AUSTRALASIAN TIMETABLE NEWS No. 273, May 2015 ISSN 1038-3697 RRP $4.95 Published by the Australian Timetable Association www.austta.org.au NEW RAIL TIMETABLES 0447, depart 0452, pass Kerrs Creek 0527, Stuart Town Sydney Trains 18 April and 6 June 2015 0559, Wellington 0632, Combo 0658, Geurie 0705, A new Sydney Trains Passenger WTT dated 18 April Wongarbon 0719, arrive Dubbo 0739 thence as tabled by (Weekends, book 2) and 20 April (Weekdays, book 1), ARTC version 4.10, has been introduced. (This is in addition to the • On Wednesdays and Fridays, no. 1847 will run as tabled ARTC, Sydney Freight and NSW Country Regional Network by Sydney Trains to pass Hermitage 0054 (Thu / Sat), WTTs of the same date noted in the April Table Talk, page Coxs River 0105, Wallerawang 0107, Tarana 0136, 1.) This simultaneity is not an accident – it is a long-standing Raglan 0211, Kelso 0215, Bathurst 0221, Newbridge policy. It could hardly be otherwise as the various railways 0310, Murrobo 0329, Blayney 0332, Polona 0345, Spring have to pass trains from one to the other. It used to be an Hill 0353, Orange East Fork Jct 0403, Orange 0407, Australia-wide policy, but Victoria, seems to have pulled out Kerrs Creek 0440, Stuart Town 0512, Wellington 0545, of the arrangement, even though they run trains on ARTC Combo 0611, Geurie 0618, Wongarbon 0632, arrive track. Dubbo 0652 thence as tabled by ARTC • A new Sydney Trains Passenger WTT has also been On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, no. 8148 will run as published for introduction from 6 June (Weekends, book 2) tabled by ARTC to pass Dubbo 1600, pass Wongarbon and 9 June (Weekdays, book 1), version 4.15. In reality it is 1626, Geurie 1636, Combo 1645, Wellington 1708, unlikely that an edition issued so far in advance will remain Stuart Town 1759, Kerrs Creek 1844, Orange 1930, unamended before introduction. Orange East Fork Jct 1934, Spring Hill 1951, Polona 2001, Blayney 2010, Murrobo 2014, Newbridge 2033, John Holland Rail NSW Country Regional Bathurst 2108, Kelso 2117, Raglan 2128, Tarana 2207, Wallerawang 2245, Coxs River 2247, Hermitage 2302 Network 19 April and 7 June 2015 thence as tabled by Sydney Trains. JHR NSW CRN has issued a new Working Timetable dated 7 June . It is, as usual, on their website at There were minor alterations to freight trains in the Griffith www.jhrcrn.com.au/Documents.asp?ID=67 or just look area of southern NSW: under “Working Timetable”. The only alterations seem to be • Pacific National (PN) freight Mondays will depart Junee to the length of some freight trains. However, the format has 2010, pass Old Junee 2024, arrive Marrar 2045, depart changed slightly. Originally, JHR NSW CRN, like ARTC, had 2120 (1000m), pass Coolamon 2150, Grong Grong 2241, individual links to the WTTs for each line. The last couple of Narrandera 2302, Yanco 2332, arrive Leeton 2347, issues have instead been one each for north, west and depart 0117, pass Murrami 0147, arrive Griffith 0236. south. Now there is a combined WTT for all JHR NSW CRN • PN freight Wednesdays and Thursdays will depart Junee lines. Maps of the network have been added. The maps 2300, pass Old Junee 2316, arrive Marrar 2338, depart differentiate between lines with timetabled trains, and those 0011, pass Coolamon 0041, Grong Grong 0133, without. An endearing oddity is that Sunday trains are placed Narrandera 0155, Yanco 0225, arrive Leeton 0240, after Friday but before Saturday. Another oddity is the depart 0325, pass Murrami 0355, arrive Griffith 0445. inclusion of a JHR “Work train” on Tuesdays from Narrabri • PN freight Mondays to Fridays will depart Griffith 0830, West to Burren Junction. This train, in this direction only, is arrive Wumbulgal 0905, depart 1135, arrive Murrami the only timetabled train on this line. 1150. • Following are details of the minor alterations to freight trains PN freight Mondays to Fridays will depart Murrami 1220, in western NSW in the JHR NSW CRN WTT of 19 April (the pass Wumbulgal 1229, arrive Griffith 1245. • introduction of which was noted in April Table Talk , page1): PN freight Mondays to Fridays will depart Griffith 1345, • On Sundays, no 1847 (Southern Short Haul, SSH) arrive Murrami 1424, depart 1454, arrive Leeton 1525, Saturdays will run as tabled by Sydney Trains to pass depart 1610, pass Yanco 1630, Narrandera 1700, Grong Hermitage 0104 (Mon), Coxs River 0115, arrive Grong 1728, Coolamon 1835, arrive Marrar 1850, depart Wallerawang 0118, depart 0144, pass Tarana 0215, 1920 (1200m), pass Old Junee 1941, arrive Junee 1955 Raglan 0250, Kelso 0254, Bathurst 0300, Newbridge thence as tabled by ARTC. 0349, Murrobo 0408, Blayney 0411, Polona 0424, Spring Hill 0432, Orange East Fork Jct 0442, arrive Orange RAIL AND TRAM NEWS Major northern rail project proposed The Northern Territory government will spend $1 million over ARTC Adelaide and Junee Control centres two years into feasibility studies for a potential new railway ARTC’s Adelaide and Junee rail control centres may close in linking Tennant Creek to Mount Isa. “A new 600 km rail the next five years under a plan revealed by management on project linking these two centres has the potential to provide 31 March/1 April. They informed staff in Junee and flagged enormous economic opportunities, particularly in the their intention to consolidate operations into a single centre resources industry,” NT Chief Minister Adam Giles said. at Newcastle. Around 50 people are currently employed at “This rail connection would provide a standard gauge rail link the Junee centre and their long-term future is unclear. to the Port of Darwin from north western Queensland via the Pacific National traffic AustralAsia line, at the same time as opening up access to a Pacific National reports that in 2014 its coal traffic overall broad new area of the NT. Previous investigations indicated increased by 5%: In Queensland traffic is up 8.5%, In NSW it a number of mining companies in the Mt Isa area had an is 6.8% down. Container traffic rose by 3.6%. interest in shifting their exports of bulk materials through the Port of Darwin, instead of Townsville, if the cost of transport NSW Train Link: QR code use was right. Linking northern and eastern markets would A leaflet advising alterations for trackwork on the Central provide incentives to explorers and producers to invest in the Coast/Newcastle line on Sunday 29 March included a QR NT, creating jobs and driving money into the economy,” Mr (Quick Response) code for internet access to the Giles said. We’re investing $1 million to investigate the replacement bus timetable. This is possibly the first such use possible corridor acquisition and construction of the rail spur. by an Australian railway of a QR code in their publicity. This business case is expected to take two years to complete. This is a project of national significance and the Sydney Trains: Going digital Australian government will be asked to match this funding in From 1 May Network Local Appendices are no longer line with its commitment to developing the North. The printed and will only be available on the RailSafe website at corridor has the potential to include a railway link, pipelines http://railsafe.sydneytrains.nsw.gov.au and telecommunications infrastructure. There are significant potential cost savings by focusing on a multi-purpose From July Weekly Notices will no longer be printed and will corridor rather treating these as individual projects. The only be available on the RailSafe website at the same web proposed link may also provide the opportunity for a new rail address. Bound copies of Weekly Notices dating back to experience for tourists if it could connect with existing 1933 will be moved to the NSW State Archives repository at passenger rail services such as the Inlander in Queensland Kingswood. and the Ghan here in the Territory. This would be a long term project with a price tag in excess of a billion dollars but New South Wales: Railways and heavy its benefits would be exponential to the Territory and I’m rain do not go well together keen to explore whether it’s economically viable,” he said Sydney The Department of Defence has also expressed strong Since 1855 railways in the greater Sydney area have interest in this project. If an initial business case proves suffered from time to time from extreme rainfall. This was the positive, detailed environmental impact studies, geotechnical case again on the afternoon on 21 April when the Sydney investigations, engineering design, sacred sites and heritage Trains lines from Chatswood to Hornsby and Edgecliff to clearances would need to be done to refine the project, Bondi were closed. On 22 April there were delays across the costings and construction plan. entire network as storms continued and repairs commenced. Lewisham and Bardwell Park stations were flooded. ARTC ’s Great Southern Rail sold Sydney Metropolitan Freight Network into Port Botany also Great Southern Rail, operator of the Indian Pacific east-west experienced widespread but localised surface flooding, but transcontinental, Ghan north-south transcontinental and operations resumed quickly. Overland Melbourne-Adelaide passenger trains has been acquired by private equity investment firm, Allegro Funds. The next ferocious storm, on the afternoon of 25 April, Allegro founder and managing director, Adrian Loader, said caused the closure of the Chatswood-Hornsby line, but only ”We want to grow the business and make it prosperous. It is for a short time. our intention to invest in the carriages and to make the business a lot better.” Newcastle area On 21 April Transport for NSW’s line north of Wyong was Perisher Skitube railway sold closed as were ARTC ’s Hunter Valley lines.