The Main Western Railway is a major railway in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia. It runs through the
Blue Mountains,
Central West,
North West Slopes and the
Far West Far West may refer to:
Places
* Western Canada, or the West
** British Columbia Coast
* Western United States, or Far West
** West Coast of the United States
* American frontier, or Far West, Old West, or Wild West
* Far West (Taixi), a term us ...
regions. It is with operational & under construction & repairs.
Description of route
The Main Western Railway Line is a westwards continuation of what is known as the
Main Suburban Line between
Sydney Central station and
Granville. The line is six electrified railway tracks between Central and
Strathfield, where the
Main Northern line branches off. The line is then four tracks as it passes through
Lidcombe, where the
Main Southern line branches off, and then through the Sydney suburbs of Parramatta and
Blacktown
Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Great ...
, where the
Richmond railway line
The Richmond railway line is a railway line in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a branch of the Main Western line. Sydney Trains operates electric passenger train services over the line and markets these as p ...
branches off. At
St Marys, the line becomes two tracks as it passes through
Penrith and
Emu Plains
Emu Plains is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 58 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney r ...
, the extent of Sydney suburban passenger train operation. From Emu Plains, the line traverses the
Blue Mountains passing through
Katoomba and
Mount Victoria before descending down the western side of the Blue Mountains through
ten tunnels to
Lithgow. Lithgow is the extent of urban electric passenger train services, although the electric wires extend slightly to
Bowenfels
Bowenfels is a small town on the western outskirts of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia.
Today there are effectively two Bowenfels. Near Lithgow, on the Great Western Highway, is Bowenfels (with the homestead of the valley's first settler, ...
. The line then proceeds through
Wallerawang, where the line becomes single track, and then passes through
Tarana,
Bathurst,
Blayney,
Orange (where the
Broken Hill line branches),
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
,
Dubbo
Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...
,
Narromine,
Nevertire
Nevertire is a rural village in New South Wales, Australia. It is located at the junction of the Mitchell Highway and the Oxley Highway, in Warren Shire. Nevertire is about 496 kilometres northwest of Sydney, 78 km north-west of Narrom ...
,
Nyngan,
Byrock and to
Bourke. The section between Nyngan and Bourke is now closed. The ''
Central West XPT'' operates as far as Dubbo.
History
The ''
Sydney Railway Company'', a private company established to serve the interests of the port of Sydney, announced proposals to build a railway line to
Bathurst in 1848. The company was taken over by the New South Wales Government in 1854, and in 1855 the first railway in the state was opened between
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
and the present-day
Granville (see
Rail transport in New South Wales). This railway was extended from Granville to the current
Parramatta station and
Blacktown
Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Great ...
in 1860 and
Penrith in 1863.
The railway then crossed the
Blue Mountains between 1867 and 1869. The Blue Mountains were a significant geographical barrier to the development of western New South Wales, and the crossing required significant feats of engineering for the railways, including two 'Zig Zags': one for the ascent at Lapstone, and another for the western descent. The first
"little" zigzag line opened near
Glenbrook in 1867 as part of the ascent of
Lapstone Hill on a gradient of 1 in 30–33. It was built with comparatively light earthwork, although it included a substantial seven-span sandstone viaduct (the Knapsack Viaduct) built by engineer,
John Whitton. By 1910, the line was replaced with a gentler alignment with 1 in 60 (1.67%) grades. The line reached
Wentworth Falls in 1867 and
Mount Victoria in 1868.
On the western descent from the Blue Mountains, the
Lithgow Zig Zag was constructed between 1866 and 1869. It was laid out in the shape of a 'Z' including reversing
points
Point or points may refer to:
Places
* Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland
* Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States
* Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
* Points ...
. It involved extremely heavy rock cuttings, three fine stone viaducts with semi-circular arches and a short tunnel. The Lithgow Zig Zag was replaced in 1910 by a deviation, which included ten tunnels.
From the western foot of the Blue Mountains, the line was promptly extended to
Wallerawang by 1870,
Tarana in 1872,
Bathurst,
Blayney in 1876 and
Orange in 1877.
By 1877, there was significant political pressure to minimise the diversion of trade from western New South Wales to Victoria and South Australia via river trade along the
Darling and
Murray
Murray may refer to:
Businesses
* Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles
* Murrays, an Australian bus company
* Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust
* D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...
Rivers. The town of
Bourke had become the key centre for pastoralists in western New South Wales since its formation in 1861. Provision was thus made to extend the line to Dubbo, reaching
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
in 1880 and
Dubbo
Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Go ...
in 1881. At the time, Dubbo had grown into a town of strategic importance on the stock routes between northern New South Wales and the Victorian goldfields.
Beyond Dubbo, the railway opened up new land to European settlement, and was directly responsible for the development of townships. The line reached the future site of
Narromine in 1883, and the railway station was the first building in the future settlement. The line reached the site of
Nevertire
Nevertire is a rural village in New South Wales, Australia. It is located at the junction of the Mitchell Highway and the Oxley Highway, in Warren Shire. Nevertire is about 496 kilometres northwest of Sydney, 78 km north-west of Narrom ...
in 1882, serving the nearby established village of
Warren (a branch opened to Warren in 1898). Construction reached the site of
Nyngan in 1883, with the nearby coach-stop village of
Canonbar moving in its entirely to establish the town of Nyngan. Beyond Nyngan, the line swept across the plains in a straight line for , then the longest stretch of straight railway line in the world. It reached the temporary terminus of
Byrock in 1884 before reaching its final destination of
Bourke in 1885.
Wool and livestock was the main source of goods traffic on the line throughout its life. In the 1890s a severe drought caused a significant downturn in traffic. In the following decade a branch to Brewarrina (in 1901) increased its catchment while that to Walgett (in 1908) from another artery, reduced its catchment area. The line beyond Dubbo became loss-making in 1901, and continued that way throughout its existence. Tonnages increased following World War 2, but declined from the 1970s. Passenger services beyond Dubbo ended in 1974.
Electrification
Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source.
The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...
reached Parramatta in 1928 and Penrith in 1955.
In the 1950s, the section of the line over the Blue Mountains was electrified primarily as a means of easing the haulage of coal freight from the western coalfields to the coastal ports, but a by-product of this programme was the introduction of electric interurban passenger services as far west as Bowenfels, later cut back to the current terminus of Lithgow. Since the late 1990s goods trains are now exclusively diesel hauled, with the only electric trains being passenger services using double deck interurban cars.
In 1980, quadruplication of the track between Blacktown and St Marys was completed.
In the 1990s the operator of interstate freight, the
National Rail Corporation, made the decision to divert Sydney- Perth traffic from the Blue Mountains section, to travel via the
Main South line to
Cootamundra
Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...
, and then via the
cross country line to
Parkes. This resulted in reduced goods traffic and subsequent reduction of the line between Wallerawang and Tarana from double to single track. Significant flooding saw the line cut between Nyngan and Bourke in April 1989, and the army destroyed a section of track north of Nyngan to relieve flood waters surrounding the town. It was not financially viable to repair and maintain the line, and the line was thus abandoned between Nyngan and Bourke.
Branch lines
Many branch lines were built or being built from &/or to the Main Western Line, some of which remain operational.
*A branch line ran from
Newnes Junction (near Clarence) to
Newnes
Newnes (), an abandoned oil shale mining site of the Wolgan Valley, is located in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The site that was operational in the early 20th century is now partly surrounded by Wollemi Nationa ...
(now in the
Wollemi National Park
The Wollemi National Park () is a protected national park and wilderness area that is located in the northern Blue Mountains and Lower Hunter regions of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The park, the second largest national park in New ...
) from 1907 to 1932 to service an
oil shale mine. Its
tunnels have become home to
glow worms since their abandonment.
* The
Gwabegar line opened from Wallerawang to
Capertee in 1882,
Mudgee in 1884,
Gulgong in 1909, Craboon, and
Dunedoo in 1910, Merrygoen,
Binnaway and
Coonabarabran
Coonabarabran
is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,537, Material was copied from this ...
in 1917 and Gwabegar in 1923. At one time it was proposed to extend it to Burren Junction to connect with the
Walgett Branch Railway Line between
Narrabri
Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. ...
&
Walgett and
Pokataroo Railway Line North to
Pokataroo
Pokataroo is a small settlement in the far north-west of New South Wales, Australia, that lies in the Walgett Shire
Walgett Shire is a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The northern boundary of the ...
& possibly
Collarenebri
Collarenebri is a town in north western New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Walgett Shire Local Government Area and is situated on the Barwon River approximately northeast of Walgett and south west of Mungindi on the Gwydir Highway. ...
. The section north of Coonabarabran has not seen a train since 2005.
* The
Oberon branch connected Tarana with
Oberon from 1923 to 1979.
* The
Blayney–Demondrille railway line
The Blayney–Demondrille railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line is used mainly for grain haulage and is owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity, a government department of Transport for NSW. However, in 2004 ...
connects the Main Western Line at
Blayney to the
Main Southern Railway Line @
Demondrille Triangular Railway Junction.
* The
Cadia Mine line connected
Spring Hill to
Cadia iron ore mine, from 1918 to 1929 (privately operated) and 1943 to 1945.
* The
Broken Hill line, now the mainline between Sydney to Perth, was constructed as a branch from the Main Western at Orange between 1885 and 1927.
* The Original
Sandy Hollow (from the
Merriwa Branch Railway Line) to
Maryvale Triangular Railway Junction on the Main Western Railway Line @ (Completed from
Sandy Hollow to Gulgong Section to the
Gwabegar Railway Line @
Gulgong only.)
* Dubbo to
Molong
Molong is a small town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, in Cabonne Shire.
History
The name Molong comes from the Aboriginal word for 'all rocks'.
William Lee of Kelso is said to have had cattle in the area by 1819. H ...
(
Broken Hill Line)
* The
Coonamble branch was built from Dubbo to
Gilgandra and
Coonamble
Coonamble is a town on the central-western plains of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Castlereagh Highway north-west of Gilgandra. At the 2016 census, Coonamble had a population of 2,750. It is the regional hub for wheat growing and ...
in 1903.
* The
Dubbo to Merrygoen line was opened in 1918, connecting with the
Gwabegar Railway Line to
Binnaway then a bit of shunting, then
Binnaway to Werris Creek line in 1923. These lines completed an inland route from
Junee on the
Main South line to the
Hunter Region
The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and s ...
.
* The
Parkes- Narromine line was opened from Narromine as an overland route to the
Broken Hill line at Parkes (and eventually to the
Main South line at Junee). It opened to
Peak Hill in 1910 and Parkes in 1914.
* The
Warren line, a short branch from Nevertire to
Warren opened in 1898.
* The
Cobar line was built from Nyngan to
Cobar
Cobar is a town in central western New South Wales, Australia whose economy is based mainly upon base metals and gold mining. The town is by road northwest of the state capital, Sydney. It is at the crossroads of the Kidman Way and Barrier H ...
in 1894 and the CSA Mine (12 km northwest of Cobar) in 1963.
* The
Brewarrina line was built from
Byrock to
Brewarrina
Brewarrina (pronounced 'bree-warren-ah'; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. The name Brewarrina is derived from 'burru waranha', a Weilwan name for a ...
in 1901 and closed in 1974.
Present operation
Goods traffic continues as far as Nyngan, to and from the
Cobar branch which connects at this point.
NSW TrainLink
NSW TrainLink is a train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, along with limited interstate services into Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Queensland and South Austral ...
operates the ''
Central West Express''
XPT service to Dubbo. The section between Sydney and Orange carries the ''
Indian Pacific
The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – thus, like ...
'' train to
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
(via the
Broken Hill line) and the once weekly NSW TrainLink Sydney to Broken Hill Xplorer DMU. The section to Lithgow carries electric commuter trains to and from Sydney (the
Blue Mountains Line).
References
Further reading
* Across the Tableland, "Bathurst to Orange Singleton", C.C.
Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, June 1940
* Across the Tableland, "Orange to Dubbo" Singleton, C.C.
Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July 1940
*
* The Western Plains Section, "Dubbo to Bourke" Singleton, C.C.
Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, September 1940
*
* many notes and numbers
{{Railway lines in New South Wales
Far West (New South Wales)
Railways with Zig Zags
Standard gauge railways in Australia