Adelaide–Darwin railway

Route map of the line

The Adelaide–Darwin railway is a north–south transcontinental railway in Australia, between the cities of Adelaide, South Australia and Darwin, Northern Territory. Between 2000-2004 the line was extended from Alice Springs to Darwin as a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer back (BOOT) project by the AustralAsia Rail Corporation.

The line sees the Great Southern Rail operated passenger train 'The Ghan' as well as goods trains operated by Genesee & Wyoming Australia.

History

NSU class diesel locomotive on display at Marree station

Elizabeth River Bridge, 17 km South of Darwin

See Central Australian Railway for details of history of the first route - the Adelaide-Darwin railway is a different gauge and route

• 18 January 1878: South: Construction from Port Augusta starts
• 1879: South: Quorn reached
• 1883: South: Maree reached
• 1883: North: Construction of the North Australia Railway from Palmerston (Darwin) starts
• 1888: North: Pine Creek reached
• 1891: South: Oodnadatta reached, and known as the Great Northern Railway
• 1910: First promise by federal government to complete the line in the Acceptance Act (but no date given)
• 1926: Line acquired by Commonwealth Railways
• 1926: North: Katherine reached
• 1929: North: Birdum reached, terminus at Larrimah, and known as the North Australia Railway
• 6 August 1929: South: Alice Springs reached, and officially renamed the Central Australia Railway, but popularly known as The Ghan. The northern and southern parts are not connected.
• 1957: South: Marree line from Stirling North (near Port Augusta) to Marree rebuilt and connected to Adelaide
• Some sections of the narrow-gauge line remain in operation as the Pichi Richi Railway
• 1976: North: line closed
• October 1980: South: New line from Tarcoola (a siding on the Trans-Australian Railway) to Alice Springs opens^[1]
• 31 December 1980: South: Marree to Alice Springs (narrow gauge) line closed

Alice Springs to Darwin

In 2000, the AustralAsia Rail Corporation (a company owned by the Northern Territory and South Australian Governments) awarded the contract to build and operate the Adelaide to Darwin railway line as a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer back (BOOT) project to the Asia Pacific Transport Consortium. The Asia Pacific Transport Consortium contracted FreightLink to implement the project and to operate the railway.

It cost $1.2 billion to build.^[2]

The Australian Government contributed $165 million from the Centenary of Federation Fund, the Northern Territory Government contributed $165 million and the South Australian Government contributed $150 million to the AustralAsia Rail Corporation for the construction of assets by Asia Pacific Transport Consortium and FreightLink that were later leased for a peppercorn rent to FreightLink in addition, the three Governments contributed about $26 million each, a total of $79 million in further funding to support the Asia Pacific Transport Consortium directly, by way of mezzanine debt financing (subordinated debt), equity, and contingent equity.

The complex agreements were negotiated by Adelaide-based lawyer and public servant, Pamela Martin.

Construction

Adelaide–Darwin railway line in Darwin, Northern Territory

• July 2001: North: Construction of Alice Springs – Darwin line starts
• 17 September 2003: Darwin reached, the line from Adelaide to Darwin is complete
• 17 January 2004: First freight train reaches Darwin
• 4 February 2004: First passenger train reaches Darwin from Adelaide, travelling 2970 km in 47 hours.^[3]

Bankruptcy and sale

The Freightlink board, shareholders and lenders on 19 May 2008 agreed to sell its ownership of the Adelaide to Darwin rail link after failing to make a profit since the railway line commenced operation.^[4][5] Then on 6 November 2008 Freightlink went into voluntary administration after failing to reach agreement with creditors on the terms of a sale of the business.^[6] Genesee & Wyoming agreed to purchase the assets of FreightLink on 10 June 2010 for $334 million,^[2] and the sale meant that the 50-year lease on the Adelaide–Darwin railway was transferred to Genesee & Wyoming Australia.^[7]

Infrastructure

• 1420 km
• 6 major bridges crossing the Katherine, Elizabeth, Adelaide, Cullen, Fergusson and Edith rivers^[8]
• 87 minor bridges
• 1,500 culverts^[9]
• 145,000 tonnes of rail^[9]
• 2.8 million tonnes of ballast
• 2 million sleepers
• 8 million sleeper fastenings

Services

Freight services operate on the line in addition to The Ghan passenger service, which is operated by Great Southern Railway. Genesee & Wyoming Australia is the main freight operator. The line has facilitated bulk commodity exports from iron ore and copper mines in central Australia, including Oz Minerals' Prominent Hill copper mine.^[10] Following a derailment event in December 2011,^[11] Oz Minerals has elected to use the line to export to the south via Port Adelaide,^[12] rather than their previous outport, Darwin.

Dry bulk exports from Darwin's port (serviced by rail) exceeded 3 million tonnes for the first time in financial year 2010-2011 and comprised iron ore, manganese and copper concentrate.^[13]

Stations

The original narrow gauge railway served, indeed often created, the towns at the stations along the way.

• Mataranka
• Katherine
• Pine Creek
• Adelaide River
• Palmerston
• Alice Springs

The new standard-gauge railway has stations at Tennant Creek and Katherine, plus passing loops at Illoquara and Newcastle Waters.^[14]

See also

• North Australia Railway

References

Further reading

• Rozycki, Jack (Jan–Mar 2003). "The Never Never Line. Australia's biggest project: the Adelaide-Darwin railway". Australian Geographic 69: 50–67.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adelaide-Darwin Railway.

• AustralAsia Railway Corporation
• History of the Adelaide-Darwin Railway
• Tarcoola To Alice Springs Railway Act 1974

• Crossing Loops T-AS
• Crossing Loops AS-D