Marree railway line

Marree railway line
Overview
Termini	Stirling North Marree
Continues from	Trans-Australian Railway
Continues as	Central Australia Railway
Service
Operator(s)	Commonwealth Railways
History
Opened	27 July 1957
Closed	27 April 2016
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Central Australia Railway (narrow gauge) Marree railway line (standard gauge) 1241 km Alice Springs (old) Central Australia Railway Adelaide–Darwin railway line to Darwin Alice Springs abattoir Alice Springs (current) 1237 km Heavitree Adelaide–Darwin railway line to Port Augusta Macdonnell triangle start preserved track 1231 km Macdonnell 1224 km Mount Ertwa end preserved track Ewaninga triangle 1208 km Ewaninga 1192 km Pohill Siding 1175 km Ooraminna 1163 km Deep Well Deep Well siding 1141 km Rodinga Rodinga stock yards 1125 km Maryvale 1099 km Bundooma 1076 km Engoordina 1060 km Mount Squire 1044 km Rumbalara Rumbalara stock yards 1028 km Musgrave 1014 km Finke (Aputula) 1012 km Finke stock yards 997 km Crown Point 981 km Duffield 965 km Wall Creek 962 km Northern Territory South Australia border 945 km Abminga Abminga sidings 929 km Bloods Creek 908 km Ilbunga 895 km Mount Emery 876 km Pedirka 859 km Mt Rebecca 841 km Mt Sarah (Stevenson Creek) 825 km Macumba 811 km Alberga 804 km Wire Creek Wire Creek siding 792 km Todmorten Oodnadatta sidings 770 km Oodnadatta 744 km North Creek Mount Dutton stock yards 729 km Mount Dutton Mount Dutton triangle Algebuckina Bridge 714 km Algebuckina 698 km Peake Creek Warrina stock yards 682 km Warrina Edwards Creek triangle 666 km Edwards Creek Edwards Creek siding 650 km Duff Creek (Weedina) 632 km Boorthana 616 km Box Creek 600 km Anna Creek 588 km Douglas 574 km William Creek William Creek triangle 554 km Irrappatana 537 km Strangways Springs 525 km Beresford 501 km Coward Springs Coward Springs triangle 489 km Margaret 473 km Curdimurka (Stuarts Creek) 453 km Lake Eyre 440 km Bopeechee 425 km Alberrie Creek 407 km Wangianna 387 km Callanna Marree gauge interchange Marree 356 km 372 km Marree 359 km Mundownda Witchelina 339 km Wirrawilla Farina triangles Farina 303 km 320 km Farina Lyndhurst 278 km 294 km Lyndhurst Old Mine loop Telford 271 km Telford end of Leigh Creek line tracks Leigh Creek Coalfield Copley 245 km 262 km Copley Leigh Creek 240 km Puttapa 231 km 247 km Puttapa Beltana 232 km Beltana 212 km Nilpena (Black Fellows Creek) Parachilna 175 km 195 km Parachilna Commodore 163 km 183 km Commodore Brachina 153 km 173 km Brachina 163 km Edeowie Moralana 127 km 137 km Mern Merna Cotabena 107 km 124 km Hookina (Wonoka) Neuroodla 89 km 105 km Hawker 89.6 km Wilson 73.0 km Gordon 57.5 km Willochra Wilkatana 48 km Peterborough–Quorn railway line end of Pichi Richi Railway 39.8 km Quorn Quorn Pichi Richi Depot 32.4 km Summit siding 23.6 km Woolshed Flat 18.2 km Saltia siding start dormant tracks Bungala Solar Plant Goods yard Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line Northern Power Station Port Augusta Racecourse 0 km Port Augusta Pichi Richi Depot Adelaide–Darwin railway line to Alice Springs

The Marree railway line is located in the Australian state of South Australia.

History

As a result of the opening up of the Leigh Creek Coalfield in the late 1940s and capacity restrictions on the existing narrow gauge Central Australia 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]

A 160-car coal train between Leigh Creek and Port Augusta in 1987

As well as freight trains, the new line was served by CB railcar services and The Ghan . The CB class was pulled from service in 1976 by Australian National Railways (ANR), leaving the standard gauge Ghan and a mixed train as the only passenger rail services on the line. ^[6] Following the opening of a new line from Tarcoola to Alice Springs in 1980, the line became the only rail connection to Marree after the closure of the narrow gauge Central Australia Railway from Alice Springs, and The Ghan was rerouted to no longer go through Marree, leaving a mixed train as the only passenger service on the line. The mixed train was replaced with a goods only train in 1985, and 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. ^{[7] [ failed verification ]} With the impending closure of the power station, the last train ran on the line on 27 April 2016. ^{[8] [ needs update ]}

In 2017, control of the Leigh Creek railway line was transferred from Flinders Power to the state government's Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure. ^[9] In March 2018, Bowmans Rail established a new intermodal rail terminal adjacent to the construction site for the Bungala Solar Power Farm about 12 km north of Port Augusta. As well as construction materials for the power station, the terminal was expected to handle about 2000 containers per year, though the terminal has not been used since completion of delivering materials to the solar power farm. ^[10]

Stations

Stations included the following: (from south to north): ^[7]

• Northern Power Station
• Wikatana
• Neuroodla
• Brachina
• Parachilna
• Beltana
• Puttapa
• Copley
• Telford (Leigh Creek Coalfields)
• Lyndhurst
• Farina
• Marree

References

1. Gauge Change on Leigh Creek Line Soon Adelaide Advertiser 11 August 1950
2. Bromby, Robin (2004). The Railway Age in Australia. South Melbourne: Thomas Lothian. p. 64. ISBN   0 734407 15 7.
3. Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 67. ISBN   0-909650-49-7.
4. Port Augusta to Marree Chris' Commonwealth Railways
5. "Remember When" Railway Digest February 1999 page 45
6. "CB class Budd Railcars". Comrails. Chris Drymalik. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
7. "NRG Leigh Creek Coalfield Line" (PDF). SA Track and Signal. Graham Vincent. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
8. Reid, Khama (29 April 2016). "Leigh Creek coal train completes final journey to Port Augusta ahead of power station closure". ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Commission. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
9. "Leigh Creek Railway". Flinders Power. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
10. Green, Amy (15 March 2018). "Port Augusta Intermodal open for business". The Transcontinental . Retrieved 15 March 2018.