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The Culcairn – Corowa railway line is a closed railway branch line in southern 
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. It branched off of the Main Southern railway line
The Main Southern Railway (or Great Southern Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs from Sydney to Albury, near the Victorian border. The line passes through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West ...
at Culcairn
Culcairn () is a town in the south-east Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. Culcairn is located in the Greater Hume Shire local government area on the Olympic Highway between Albury and Wagga Wagga. The town is south-west of the stat ...
and headed south-west to the town of Corowa
Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is on the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah. It is the largest town in the Federation Counci ...
on the Murray River
The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...
. The southern terminus was near the Victorian Railways Springhurst – Wahgunyah railway, but no bridge was ever provided over the river.
History
Construction was underway prior to 1891 with the line opening on 3 October 1892 and its main purpose was for the transport of wheat. Railway ballast was also carried along this line for use on the NSW rail network out of the 'Hurricane Hill' quarry siding. Passenger services ceased in 1975, a time when the widespread closure of country branch-line passenger services occurred. The section from Corowa to Brocklesby was decommissioned in January 1989; the last train (An XPT Xp2006 “City of Wagga Wagga” set known as 'The Federation Flyer') ran on that section on 24 January 1988. The section from Brocklesby to Culcairn was decommissioned in December 1991.Current status
The old tracks have not yet been removed from their original position but the line itself is in reasonable condition. NSWSRA removed a majority of the station amenities following the mothballing of the line in 1991. There has been renewed interest in reinstating the rail line as a heritage railway by the proposed Culcairn-Corowa Heritage Railway Assoc.Further reading
* * * *See also
*Rail transport in New South Wales
The Australian States of Australia, state of New South Wales has an extensive network of railways, which were integral to the growth and development of the state. The vast majority of railway lines were government built and operated, but there ...
References
Railway line coords
* Culcairn * Burkitts Creek * Red Creek * Billabong * Weeamera * Hurricane Hill * Back Creek * Petries Creek * Walla Walla * Burrumbuttock * Orelda * Brocklesby * Balldale * Hopefield * Corowa Closed regional railway lines in New South Wales Standard-gauge railways in Australia Railway lines opened in 1892 Railway lines closed in 1989 {{NewSouthWales-rail-transport-stub