Inverell railway line
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The Inverell railway line is a closed railway line in
History
An unsuccessful proposal by the mayor of Inverell, James H Hindmarsh was first made in 1872 to construct a railway from
In 1894 surveying of a line linking Moree and Inverell began, and the Parliamentary Committee for Public Works recommended it be constructed in 1897. Construction of the first section between Moree and Gravesend commenced in June 1898, opening 1 February 1900.[5] Construction was delayed in May 1900 when the two steel spans of 180 ft (55 m) for the bridge across the Gwydir River near Gravesend, the most significant bridge on the line, did not arrive from England on time.
By the end of 1901, earthworks were completed along the length of the line and a timber trestle bridge across Warialda Creek was nearing completion.[6] The section between Gravesend and Delungra officially opened with the Gwydir River bridge on 25 November 1901, and the final section between Delungra and Inverell on 10 March 1902.[5]
Travelling time for passengers between Sydney and Inverell by rail in 1904 was over twenty four hours.[7] In 1910, major flooding destroyed a bridge near Warialda, closing the line for three days until repairs could be completed.[5]
Goods traffic carried on the line during its operation was primarily livestock and grain. Several silos, stock loading facilities and associated sidings are still evident along the overgrown alignment. Passenger services were mostly provided by
Passenger services between Inverell and Moree ceased in 1983.[7] Many smaller stations had closed prior to this date due to declining passenger numbers. The final train from Inverell yard ran on 22 June 1987, and the line beyond Delungra was decommissioned on 2 December 1987.[10] In August 1991, the line was further truncated to Biniguy, with the final section closed on 14 June 1994 and the line listed as out of use beyond a short siding from the junction with the Mungindi line, just south of Moree station. The bridge across the Gwydir River near Gravesend has been listed as a heritage item since 1999.[11]
Proposed branches
In 1927 the New South Wales parliament passed legislation entitled Inverell to Ashford Railway Act 1927 No 27 to enable the construction of a 32 mi (51 km) branch line from a point near the Inverell station to the town of Ashford. The total cost to construct this line was estimated at £262,000.[12] Construction was never started.
Legislation was also passed in the form of the Glen Innes to Inverell Railway Act 1950 No 7 to allow for the construction of a 50 mi (80 km) link to extend the Moree to Inverell line as far as
Potential re-use
In 2011, the Regional Development Australia Committee - Northern Inland New South Wales backed feasibility studies based on a proposal to reopen and extend the line beyond Inverell to a new export port facility to be located near
References
- Clarence and Richmond Examiner. New South Wales, Australia. 14 August 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 7 December 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Bozier, R. "Inverell Branch". NSWrail.net website. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Border Integrated Transport Plan" (PDF). Queensland Government. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Fixing country rail Website". NSW freight. NSW Department of Transport. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Wilson, G. "Transport including Roads & Railway". Warialda visitor and community information. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Report of the Department of Public Works for the year ended 30th June 1900" (PDF). New South Wales Legislative Assembly. 30 July 1901. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ a b "The Way We Were" (PDF). Gum Flat Public School. Retrieved 2 August 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Warialda Rail - a brief history". Gwydir Shire Council. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- Gwydir shire council. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ Railway Digest January 1988 page 24
- ^ "Gravesend, Gwydir River Underbridge". NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- New South Wales Government. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- New South Wales Government. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ Bozier, R. "Guyra - Dorrigo Line". NSWrail.net website. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ Green, S (23 September 2011). "Proposal to build a railway line from Moree to the coast". The Inverell Times.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Proposed_Moree_Iluka_Rail_Route". Regional Development Australia - Northern Inland. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.