Rail transport in Western Australia

The railway in Western Australia was established since 1871, when the first line was put into operation. The further development became apparent through a mixed system of state railways and privately built and operated railways. The latter were mainly the removal of raw materials, first of wood and later of mining products.

History

Due to the extremely low population density of the colony Western Australia, which also focused on the region around the capital, Perth and Fremantle harbor, the railway in Western Australia was compared to the railways of the more eastern Australian colonies relatively late. Cost-effective compounds were characterized only from the end of the 1860s. The standard gauge is opposite to the standard gauge cheaper Cape gauge was chosen. Since 1877, the control of the railroads subject to a separate Ministry of Railways of the State of Western Australia.

The first railway line Western Australia was a privately built route between Lockville on the coast and in the hinterland Yoganup, south of Perth. She served the removal of wood, particularly the wood of the jarrah tree, a sought-after raw material for railway sleepers. Many such tracks were built in the following years in Western Australia. 1879 followed the first built by the State Railways, the distance between Geralton and Northampton. Perth and its port of Fremantle in 1881 were connected by rail. So the first routes emerged both as State Railways ( Western Australian Railways, 1890: Western Australian Government Railways, 1975-2000: West Rail ) as well as privately built and partly by government land grants financed railways. Important private railways were the Midland Railway of Western Australia and the Great Southern Railway (Western Australia). The latter was taken over in 1896 by the state railway, the former in 1964. Important reason for the construction of the routes was the removal of agricultural and mining products, so the connection between the hinterland and ports. Most important connections were emanating from Perth routes to Fremantle (1881 ), Albany (1889 ) - built by the Great Southern Railway (Western Australia) - Bunbury (1893 ), Geraldton (1894 ) and Kalgoorlie (1896 ) and the combination of Kalgoorlie to Esperance. In addition, the state railway built some narrow gauge lines in more remote parts of the country, such as Port Hedland from inland to Marble Bar, known as " Spinifex Flier ". Opened with the Kalgoorlie outgoing, leading to the east, built by the Federal Railways and operated, 1917 Trans Australian Railway reached a standard gauge track in Western Australia for the first time. It was extended to the west to Northam 1968, to where they replaced the Cape gauge track. To the west of Northam, a three -rail track was installed, so the standard gauge was extended to Fremantle and in some industrial and commercial areas in the vicinity of Perth. All Cape gauge routes east of Kalgoorlie, including the route to Esperance, have been completely umgespurt to standard gauge. The mine own tracks in the north of Western Australia were also built to standard gauge, but a stand-alone operation without connection to the rest of the network.

Operation

Traffic

Passenger is run by the state Public Transport Authority (Western Australia) offered that ( for suburban services in Greater Perth ) and Transwa operates the two railway companies Transperth ( for national long distance ). In this national long distance but only connections on the routes between Perth, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury are offered. The connection Perth - Kalgoorlie is operated by train Prospector, which up to 160 km / h on the normal track. This is in addition to the tilting trains of the railway in Queensland the highest Mileage in scheduled traffic speed in Australia. In addition, in connection Perth Sydney enters the Great Southern Railway, which operates the Indian Pacific.

In 2000, the state sold its rail freight division of the Australian Western Railroad, which was part of the Australian Railroad Group ( ARG) and was sold in 2006 to Queensland Rail. A significant part of the network was to WestNet Rail, which also belonged to the Australian Railroad Group, leased, which operates the national freight transport. This lease took over in 2006, Babcock & Brown Limited. The interstate freight transport is driven by Pacific National and QRNational.

Infrastructure

The Cape gauge network of the former Western Australian state railway, including the three-rail track between Perth and Northam and the other way sprint to standard gauge lines from Northam to Kalgoorlie and from there to Esperance, continues in the management of Babcock & Brown Limited. The routes for suburban services in the area of Perth from 1986 were electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC. This suburban network will be further expanded and is in Australia as exemplary. The standard gauge line east of Kalgoorlie heard in succession to the Australian Federal Railways of the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

Orbits of the mining operations

Some mining companies entertain in the north of Western Australia 's rail networks linking the mining operations with ports on the coast. There are three route networks. All are made of standard gauge and are used exclusively by the factory freight. It suits run other mining operations on network access.

• From Port Hedland two of BHP Billiton owned transport facilities to the hinterland. These are the Mount Newman railway to Newman and
• The Goldsworthy railway by Shay Gap.

With these paths, iron ore is transported from the degradation of the freight. They are designed for a maximum transport capacity and are considered technical systems that bring out the maximum performance, which is to make the wheel-rail system in the situation. The driving here trains are among the longest and most difficult in the world.

Furthermore, other such routes are planned or under construction:

• It was suggested a route from the port Oakajee (north of Geralton ) into the hinterland. This web is - in contrast to the existing - are open for any mining operation that wants to connect to it.
• Also with a view of the port of Oakajee WestNet Rail has proposed a rail connection with three-rail track, which could also connect to the Cape gauge of the existing network south of Geralton.
• 2010 announced the Rio Tinto Group, to prevent further iron ore mines with a railway line to the port of Dampier.