North Coast railway line, New South Wales

North Coast Line

Grafton Bridge opened over the
Clarence River in 1932
Overview
Type Heavy rail
Status Open
Locale Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales
Termini Maitland
Brisbane Roma Street
Operation
Opened 6 November 1905 (1905-11-06)
Owner New South Wales Government Railways (1905-15)
Department of Railways (1915-72)
Public Transport Commission (1972-80)
State Rail Authority (1980-2003)
RailCorp (2003-present)
Technical
Line length 795 km (494 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)
Route map

Showing distance in km from Central station, Sydney

Legend

193 Maitland (Left arrow Main North line Right arrow)
195 Telarah
Walka Water Works
199 Oakhampton
Hunter River
203 Mindaribba
Ardrie
213 Paterson
Paterson River
219 Martins Creek
Martins Creek quarry
Barokee
226 Hilldale
Wallarobba Tunnel
232 Wallarobba
238 Wirragulla
245 Dungog
Williams River
Dingadee
254 Monkarai
Monkarai Tunnel
Nooroo
267 Stroud Road
278 Weismantels
283 Wards River
291 Craven
Stratford colliery
295 Stratford
Avon River
302 Berrico
309 Gloucester
Avon River
316 Yumbunga
Bulliac Tunnel
324 Bulliac
334 Bundook
339 Somerset
Manning River
342 Mount George
Charity Creek
353 Kimbriki
355 Karaak Flat
360 Killawarra
367 Wingham
Kolodong
379 Taree
387 Kundle Kundle
392 Melinga
403 Coopernook
Moorland
418 Johns River
Batar
433 Kendall
439 Herons Creek
446 Kerrewong
Kerrewong Tunnel
455 Wauchope
Hastings River
463 Pembroke
Wilson River
472 Telegraph Point
483 Mingaletta
487 Kundabung
Macleay River
504 Kempsey
515 Colombatti
520 Tamban
535 Eungai
544 Warrell Creek
552 Macksville
Nambucca River
557 Wirrimbi
Newee Creek
565 Nambucca Heads
Peterkins School Platform
581 Urunga
Kalang River
586 Raleigh
Bellinger River
588 Repton
Repton Tunnel
Archville
596 Bonville
601 Sawtell
607 Boambee Beach
608 Coffs Harbour
Red Hill No.1 Tunnel
Red Hill No.2 Tunnel
Red Hill No.3 Tunnel
Red Hill No.4 Tunnel
Red Hill No.5 Tunnel
620 Landrigans
623 Karangi
628 Coramba
633 Mellelea
640 Nana Glen
(Left arrow Dorrigo line)
652 Glenreagh
664 Kungala
673 Lanitza
683 Braunstone
696 Grafton
Clarence River
699 Old Grafton
706 Koolkhan
714 Kirran
717 Warragai Creek
728 Gurranang
739 Lawrance Road
743 Banyabba
757 Camira Creek
Myrtle Creek
776 Rappville
Coombell
794 Leeville
South Casino
805 Casino
(Left arrow Murwillumbah line)
Nammoona
816 Fairy Hill
Backmede
Baraimol
Kyogle
838 Kyogle North
Kilgra
Hermits Peak
847 Wiangaree
The Cape
853 The Risk
Mount Lion
863 Loadstone
Treberth
Cougal
Cougal Spiral No.1 Tunnel
Cougal Spiral No.2 Tunnel
875 Border Loop
Border Tunnel
876 Queensland border
888 Glenapp
897 Dulbolla
Left arrow Beaudesert Shire Tramway Right arrow
Logan River
909 Tamrookum
931 Bromelton
938 Kagaru
957 Greenbank
972 Acacia Ridge freight terminal
Pradella Sidings
Left arrow
Queensland Rail Tennyson line
(3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge)
Right arrow
979 Clapham freight terminal

Left arrow
Follows Cleveland line
to Port of Brisbane
984 Park Road sidings
Vulture Street tunnel
986
South Brisbane Interstate Station
(terminus 1930-1986)
Brisbane River (Merivale Bridge)
Pacific Motorway
988 Brisbane Roma Street
The North Coast railway line is also a railway in Queensland, Australia

The North Coast Line is the primary rail route in the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales, Australia, and forms a major part of the Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor.

The line begins at Maitland and ends at Roma Street railway station in Brisbane, although freight services terminate at the yard at Acacia Ridge on the outskirts of Brisbane. Along the way, the railway passes through the towns of Dungog, Gloucester, Wingham, Taree, Kendall, Wauchope, Kempsey, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Urunga, Sawtell, Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Casino and Kyogle. After the standard gauge line ends at Acacia Ridge, it forms a dual gauge line into Brisbane, running alongside parts of the Beenleigh railway line.

Since the Main Northern Line was closed north of Armidale in 1988, the North Coast line is now the only route between Sydney and Queensland. With the closure of former branches to Dorrigo (1972) and Murwillumbah (2004) there are now no operating branches off the line.

The Bonalbo branch from Casino was stillborn, with partial construction left incomplete.

At the NSW/Queensland border is a long tunnel called Border Tunnel. Immediately south of it was Border Loop, a short crossing loop, which is now closed. About one kilometre south of that is the Cougal Spiral. These two locations are often confused, Border Loop is not Cougal Spiral.

The line is owned by RailCorp but leased to the Australian Rail Track Corporation until 2064.[1][2][3]

History

Paterson bridge under construction in 1910
Official opening of the Kyogle Interstate Railway Line by Mrs AE Moore, wife of Queensland Premier at South Brisbane

The first North Coast railway was opened between Murwillumbah, Byron Bay and Lismore in 1894 and extended to Casino in 1903 and Grafton in 1905. A branch line was built to Kyogle in 1910 and extended to South Brisbane in 1930.

The line was built between 1905 and 1932, and when completed, bypassed the Main North line and provided a quicker route up the eastern seaboard. The development of the line was hampered by the many large rivers that flow through the North Coast. The line also features the Cougal Spiral, which is one of only two spirals in New South Wales.

A railway was built from Maitland to Paterson and Dungog in 1911. It was extended to Gloucester and Taree in 1913 and Wauchope, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Glenreagh and South Grafton (now Grafton station) in 1915.[4]

The Clarence River was the most difficult river to cross and it was not crossed until 1932.[4][5] In the meantime services were connected by rail ferry that carried the carriages across the river. The opening of the Grafton Bridge in 1932 completed the Sydney – Brisbane line as the first standard gauge inter-capital link.

The completion of the Sydney–Brisbane link saw the Casino–Murwillumbah line become a branch line.[6] In 1930 a branch line had been added to Ballina but this closed in 1949.[7] The Murwillumbah branch closed in 2004.

A picturesque branch was opened from Glenreagh to Dorrigo in 1924, but was difficult to maintain due to the steep terrain and high rainfall and it was closed in 1972 after a washaway.[8] The Glenreagh to Ulong section is proposed for reopening as a heritage tourist railway by the Glenreagh Mountain Railway. The Dorrigo Steam Railway is also being set up in Dorrigo as a museum and working exhibit.

Passenger services

Line at Bundook, near Gloucester
Kendall station in January 2008

Current services

NSW TrainLink operates three daily XPT services from Sydney to Grafton, Casino and Brisbane.[9]

Freight services

When the Main North Line was closed north of Armidale in 1988, super-freighters to Brisbane began using the North Coast Line, operated by the State Rail Authority, then National Rail. Today, freight services on the North Coast Line are operated by Pacific National and Aurizon. These superfreighters do not serve any of the towns they pass through - in the government railways era, there would be regular freight services to towns such as Kempsey, Grafton and Casino. The only freight train that regularly services the North Coast Line is a cement and sugar train for Grafton.

Historical services

The premier trains on the North Coast line were the two daily services to Brisbane, the Brisbane Limited and the Brisbane Express. The Limited was the fastest service, stopping only at major stations, while the Express operated as a sweeper service stopping at most stations north of Grafton and provided connections to services on the Murwillumbah branch.[10] Air-conditioned Sleeping cars had operated on the Brisbane Limited from 1960. In April 1973 the Brisbane Express was withdrawn and replaced by the Gold Coast Motorail, operating to Murwillumbah. The North Coast Daylight Express and North Coast Mail operated to Grafton until they were both replaced in 1985 by a single Holiday Coast XPT train. Following the Booz Allen Hamilton review of 1989 which recommended severe rationalisation of country rail services, the Brisbane and Murwillumbah services were converted to XPT operation in February 1990, and a locomotive hauled Grafton Express service to Grafton introduced in June 1990.[11] In November 1993 the Grafton Express was also converted to XPT operation.[12]

Improvement Works

The North Coast Line has significant curvature, equivalent to turning through 150 circles – 75.5 to the right and 74.5 to the left heading north, the difference of one circle due to the Cougal Spiral in the Border Ranges. Of course the curves are unevenly distributed meaning that maximum speeds change hundreds of times usually within the range of 60 km/hr and 115 km/hr for freight trains.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation has recently resleepered the track with concrete sleepers, upgraded the signals and installed new loops to increase efficiency. In mid-2011 they eased about 58 sections of curves on the line, increasing line speed for the XPT and freight trains. The curve easing was done without land purchases, so the track changes would be minor, staying within the existing corridor.

Location List

This is a list of all the locations and crossing loops on the North Coast line.

Location Distance from Sydney Signal Prefix
Telarah 194.5 MD
Mindaribba 203.5 02
Paterson 213.2 03
Martins Creek 218.5 04
Kilbride 223.5 05
Hilldale 226.2
Wallarobba 231.7
Wallarobba Loop 234.0 06
Wirragulla 238.0
Dungog 245.2 07
North Dungog 247.2 07
Monkerai 254.0 08
Stroud Road 266.5 09
Duralie 272.8 09
Weismantels 278.1
South Craven 290.5 11
North Craven 292.5 11
Berrico 301.9 12
Gloucester 309.3 13
Yumbunga (closed) 316.4 14
Bulliac 324.1 15
Bundook 334.4 16
Mount George 342.1 17
Kimbriki (closed) 353.2 18
Killawarra 360.3 19
Wingham 367.1 20
Taree 378.6 21
Melinga 392.3 22
Coopernook 403.6 23
Johns River 417.7 24
Kendall 433.0 25
Kerewong 445.8 26
Wauchope 455.0 27
Telegraph Point 472.5 28
Kundabung 487.2 29
Kempsey 503.5 30
Collombatti
Tamban 520.6 31
Barraganyatti
Eungai 534.6 32
Warrell Creek
Macksville 552.4
Nambucca Heads 565.1 34
Urunga 580.9
Raleigh 586.5 35
Bonville 596.5 36
Sawtell 600.7
Boambee Beach 606.8 37
Coffs Harbour 608.1 37
Landrigans 619.6 38
Coramba 628.0 39
Nana Glen 640.3 40
Glenreagh 651.9 41
Kungala 664.3 42
Braunstone 683.3 43
Grafton 695.7 44
Old Grafton 698.8 45
Koolkhan 706.8
Kyarran 713.6 46
Lawrence Road 738.7 47
Camira Creek
Rappville 776.2 50
Leeville (closed) 793.7 51
Casino 805.1 52
Nammoona 810.1 CO
Kyogle 833.8
Kyogle Loop 837.1 KE
Loadstone 863.5 LE
Border Loop 875.1
NSW/Queensland Border 876.0
Glenapp 887.6 GP
Tamrookum 909.3 TM
Bromelton 931.7 BN
Greenbank 955.6 GK
Acacia Ridge AR
Salisbury Junction 975.976 SY
Clapham Loop CM
Yeerongpilly YY
Dutton Park Junction DP
South Brisbane SB
Roma Street RS

See also

References

  1. Memorandum between The Commonwealth of Australia & The State of New South Wales & Australian Rail Track Corporation Limited Australian Rail Track Corporation
  2. The Agreement in Summary Australian Rail Track Corporation
  3. Annual Report 30 June 2004 Australian Rail Track Corporation
  4. 1 2 "North Coast Line". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
  5. "Crossing the Clarence" Roundhouse July 1982 pages 4-23
  6. "Murwillumbah Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
  7. "Ballina Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
  8. "Dorrigo Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
  9. "North Coast timetable" (PDF). NSW Trainlink. 20 October 2013 [Updated 6 April 2014].
  10. Milne, R. The last days of the Brisbane Express and the Brisbane Limited. Bulletin, ARHS. Vol 49, no 724. Feb 1998.
  11. "An Obituary to the Grafton Express" Railway Digest January 1994
  12. "Ten Years of the North Coast XPTs" Railway Digest February 2000

Bibliography

  • Avery, Rod (2006). Freight Across the Nation: The Australian Superfreighter Experience. Brisbane: Copyright Publishing Co. ISBN 1876344474. 
  • North Coast Line of the New South Wales Railways, Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, August, 1984, pp 169–183.
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