Rail Transport In Tasmania
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Rail transport in Tasmania consists of a network of
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
track of reaching virtually all cities and major towns in the island state of
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
, Australia. Today, rail services are focused primarily on bulk freight, with no passenger services operated. The mainline railways of Tasmania are currently operated by
TasRail TasRail (legal name Tasmanian Railway Pty Limited) is a Tasmanian Government state-owned enterprise that has operated the Rail transport in Tasmania, mainline railways in Tasmania since September 2009. It operates only freight services. Histo ...
, a
Government of Tasmania The Tasmanian Government is the executive branch of the Australian state of Tasmania. The leader of the party or coalition with the Confidence and supply, confidence of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, House of Assembly, the lower house of the ...
owned corporation, who owns and maintains both rolling stock, locomotives and track infrastructure.


Traffic

Tasmania has a small rail system by world standards. It currently carries no regular passenger services. Freight services are supported (in part) by state government funding. The main cargo carried is cement, which is carried from Railton to the port at Devonport. Other major commodities carried are coal, logs, containers and newsprint.


History


Routes

A railway line was opened between Deloraine and Launceston on 10 February 1871 by the private Launceston & Western Railway, on the basis of debt guarantees from landowners who stood to benefit. The line went bankrupt in 1872 and was taken over by the
Government of Tasmania The Tasmanian Government is the executive branch of the Australian state of Tasmania. The leader of the party or coalition with the Confidence and supply, confidence of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, House of Assembly, the lower house of the ...
on 31 October 1873, which then attempted to recover the debt from the guarantors, leading to civil unrest.Linking a Nation: The Railway Age, 1874-1920
Australian Heritage Council
On 1 March 1876, another private railway, the Tasmanian Main Line Company, which was guaranteed by the
Government of Tasmania The Tasmanian Government is the executive branch of the Australian state of Tasmania. The leader of the party or coalition with the Confidence and supply, confidence of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, House of Assembly, the lower house of the ...
, opened a narrow gauge line from
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
to Evandale, near Launceston. A further extension, opened on 1 November 1876, connected with the Launceston & Western Railway at a
break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally canno ...
at Western Junction with the line to Deloraine, however the line between Western Junction and Launceston was made dual gauge. The line between Western Junction and Deloraine was converted to dual gauge on 17 March 1885. On 30 May 1885 the line was extended to Devonport. The Launceston to Deloraine line was converted to solely narrow gauge on 18 August 1888, creating a single narrow gauge network. On 1 October 1890 the Tasmanian Government bought the Tasmanian Main Line Company, creating the Tasmanian Government Railways. On 15 April 1901 the Devonport line was extended to
Burnie Burnie ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#North, pirinilaplu/palawa kani: ''Pataway'') is a port city located on the North West Tasmania, north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. It is the fourth largest city on the island, located approximately north ...
, connecting with the
Emu Bay Railway The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lye ...
's
Melba line The Melba railway line is a narrow-gauge railway on the West Coast, Tasmania, West Coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest-lasting and most successfu ...
to
Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan and neighbouring mining towns of Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater Zeehan a ...
, which was completed on 21 December 1900. The government railway was extended to Wynyard on 1 February 1913. The line was extended to Wiltshire Junction on 12 July 1922, connecting with the already existing line between
Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
and Smithton. Passenger services ceased in July 1978 with the withdrawal of the '' Tasman Limited''.


Principal branch lines

*Mole Creek Line – A branch line was opened from Deloraine (Lemana Junction) to Mole Creek on 5 April 1890. This line closed on 6 February 1985. *Scottsdale Line – Opened from Launceston to Scottsdale on 9 August 1889 and extended to Branxholm on 12 July 1911 and Herrick on 15 March 1919. *Fingal Line – Opened from Conara Junction (on the Hobart to Launceston line) to St Marys on 29 June 1886. * Oatlands line – Opened from Parattah to Oatlands on 13 May 1885. The line closed on 10 June 1949. * Derwent Valley Line – Opened from Bridgewater to
New Norfolk New Norfolk ( ; Aboriginal Tasmanians#Big River, Leenowwenne/palawa kani: ''Wulawali'') is a river bank, riverside town located on the Derwent River (Tasmania), River Derwent in southeastern Tasmania, Australia. Established in 1807, it is Tasm ...
on 1 September 1887 and was extended to Glenora on 22 July 1888. The ultimate terminus of Derwent Valley line was Kallista which was reached on 6 July 1936. *Bellerive-Sorell Line – This isolated line was built between Bellerive and Sorell on the eastern shore of the Derwent River on 2 May 1892. It closed on 30 June 1926. * Strahan to Zeehan line – This isolated line was built between
Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan and neighbouring mining towns of Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greater Zeehan a ...
and Regatta Point opened on 4 February 1892. The line was fully closed on 25 January 1963. * Melrose line – Opened between Don Junction and Paloona on 10 April 1916 and extended to Barrington on 23 September 1923. The line was completely closed back to the junction on 16 October 1963, but the section from Don Junction to Don Township was reopened on 20 November 1976 by the Don River Railway. * Bell Bay line, built between Launceston and Bell Bay opening on 17 May 1974 to access the industries established there, including shipping.


Emu Bay Railway

The earlier lines of the
West Coast, Tasmania The West Coast of Tasmania is one of the regions of Tasmania in Australia. It is mainly isolated rough country and is associated with wilderness, mining and tourism. It served as the location of an early convict settlement in the early history ...
were independent of the main Tasmanian Railway system when built, but most connected to the
Melba line The Melba railway line is a narrow-gauge railway on the West Coast, Tasmania, West Coast of Tasmania. The line was originally constructed as a private railway line named the Emu Bay Railway and was one of the longest-lasting and most successfu ...
. The North Mount Lyell railway line and a few other smaller lines were not connected to the Melba line. The
Emu Bay Railway The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount Lye ...
was purchased by
Australian Transport Network Australian Transport Network (ATN) was a freight railway operator in Australia that commenced operating in November 1997. The company operated narrow gauge trains in Tasmania and standard gauge trains in New South Wales and Victoria. It was fo ...
on 22 May 1998, thus merging that line with the remainder of the system that company then operated. Today known as the Melba line, it was excluded from the 2007 lease arrangement.Tasmanian Railway Network Declaration Application
National Competition Council The National Competition Council (NCC) is an Australian research and advisory body, legislated by Part IIA of the ''Competition and Consumer Act 2010.'' The NCC was originally established in 1995 by the Council of Australian Governments. Funded b ...
1 May 2007


Operators

Historically, all the mainline railways were operated by the Tasmanian Government Railways, which was absorbed into the Australian National in March 1978 and renamed
Tasrail TasRail (legal name Tasmanian Railway Pty Limited) is a Tasmanian Government state-owned enterprise that has operated the Rail transport in Tasmania, mainline railways in Tasmania since September 2009. It operates only freight services. Histo ...
. In November 1997, TasRail was sold to the
Australian Transport Network Australian Transport Network (ATN) was a freight railway operator in Australia that commenced operating in November 1997. The company operated narrow gauge trains in Tasmania and standard gauge trains in New South Wales and Victoria. It was fo ...
, a partnership of New Zealand-based
Tranz Rail Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Limited (New Zealand Rail Limited until 1995), was the main Rail transport in New Zealand, rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003. History The New Zealand ...
and United States railroad Wisconsin Central. This sale also included a 50-year lease of the Crown land on which the Tasmanian railway network was situated. Tasrail was granted the exclusive right to use and occupy the land, but owned the infrastructure situated on that land and was obliged to maintain at its own cost. In 2004, the railway was purchased by
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock, jointly owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Governm ...
following the purchase of
Tranz Rail Tranz Rail, formally Tranz Rail Holdings Limited (New Zealand Rail Limited until 1995), was the main Rail transport in New Zealand, rail operator in New Zealand from 1991 until it was purchased by Toll Holdings in 2003. History The New Zealand ...
by Toll Holdings, and the sale of Wisconsin Central's overseas investments as a result of that railroad's takeover by
Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue an ...
. In September 2005, Pacific National angered the
Tasmanian Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The state encompasses the main island of Tasmania, the 26th ...
and Federal governments when it threatened to withdraw all services unless the governments paid a $100 million
subsidy A subsidy, subvention or government incentive is a type of government expenditure for individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilizing the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having acc ...
. That was alarming, because a shut-down of all rail services would result in thousands more trucks on already busy roads. Initially, neither the federal or state government acted on the issue. Later, the state infrastructure minister Bryan Green and his federal counterpart, transport minister
Warren Truss In structural engineering, a Warren truss or equilateral truss is a type of truss employing a weight-saving design based upon Triangle, equilateral triangles. It is named after the British engineer James Warren (engineer), James Warren, who pat ...
, announced a $120 million rescue package, designed to ensure that Pacific National would continue operation in the state. In May 2007, the Tasmanian Government, the Federal Government and Pacific National came to an agreement regarding the funding, ownership and operation of the Tasmanian railway network. The Government of Tasmania would acquire the railway infrastructure previously leased to Pacific National. Pacific National would continue to provide rail services on the network. The Federal Government's AusLink program provided $78 million in funding for capital works. The Tasmanian Government also agreed to provide $4 million funding each year for maintenance. In September 2009, the Tasmanian Government and Pacific National entered into an agreement for sale of the Tasmanian rail business, with rail infrastructure and railway operations to be maintained, managed and owned by a new government owned rail company,
TasRail TasRail (legal name Tasmanian Railway Pty Limited) is a Tasmanian Government state-owned enterprise that has operated the Rail transport in Tasmania, mainline railways in Tasmania since September 2009. It operates only freight services. Histo ...
.


Rolling stock

TasRail has operated the mainline railways in Tasmania since 2009 and provides freight service across the state. As at October 2024, it operated four 2050 class, seven DQ class and 17 TR class locomotives.TasRail locomotive and rolling stock update ''
Railway Digest ''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways in Australia. Overview The magazine is published by the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was in March 1 ...
'' December 2014 page 20


Heritage operators

The following table lists railways and museums which run vintage passenger trains and rolling stock:


References


Further reading

* {{Navbox track gauge 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia