Transwa Australind

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Australind

Transwa Australind, Bunbury Passenger Terminal, 2014.JPG

The Australind at Bunbury Terminal in January 2014
Overview
Service type Passenger train
Status Operational
Locale South West Western Australia
First service 24 November 1947
Current operator(s) Transwa (since 2003)
Former operator(s) WAGR (1947-1975)
Westrail (1975-2000)
WAGR Commission (2000-2003)
Route
Start Perth
End Bunbury
Distance travelled 167 kilometres
Average journey time 2 hours 30 minutes
Service frequency Twice daily
Train number(s) 9/10
Line used South Western
Technical
Rolling stock ADP/ADQ class railcars
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

The Australind is a passenger rail service operated by Transwa between Perth and Bunbury on the South Western Railway. The train was named to commemorate the city of that name envisioned by Marshall Waller Clifton on Leschenault Inlet 100 years previously. The current hamlet of Australind, a satellite town of Bunbury, has never had a passenger rail service, nor even a railway line.

Transwa

Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east.

Perth railway station railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Perth Railway Station is the largest station on the Transperth network serving the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. It serves as an interchange between the Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland lines as well as Transwa's Australind service.

South Western Railway, Western Australia main railway route between Perth and Bunbury in Western Australia

The South Western Railway is the main railway route between Perth and Bunbury in Western Australia opening in 1893.

Contents

The Australind is a narrow gauge service departing from Perth station. It is the only remaining narrow gauge regional passenger service in Western Australia, all other services operate on standard gauge lines from East Perth. The train traverses the metropolitan Armadale line to Armadale, then uses the South Western Railway to Bunbury. [1] [2]

Western Australia state in Australia

Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, and the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a total land area of 2,529,875 square kilometres, and the second-largest country subdivision in the world, surpassed only by Russia's Sakha Republic. The state has about 2.6 million inhabitants – around 11 percent of the national total – of whom the vast majority live in the south-west corner, 79 per cent of the population living in the Perth area, leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.

East Perth railway station railway station in Perth, Western Australia

East Perth railway station is located on the Midland line in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by Transperth serving the suburb of East Perth. It is adjacent to the East Perth Terminal and Public Transport Centre.

Armadale railway station, Perth railway station in Perth, Western Australia

Armadale railway station is a railway station on the South Western Railway, 30 kilometres from Perth station serving the suburb of Armadale. It is the terminating point for Transperth Armadale line services and a calling point for Transwa Australind services.

History

The Australind departs Perth in March 1986 hauled by an X class XA1411 + The Australind, Perth, 1986.JPG
The Australind departs Perth in March 1986 hauled by an X class
The Australind at Claisebrook in April 2002 Australind Claisebrook-Apr02.jpg
The Australind at Claisebrook in April 2002

The Australind service began on 24 November 1947 and was hauled initially by U class steam locomotives. [3] With an average speed of 63 km/h, it was the fastest narrow gauge passenger train in Australia. [4] In February 1958 X class diesel locomotives took over. The service was relaunched on 1 October 1960 with onboard catering removing the need for an elongated stop at Pinjarra. On 16 November 1987, the current ADP/ADQ class railcars took over the service reducing journey times to 2 hours 30 minutes. [2] [5] [6] [7]

WAGR U class

The WAGR U class was a class of 4-6-2 steam locomotives operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) between 1946 and the late 1960s. One was rebuilt as a 4-6-4 tank locomotive.

WAGR X class

The X class was a class of diesel locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock and Company and Metropolitan-Vickers, Bowesfield Works, Stockton-on-Tees for the Western Australian Government Railways between 1954 and 1956.

Pinjarra railway station is located on the South Western Railway in Western Australia. It is located at the town of Pinjarra.

Rolling stock

When introduced, the train consisted of new carriages built by the Midland Railway Workshops. [6] In August 1985, Westrail awarded Comeng, Bassendean a contract for five Westrail ADP/ADQ class railcars, three ADPs with driving cabs and two ADQs, using a similar body shell and interior fitout to the New South Wales XPT carriages. [8] Each carriage was powered by a Cummins KTA19 coupled to a Voith transmission. They usually operate as a three or four carriage set. Five carriage set operation is not possible due to the limited platform length available at Perth station. [2]

Midland Railway Workshops railway workshops in Midland, Western Australia

The Midland Railway Workshops in Midland, Western Australia were the main workshops for the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) for over 80 years.

Westrail

Westrail was the trading name of the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) from September 1975 until December 2000, when the WAGR's freight division and the Westrail name and logo were privatised.

Commonwealth Engineering defunct Australian engineering company which specialised in design and manufacture of railway locomotives and rolling stock

Commonwealth Engineering was an Australian engineering company that designed and built railway locomotives, rolling stock and trams.

Interior of Transwa Australind in 2017 Australind Train Interior.jpg
Interior of Transwa Australind in 2017

In July 2003, the DMUs were painted in a new livery in line with the formation of Transwa. In 2007, the DMUs were painted white as part of a refurbishment program. In 2010/11 new seats were fitted. [9]

Stations

Byford railway station is located on the South Western Railway in Western Australia. It serves the south-eastern Perth suburb of Byford.

Mundijong, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Mundijong is an outer suburb of the Western Australian capital city of Perth.

Serpentine, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Serpentine is a town located 55 kilometres (34 mi) south-southeast of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, and 7 km south of Mundijong.

Related Research Articles

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The AvonLink is a passenger train in Western Australia operated by Transwa between Midland and Northam.

<i>The Prospector</i> (train) train service in Western Australia

The Prospector is a passenger train in Western Australia operated by Transwa between East Perth and Kalgoorlie.

Hotham Valley Railway

The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway is a tourist and heritage railway in the Peel region of Western Australia.

Western Australian Government Railways

Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the State Government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsibility for tram and ferry operations that it assumed and later relinquished. Its freight operations were privatised in December 2000 with the remaining passenger operations transferred to the Public Transport Authority in July 2003.

Rail transport in Western Australia

The Railways in Western Australia were developed in the 19th century both by the Government of Western Australia and a number of private companies. Today passenger rail services are controlled by the Public Transport Authority through Transperth, which operates public transport in Perth, and Transwa, which operates country passenger services. Great Southern Rail operates the Indian Pacific.

Old Bunbury railway station former railway station in Bunbury, south west, Western Australia

The Old Bunbury railway station was the main railway station for Bunbury from 1894 until 1996. It was the terminus for the Australind passenger railway service from Perth. It was replaced in May 1985 by the current Bunbury Terminal in East Bunbury.

Transperth Trains operator of urban rail services in Perth, Western Australia

Transperth Trains is a division of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia. It is responsible for operating Perth’s urban passenger rail system, as part of the Transperth network.

WAGR C class (diesel) class of 3 Australian Co′Co′ diesel-electric locomotives

The C class are a class of diesel locomotives built by English Electric, Rocklea for the Western Australian Government Railways in 1962.

WAGR WCA/WCE class

The WAGR WCA class railcars and WCE class trailers were built by Comeng, Granville for the Western Australian Government Railways in 1971 to operate the new Prospector service between East Perth and Kalgoorlie. At the time of their construction the WCA class units were the longest and fastest diesel railcars in the world.

Transwa WDA/WDB/WDC class

The Transwa WDA/WDB/WDC class are a class of railcars built by United Goninan, Broadmeadow for Transwa in 2004-2005 to replace the WAGR WCA/WCE class railcars on the AvonLink, MerredinLink and Prospector services in Western Australia. They are capable of high-speed operation.

Westrail ADP/ADQ class class of rail rolling stock

The Westrail ADP/ADQ class railcars were built by Comeng, Bassendean for Westrail in 1987 to operate The Australind service between Perth and Bunbury.

WAGR ADE/ADT class

The WAGR ADE class was a six member class of diesel railcars operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between 1937 and 1962.

WAGR ADF/ADU class class of Australian diesel railcars

The WAGR ADF class was a six member class of diesel railcars operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between 1949 and 1975.

The WAGR ADH class was a four member class of diesel railcars operated by the Western Australian Government Railways.

The Bunbury Belle was a passenger train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between Perth and Bunbury via the South Western line from June 1964 until July 1975.

The Shopper was a passenger train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways between Perth and Bunbury via the South Western line from June 1964 until July 1975.

References

  1. ↑ "Our fleet". Public Transport Authority. Perth, WA: Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Dunn, John C. (2013). "Perth-Bunbury Railcars". Comeng: A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 5, 1985-2012. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 113–122. ISBN   9781925078046.
  3. ↑ "The Australind - Fast Day Train to Bunbury". Kalgoorlie Miner . 26 November 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  4. ↑ Gunzburg, Adrian (1984). A History of WAGR Steam Locomotives. Perth: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 128. ISBN   0 9599690 3 9.
  5. ↑ Gray, Bill; May, Andrew (2006). A History of WAGR Passenger Carriages. Perth: Bill Gray. pp. 183, 312, 314. ISBN   0-646-45902-3.
  6. 1 2 Higham, Geoffrey (2007). Marble Bar to Mandurah: A history of passenger rail services in Western Australia. Bassendean: Rail Heritage WA. pp. 111, 113, 119. ISBN   978 0 9803922 0 3.
  7. ↑ Australind Timetable Transwa
  8. ↑ "Western Australia" Railway Digest September 1985 page 279
  9. ↑ Annual Report June 2011 Public Transport Authority
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