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Adelaide–Wolseley railway line

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Adelaide-Wolseley railway line
Overview
OwnerAustralian Rail Track Corporation
Termini
Continues fromAdelaide-Port Augusta line
Continues asWestern standard gauge line
Service
Services
Operator(s)
History
Opened1887 (broad gauge)
Reopened1995 (standardised)
Technical
Line length313 km (194 mi)
Number of tracks1
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Old gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Route map
km
to Port Augusta
Gawler line
Outer Harbor & Grange lines
Adelaide
0.0
3.4
 Mile End loop, datum point
3.8
 Adelaide Parklands Terminal
Seaford & Flinders lines
Belair line
21.5
 Belair loop
Bridgewater line
closed 1987
37.2
 Bridgewater
39.9
 Ambleside tunnel
42.6
 Ambleside loop
45.8
 Balhannah loop
Mount Pleasant line
closed 1963
50.0
 Mount Barker Junction loop
SteamRanger to Victor Harbor
62.4
 Petwood loop
71.4
 Callington loop
82.2
 Monarto South loop
Sedan line
closed 2000s
96.6
 Murray Bridge
39.9
 Karoonda Highway tunnel
River Murray
104.0
 Monteith loop
120.9
Tailem Bend loop & Aurizon Yard
120.3
 Tailem Bend
Loxton line
closed 2015
Pinnaroo line
closed 2015
153.4
 Coomandook loop
183.4
 Coonalpyn loop
211.3
 Tintinara loop
228.4
 Coombe loop
248.5
 Keith loop
273.0
 Wirrega loop
293.9
 Bordertown
307.5
 Wolseley loop
Mount Gambier line
closed 1995
313.2
463.6
South Australia
Victoria
border, datum point
461.5
 Serviceton
to Melbourne via North Shore
broad gauge
standard gauge
[1]
This diagram:

The Adelaide–Wolseley railway line is a 313 kilometre line running from Adelaide to Wolseley on the Australian Rail Track Corporation network.[2][3] It is the South Australian section of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway.

History

[edit]

The line opened in stages: on 14 March 1883 from Adelaide to Aldgate, on 28 November 1883 to Nairne, on 1 May 1886 to Bordertown and on 19 January 1887 to Serviceton.[4] The line consisted of double track as far as Belair, where it became single track for the remainder of the journey east. Along its 313 km length, there are 18 crossing loops.[3] In 1995, the track was converted to standard gauge as part of the gauge conversion of the line to Melbourne. This included one of the lines west of Belair, effectively converting this section to two single lines. In 2009, the Belair line was relaid with dual gauge sleepers that will allow it to be converted to standard gauge in the future.[5][6]

Originally operated by South Australian Railways, in March 1978, it was transferred to Australian National and in July 1998 to the Australian Rail Track Corporation. Until April 1987, the State Transport Authority operated passenger services on the first 37 kilometres of the line from Adelaide to Bridgewater until they were curtailed to Belair, the terminus of today's Adelaide Metro Belair line.[7] TransAdelaide succeeded the STA in operating the line in 1994.

Route

[edit]

Major towns on the route include Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend, Keith, Bordertown and Wolseley. [2]

Former branch lines

[edit]

Services

[edit]

Today the route is mainly served by interstate freight services operated by Pacific National and SCT Logistics. Intrastate grain freight services from the Loxton and Pinnaroo lines operated by Genesee & Wyoming Australia ceased operating in July 2015.[8] Grain services from Tailem Bend and Wolseley run regularly via Aurizon trains.

Journey Beyond's The Overland is the only scheduled passenger service to traverse the full route, calling at Murray Bridge and Bordertown stations.[9] Adelaide Metro services operate from Adelaide to Belair.[7]

Prior to December 1990, the Blue Lake passenger to Mount Gambier served some towns along the line till Wolseley. The Blue Lake was withdrawn completely with the cessation of all AN intrastate passenger services on 31 December 1990.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ East – West Corridor SA Network Diagram ARTC
  2. ^ a b Dry Creek – Victorian border map SA Track & Signal
  3. ^ a b D3 Wolseley to Mile End Archived 2 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Australian Rail Track Corporation
  4. ^ Newland, Andrew; Quinlan, Howard (2000). Australian Railway Routes 1854 – 2000. Redfern: Australian Railway Historical Society. p. 53. ISBN 0-909650-49-7.
  5. ^ 2008/09 State Budget Archived 27 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine South Australian Department of Treasury & Finance June 2008
  6. ^ Belair Line Renewal Adelaide Metro
  7. ^ a b Belair timetable Archived 23 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Adelaide Metro 12 October 2014
  8. ^ Strathearn, Peri (21 May 2015). "End of line for Murraylands, Mallee grain trains". The Murray Valley Standard. Fairfax Regional Media. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  9. ^ The Overland Timetables Archived 22 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine Great Southern Rail
  10. ^ Masson, Johnny. "MOUNT GAMBIER MARSHALLING YARDS". Trove NLA. Johnny's Pages - Old SAR Shunter. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
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