Marree railway line
| Marree | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Termini |
Stirling North Marree |
| Continues from | Trans-Australian Railway |
| Continues as | Central Australian Railway |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 27 July 1957 |
| Closed | 27 April 2016 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
The Marree railway line is located in South Australia.
History
As a result of the opening up of the Leigh Creek coalfields in the late 1940s and capacity restrictions on the existing narrow gauge Central Australian Railway via the Flinders Ranges, Marree and Quorn, a new standard gauge line was built, opening on 17 May 1956 from Stirling North on the outskirts of Port Augusta to Telford Cut and on 27 July 1957 to Marree.[1][2][3][4] The line was extended to Marree because of the volume of cattle traffic coming off the Birdsville Track.[5]
As well as freight trains, the new line was served by CB railcar services and The Ghan. Following the opening of a new line from Tarcoola to Alice Springs in 1980, the line was curtailed to its present terminus at Telford Cut on 10 June 1987.[2][3] At Stirling North the line continues to the Northern Power Station via a balloon loop.[6] With the impending closure of the power station, the last train ran on the line on 27 April 2016.[7]
References
- ↑ Gauge Change on Leigh Creek Line Soon Adelaide Advertiser 11 August 1950
- 1 2 Bromby, Robin (2004). The Railway Age in Australia. South Melbourne: Thomas Lothan. p. 64. ISBN 0 734407 15 7.
- 1 2 Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 67. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
- ↑ Port Augusta to Marree Chris' Commonwealth Railways
- ↑ "Remember When" Railway Digest February 1999 page 45
- ↑ Leigh Creek Coalfield Line SA Track & Signal
- ↑ Leigh Creek coal train completes its final journey to Port Augusta ahead of power station closure ABC News 27 April 2016