Wahgunyah railway line

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Wahgunyah railway line, Victoria
Line details
Opened 29 January 1879
Completed 29 January 1879
Closed 1 July 1995
Stations 3
Rail transport in Victoria

The Wahgunyah railway is a closed railway line in the north-east of Victoria, Australia. Branching off the main North East railway at Springhurst, it ran north to Wahgunyah. The terminus was near the New South Wales Culcairn - Corowa railway, but no bridge was ever provided over the Murray River. As the two lines were of differing gauges and the stations 2.5 kilometres (1.25 miles) apart there was probably no particular benefit for the expense of building a bridge to connect the two differing systems.

History

The line was opened as a whole from Springhurst to Wahgunyah in 1879.[1] The passenger service was withdrawn on 13 April 1962, being the last mixed train service to operate in Victoria.[2]

Services were suspended in 1995,[1] and the line effectively closed. However the 'Green TRail Associates Group' operated a trolley service over the line between Wahgunyah and Rutherglen for a number of years, known as the 'Stringybark Express - Lil Red Postal Motor'.[3] In 2002 the line was handed back to the Victorian Government by lease holder Freight Australia,[1] and in 2006 it was announced that the Murray to the Mountains Rail Trail would be built along the closed line, with 9 kilometres of trail.[4] This was completed in 2009.

Stations

Wahgunyah Railway Station

  • 29 January 1879 – 1 July 1995.

Lilliput Railway Station

    Rutherglen Railway Station

    • 29 January 1879 – 1 July 1995.

    Springhurst Railway Station

    • 21 November 1873 –present.

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "VICSIG - Infrastructure - Line Data Wahgunyah line". www.vicsig.net. Retrieved 4 January 2009. 
    2. ↑ Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 77–82. 
    3. ↑ "Rutherglen Train, Stringybark Express". www.albury.net.au. Retrieved 4 January 2009. 
    4. ↑ "Murray to Mountains Rail Trail (North East Victoria) to be Extended". Rail Trails News. www.railtrails.org.au. Retrieved 4 January 2009. 

    External links

    Main lines
    Branch lines
    Narrow gauge branch lines
    Cross Country lines
    V/Line services
    Melbourne
    Suburban services
    (current)
    Former lines
    Goods lines
    Tourist railways
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