had originally been intended only as an intermediate turnback station before
6399-459: Was opened officially in Wollongong on 22 June 1887. According to the official papers on the line's construction, when the line first opened for trains between Sydney and Sutherland construction was not quite complete, so excursion services initially ran on weekends only until the entire line was handed over. The first official train ran within the modern-day suburban area on 9 December 1885, although
6480-561: Was opened on 15 July 1985. In the 2000s, the remaining single track sections were duplicated. These opened on 19 April 2010. In 1916, a plan for the city railways, and an Eastern Suburbs extension was drawn up by the Chief Engineer of the Metropolitan Railway Construction, John Bradfield . It was given subsequent approval by Parliament. Bradfield's plan entailed building a City Circle loop, with an extension through to
6561-523: Was undertaken from 2011 to 2013, after which the federal government indicated it would start purchasing land for a rail corridor, however this did not eventuate. In 2016 the prime minister indicated a high-speed rail link might be funded privately and by value capture. The Queensland Rail Electric Tilt Train 's record speed of 210 km/h is just above the internationally accepted definition of high-speed rail of 200 km/h (120 mph). The maximum test speed of 193 km/h set by NSW TrainLink 's XPT
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