Murwillumbah railway line, New South Wales

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Murwillumbah Branch
Legend North Coast Line to Sydney Old Casino Bungabbee Leicester Lismore North Lismore Woodlawn Leicester Bexhill Eltham Laureldale Booyong Junction Tyumba Teven Ballina Booyong Binna Burra Bangalow St Helena Byron Bay Tyagarah Myocum Mullumbimby Billinudgel Crabbes Creek Mooball Burringbar Stokers Dunbible Murwillumbah Condong

The Murwillumbah railway line is a closed railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line connected the town of Casino with Lismore, Byron Bay and Murwillumbah, and opened in 1894^[1]. It is one of only two branches of the North Coast line, and the last to have its services suspended (in 2004).

Contents 1 History 2 Ballina Branch 3 Services 4 See also 5 References

[edit] History

The first section opened between Lismore and Murwillumbah, conncecting the Richmond and Tweed rivers. Passengers and goods were transported to Sydney by coastal shipping from Byron Bay. Nine years later, an extension from Lismore to Casino opened (and later south to Grafton- it was not until 1932 that the line was fully connected to Sydney). As early as 1889, feasibility talks took place into extending the line north from Murwillumbah into Queensland, discussions that continue to the present day. The line became a branch line when in 1930, the North Coast line was extended from Kyogle into South Brisbane.

[edit] Ballina Branch

In 1930, a branch opened between Booyong and the town of Ballina. In 1948, flood damage and landslips saw services suspended on the line, and it was officially closed in 1953. ^[2]

[edit] Services

The North Coast Mail was the premier train between Murwillumbah and Sydney after the North Coast line was completed in the 1930s^[3]. Additional local trains plied the tracks between Casino and Murwillumbah, connecting with other services such as the Brisbane Express. 620/720 class railcars also worked this line. From 1973, the Gold Coast Motorail provided passenger and car transport between Sydney and Murwillumbah. From 1990, passenger trains were operated by a daily XPT train,^[4] until its truncation to Casino in 2004 when the branch line became too expensive to repair and all services were suspended indefinitely.

[edit] See also

• Rail transport in New South Wales

[edit] References

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