This presentation, Central Australia Line Pt 2, continues on from where Central Australia Line Pt 1 concluded, covering passenger and freight train operation on both the ‘down’ and ‘up’ as we move from Port Augusta to Darwin.
As stated previously, South Australian Railways have always been an operational nightmare with 3 different main line gauges operating throughout the state. The standard gauge track over which we will pass on our journey was commissioned as follows: Port Augusta to Tarcoola in 1917 (as part of the original Trans Australia Line) and Tarcoola to Alice Springs in 1980 (superseding the original narrow gauge Ghan Line which was started in 1880s and, running much further to the east, finally reached Alice Springs in 1929), and Alice Springs to Darwin in 2004.
The Alice Springs to Darwin section is owned and operated, under a 50 year agreement with the Commonwealth and South Australian governments, by FreightLink, who also control the Tarcoola to Alice Springs section. Access rights have been granted to other accredited operators and the track has reputedly picked up 90% of the former road transport haulage between Adelaide and Darwin. Additionally, several ore mining haulage contracts have been signed (eg. Manganese ore from the Bootu Mine and iron ore from Francis Creek) with several other contracts pending.
A disturbing blot on an otherwise great achievement is the fact that FreightLink, after only four years operation, was placed into voluntary receivership in November 2008, weighed down by the massive interest bill on the funding debt for the construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin track. Whether it will fold, like the former 510 kilometre narrow gauge rail link from Darwin (actually Palmerston) to Birdum, started by the South Australian Railways in 1889, completed by the Commonwealth Railways in 1928 and closed in 1976, is yet to be seen.
Locomotives seen in this presentation include ALF, AN, C, CLF/P, FJ, G, GM, NR, NSU, RL, SCT, VL and 422/2200 Class in the liveries of Commonwealth Railways, CFCLA, Coote Industries, FreightLink, Genesee & Wyoming, National Rail, PacNat, SCT, and South Spur, while passenger equipment is Great Southern rolling stock.
Approximate run time: 96 minutes.