Wahgunyah railway line

Last updated

Wahgunyah
Melbourne-Wahgunyah rail ticket 1980.jpg
Melbourne-Wahgunyah rail ticket from 1980
Overview
Stations3
Service
TypeVic
History
Opened29 January 1879
Completed29 January 1879
Closed1 July 1995

The Wahgunyah railway is a closed line in north-east Victoria, Australia. Branching off the main North East railway at Springhurst, it ran north-west to Wahgunyah.

Contents

The Wahgunyah terminus was near the south bank of the Murray River, opposite the terminus of New South Wales Culcairn - Corowa railway line on the north bank, but there was no connecting rail bridge over the river. Because the two lines were of differing gauges, and the stations 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) apart, there was no particular benefit in building a bridge to connect the two incompatible systems.

History

The line was opened as a whole from Springhurst to Wahgunyah in 1879. [1] The passenger service was withdrawn on 13 April 1962, and was the last mixed train service to operate in Victoria. [2]

Services were suspended in 1995, [1] and the line effectively closed. However, for a number of years after that, the "Green TRail Associates Group" operated a motor trolley service, known as the "Stringybark Express", over the section of the line between Wahgunyah and Rutherglen. [3]

In 2002, the line was handed back to the Victorian Government by the lease holder, Freight Australia, [1] and, in 2006, it was announced that the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail would be built on part of the closed track, creating nine kilometres of trail between Rutherglen and Wahgunyah. [4] That work was completed in 2009.

Stations

Today

In its present form, the railway line is partially ripped up due to the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail along this line. Although being closed for over twenty years now, remnants of the once active rail line such as signs, track and sleepers are visible.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamein railway station</span> Railway station in Ashburton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Alamein railway station is the terminus of the suburban electrified Alamein line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the eastern Melbourne suburb of Ashburton, and it opened on 28 June 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner Circle railway line</span> Former railway line in Melbourne, Australia

The Inner Circle Line was a steam era suburban railway line in Melbourne, Australia. It served the inner-northern suburbs of Parkville, Carlton North, Fitzroy North and Fitzroy. At its closure, it ran from Royal Park station on the Upfield line in the west to a triangular junction with Rushall and Merri stations on today's Mernda line in the east. There was also a branch line to Fitzroy that opened at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wodonga railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Wodonga railway station is located on the North East line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Wodonga, and it opened on 25 June 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bairnsdale railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Bairnsdale railway station is the terminus of the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Bairnsdale, and it opened on 8 May 1888.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wangaratta railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Wangaratta railway station is located on the North East line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of the same name, and opened on 28 October 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springhurst railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Springhurst railway station is located on the North East line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of the same name, and opened on 29 November 1873 as Springs. It was renamed Springhurst in October 1890.

The North East railway line is a railway line in Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Southern Cross railway station on the western edge of the Melbourne central business district to Albury railway station in the border settlement of Albury-Wodonga, serving the cities of Wangaratta and Seymour, and smaller towns in northeastern Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echuca railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Echuca railway station is located on the Deniliquin line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Echuca, and opened on 19 September 1864.

The Deniliquin railway line is a broad-gauge railway line serving northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from the New South Wales town of Deniliquin into Bendigo, before turning south-southeast towards Melbourne, terminating in Docklands near the central business district. It is a major trunk line both for passenger and freight trains, with many railway lines branching off from it.

The Mildura railway line is a heavy rail line in northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Yelta station to Ballarat station via the settlements of Mildura, Ouyen and Maryborough in an approximate south-southeasterly direction. Initial sections of the line opened from Ballarat in 1874 and the line reached Mildura in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrnambool railway line</span> Railway line in Victoria, Australia

The Port Fairy railway line is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the western Melbourne suburb of Newport through the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, the line once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy before being truncated to Dennington. This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.

The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail is a cycling and walking rail trail in northern Victoria, Australia. It extends from Wangaratta to Bright, with a side branch to Beechworth, following the route of the former Bright railway line. This side branch trail is planned to be extended from Beechworth to Yackandandah. AU$12m was budgeted by the Victoria State Government for this extension in May 2017. Unusually for a rail trail, it is sealed for virtually the entire distance of approximately 95 kilometres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strathmerton railway station</span> Former railway station in Victoria, Australia

Strathmerton is a closed railway station on the Goulburn Valley railway in the town of Strathmerton, Victoria, Australia. The station opened at the same time as the railway from Shepparton to Cobram on 1 October 1888, with the line to Tocumwal not opening until 28 February 1905, ending at a temporary terminus on the south side of the Murray River, the line not completed into Tocumwal until July 1908. The junction between the lines was to the north of the station, facing down trains.

The Alexandra railway line is a closed 14-kilometre (9 mi) branch railway line situated in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia. Constructed by the Victorian Railways, it branches from the Mansfield line at Cathkin station, and runs east from the town of Cathkin to Alexandra. The line was primarily built to provide a general goods and passenger service to townships in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cudgewa railway line</span> Former railway line in Victoria, Australia

The Cudgewa railway line is a closed railway line in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. Branching off the main North East line at Wodonga it ran east to a final terminus at Cudgewa. The High Country Rail Trail now uses most of the railway reserve.

Rutherglen is a closed station on the Wahgunyah railway line, located in the town of Rutherglen, in Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tocumwal railway station</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Tocumwal railway station is a heritage-listed closed railway station in the town of Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia. It was once the break-of-gauge between the broad gauge Victorian Railways Tocumwal line from the south, and the standard gauge New South Wales Government Railways Tocumwal line from the north. However, only the line from Victoria is still open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bright railway line</span> Former railway line in Victoria, Australia

The Bright railway line was a railway line in Victoria, Australia constructed by the Victorian Railways as a branch from the previously constructed Yackandandah line to Beechworth, with the Bright line branching at Everton. The line followed the Ovens Valley opening as far as Myrtleford on 17 December 1883 being extended to Bright on 17 October 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springhurst, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Springhurst is a town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. It is in the Rural City of Wangaratta local government area, 280 kilometres (170 mi) north east of the state capital and 16 km from the city of Wangaratta. At the 2016 census, Springhurst and the surrounding area had a population of 348.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "VICSIG - Infrastructure - Line Data Wahgunyah line". vicsig.net. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  2. Banger, Chris (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 77–82.
  3. "Rutherglen Train, Stringybark Express". albury.net.au. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  4. "Murray to Mountains Rail Trail (North East Victoria) to be Extended". Rail Trails Australia. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2023.