Return of Albany passenger service?

aragorn · Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 12:20 pm

I was reading in ABC news last week of a push in Albany to have the pass rail service restored. Does anyone know any more details of this?

While it would be great to seen pass trains to Albany again, I would have serious doubts about the feasibility given the very indirect route the rail takes compared to road. It might be viable if the track could be upgraded to Perth - Kal standards, particularly as reasonably large centres like Narrogin, Katanning and Mount Barker would be serviced also, but I imagine the $$ involved would be prohibitive. In any case, it takes 2 hours to travel from Narrogin to Perth by car, and even the fastest train would struggle to compete with that.

I have always thought that Geraldton would be a more likely candidate for restored pass services.

Wallip · Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 1:39 pm

Just found the story on ABC net. Doesn't say much though.

The present alighnment definitely wouldn't make a commuter service viable. You would have to really push the tourist side of the trip. I recall reading something months ago when the govt was announcing wanting to move more freight to rails, that there was an idea to reopen one of the inland route from Collie to Narrogin or Katanning in order to export through Bunbury. Obviously having been closed for so long, there would have to be a fair bit of work done, so in theory the line would be rebuild to current standards to make to venture viable.

I agree that Geraldton would be an almost immediate candidate for rail, but this government has already rulled that out for now (said on ABC Radio about a month ago). I think East Perth should be duel gauged and turned into a MAJOR country terminus point.

Its a shame the WA people seem to object to all funding to rail need to gain the speeds necessary to compete with road, as would be needed for new railcars.

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Denzo · Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 2:32 pm

I have seen a WA map in a train book.

Didn't they have freight lines going to Albany along a more direct route, & via Bunbury & via another way & way? So in total about 4 or 5 different ways to go

Or have our dopey govts ripped these WA freight lines up too?

I'll post the map when I get time, & show what I mean

I thought Albany has about 20 - 30,000 people, enough for a train IMHO

IMHO (not the Govt.) passenger trains should be brought back to

InterUrban/Suburban
Rockingham via Fremantle (That was proposed at one stage - If I can only find the tape) I think it might be part of the ABC's Track Record Collection.
Extend the AvonLink back to East Perth again, saving changing trains.
Better still what about dual gauging East Perth to Perth.
On that new Mandurah via Freeway line have a station set up under or near the 2nd bus Interchange, the bus Interchange further south, forget what it is called.

BTW: How come they have two bus I/changes, its annoying to had to get off at East Perth, get on Sub'n train to Perth, walk (I mean sprint!) about 200 metres with heavy luggage to Wellington St Bus Interchange, take a bus to the 2nd Interchange, then another bus to my accomodation place.

Country
1. Extend Austalind (sp?) to Busselton, one of the reasons is Margaret River
Question: Is it still possible for freight trains to go Albany via Bunbury?
2. Esperance to Kalgoorlie (possibly using ex-Prospector Cars)
3. Albury (sorry Albany)
4. Geraldton

BTW: Do both routes exist for Geraldton or only one now?

Anyone willing to build a line from Perth to Broome Question

- just kidding Exclamation

Wallip · Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2004 3:56 pm

All lines east of Collie, and all other East-West lines in the South West, have long beened decommisioned, possible ripped up, although I think the track still remains via Darken???

The rail route between Rockingham Freo is a bit round-a-bout in direction, and doesnt pass many suburbs. a couple of years ago the govt introduces a 15min regulay bus service, which better caters to the suburbs between.

The new Avonlink cars are Standard Guage. for reasons only known to them selves, on Mon, Wed & Fri the Avonlink cars do the following.
Northam-Midland - Avonlink service
Midland-East Perth - Empty run
East Perth - Merriden and return
East Perth - Midland - Empty run
Midland-Northam - Avonlink Service

The 2nd interchange is "The Busport" (build about 10years ago), and is now built under the new Convention Center. There will be a train station for the convention center )I think call "The Esplanade") which will only be 150m from the busport. The first original interchange is the "Wellington St Bus Station". This will be decommisioned and pulled down once the Mandurah line is build, with all current WSBS services then terminating at the Busport

Bunbury to Busselton tracks long removed - alignment now part of Bussel HWY. The govt did do a study into reopening this route, but found it now too expencive, and not enough patronage.
Esperance-Kal again rulled out bu Govt. Apparently the new country busses are too good, and the old Prospector too unreliable. Note - the buses run 3 days a week and none connect with the Prospector......DUR!!!!!

Albany & Geraldton - See above

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aragorn · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 12:13 am

aragorn · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 12:18 am

pberrett · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 12:46 pm

Denzo · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 12:56 pm

chrisr001 · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 3:53 pm

[quote="DenzoWhy not a Queensland style Tilt Train say Perth - Albany via Bunbury? After its all, its NG.[/quote]

a little problem:

there is NO direct track from albany to bunbury. to create such a link would require a new line to be laid, at 'gerat expence'. also, there are a number of hills and state forrests in the way which would limit a direct route

Denzo · Posted: Sun Aug 08, 2004 7:32 pm

Dusty · Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2004 2:36 am

I think a reality check is in order.

After nearly 30 years in the road transport industry I've never actually heard of an "Anti Rail Lobby". I never really considered rail as competition. Back in the mid 80s I had to go into Forrestfield Yard & pick up a railway foot bridge from beside the line. We put it on a 65 foot flat top trailer & took it through Perth morning traffic to drop it beside the line at Kwinanna. In 93 I had to pick up 6 loads of new sleepers from Goomalling Station & take them to Bonnie Rock Station. The following week I took 2 loads from Goomalling to Quarading.
A couple of years ago we had to bog out the Quarading CBH grain bins by road to Northam because the railway line couldn't hold up a train!
"Westrail, the biggest transport company in the state, can't carry it's own loads" was the message being sent.

The line to Geraldton through Goomalling is closed at McLevie just North of Dalwalinu.

It doesn't really matter if the closed NG lines are ripped up or not. The curves, grades & bridgeworks of the old lines could never be upgraded to handle modern high speed traffic. Only complete re-alignment & reconstruction can do that. Unfortunately, no matter who is in power, that sort of government money will never be available outside the metro area. (Bunbury is getting a rail link because in a few years it will be a part of Perth in the same way that the Gold Coast is now a part of Brisbane.)

Narrow gauge Avon Link could only work with new rolling stock because it's got to keep up with standard gauge timetables or risk holding up east-west traffic. (also, only the SG line is against the Northam platform, not duel gauge wich doesn't go east of Avon Yard. For the same reason the Merriden train has got to be sg.)

It's unlikely that there would ever be enough patronage to warrant a passenger service from Kalgoorlie to Esperance though there,s absolutely no reason why the old Prospector rail cars couldn,t be used for this traffic on the exhisting line. Boils down to a case of "ask A.W.R." I s'pose.

Albany probably isn't big enough to get a serious look in from any WA state government not looking beyond the next election. Sad but true!

Geraldton is more likely to get a port upgrade than a rail service so I wouldn,t hold my breath there either.

I don't like being a prophet of doom but we've got to face facts. We are a very big state with a very small per square km population. The money just isn't there to do these things!!!!!!!!

Dusty.

TA 2000 · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2004 1:27 pm

The return of Albany rail service was being talked about a few years back I think 99. It failed, I think this time it will too. Thought Albany is large the line is very indirect it would take least 2 more hours to get perth by train than by road.

At least Albany railway station is still in good condition. Very Happy

Cheers,
Tom

A Westerner · Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 9:01 pm

That talk about passenger services by rail to Albany was just one of the local politicians pre-election gimmicks. As nice as it would be to see passenger trains back here in Albany it will never happen, it would be far to costly to get a train back into service plus the travel time is around 4 hours longer than by road. Nearly all of the old stations along the Great Southern line have either been pulled down or are derelict, only a few stations are still in useable condition, most of the station loops have also been removed so a considerable amount of work is needed to make a passenger train viable.

Regards
Stew

nachoman · Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 9:26 pm

Hotham Valley have just announced a tour train to Albany in Sept... Perth to Albany = 12 hours by their schedule.

Denzo · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2004 12:13 am