25-428: (Redirected from North Coast Line ) North Coast railway line may refer to: North Coast railway line, New South Wales , the main railway link between Sydney and Brisbane North Coast railway line, Queensland , the main railway line between Brisbane and Cairns Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
50-818: A locomotive hauled Grafton Express service to Grafton introduced in June 1990. In November 1993 the Grafton Express was also converted to XPT operation. When the Main North Line was closed north of Armidale in 1988, super-freighters to Brisbane began using the North Coast Line, operated by the State Rail Authority , then National Rail . Today, freight services on the North Coast Line are operated by Pacific National and SCT Logistics . These superfreighters do not serve any of
75-485: A longer, straight summit tunnel. Soon after the Border Tunnel under the watershed is reached the line curves westward and descends on the other side. A lower summit, perhaps without the spiral, would have been possible with a considerably longer and more expensive summit tunnel, with the possibility of problems with fumes for both the original steam locomotives and the replacement diesel engines. The Cougal Spiral
100-767: Is a heritage-listed single track railway tunnel and spiral feature of the North Coast railway line in Australia that connects New South Wales with Queensland under the Border Ranges near Richmond Gap in the Kyogle Council local government area of New South Wales , Australia. It was built during 1930. It is also known as the Border Loop railway formation and landscape , Cougal To Border Loop and Railway Spiral and Landscape . The property
125-534: Is easily viewed from parts of the Lions Road . The structure has been heritage listed due to its historical, scientific and architectural rarity. It opened on 29 August 1930 as part of the extension of the North Coast line from Kyogle to South Brisbane . The Cougal Railway Spiral and Landscape consists of the following elements: The heritage feature is formed by the whole section of line from Cougal to
150-537: Is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The combination of tunnels, crossing loops, the underbridge and spiral together form a technically significant example of an innovative and successful railway engineering solution. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The railway spiral at 'Border Loop'
175-578: Is the primary rail route in the Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers regions of New South Wales , Australia, and forms a major part of the Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor . The line begins at Maitland and ends at Roma Street railway station in Brisbane, although freight services terminate at the yard at Acacia Ridge on the outskirts of Brisbane. Along the way, the railway passes through
200-739: The Brisbane Express was withdrawn and replaced by the Gold Coast Motorail , operating to Murwillumbah. The North Coast Daylight Express and North Coast Mail operated to Grafton until they were both replaced in 1985 by a single Holiday Coast XPT train. Following the Booz Allen Hamilton review of 1989 which recommended severe rationalisation of country rail services, the Brisbane and Murwillumbah services were converted to XPT operation in February 1990, and
225-564: The Border Tunnel. The 'Border Loop' opened on 29 August 1930, connecting New South Wales and Queensland by rail beneath Richmond Gap. As at 19 July 2013, the Cougal to Border Loop section of the North Coast Line was a notable engineering achievement, revealing a twentieth century engineering solution that allows trains to pass through the steep topography at the NSW/Queensland border. The 'Border Loop' railway formation and landscape
250-560: The Cougal Spiral has itself led to ambiguity in descriptions of the feature itself. The single rail line heading north makes a spiral round this hill, mostly comprising surface track plus two short curved tunnels (one where it passes under itself, the other through a small spur in the hillside). The surface line travels a further 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north to cross the state border under the Border Ranges by passing through
275-428: The North Coast line is now the only route between Sydney and Queensland . With the closure of former branches to Dorrigo (1972) and Murwillumbah (2004) there are no operating branches off the line. The Bonalbo branch from Casino was stillborn, with partial construction left incomplete. At the NSW/Queensland border is a long tunnel called Border Tunnel, a single-track extending 1160 metres. Immediately south of it
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#1732766126239300-685: The North Coast line were the two daily services to Brisbane, the Brisbane Limited and the Brisbane Express . The Limited was the fastest service, stopping only at major stations, while the Express operated as a sweeper service stopping at most stations north of Grafton and provided connections to services on the Murwillumbah branch. Air-conditioned Sleeping cars had operated on the Brisbane Limited from 1960. In April 1973
325-479: The left heading north, the difference of one circle due to the Cougal Spiral in the Border Ranges. Of course the curves are unevenly distributed meaning that maximum speeds change hundreds of times usually within the range of 60 km/h (37 mph) and 115 km/h (71 mph) for freight trains. The Australian Rail Track Corporation has recently resleepered the track with concrete sleepers, upgraded
350-401: The ruling grade of 1 in 66 or 1.5% ( compensated ) the line has almost continuous curves of 240 m (790 ft) radius . Near Cougal, the alignment finally runs out of valley, and has nowhere to go. Fortunately a convenient hill allows the line to circle back on itself so that it climbs 30 metres (98 ft) without having to make any forward progress. The common name of 'Border Loop' for
375-507: The signals and installed new loops to increase efficiency. In mid-2011 they eased about 58 sections of curves on the line, increasing line speed for the XPT and freight trains. The curve easing was done without land purchases, so the track changes would be minor, staying within the existing corridor. This is a list of all the locations and crossing loops on the North Coast line. Border Loop railway formation and landscape The Cougal Spiral
400-546: The title North Coast railway line . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_Coast_railway_line&oldid=768597083 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages North Coast railway line, New South Wales The North Coast railway line
425-548: The towns of Dungog , Gloucester , Wingham , Taree , Kendall , Wauchope , Kempsey , Macksville , Nambucca Heads , Urunga , Sawtell , Coffs Harbour , Grafton , Casino and Kyogle . After the standard gauge line ends at Acacia Ridge , it forms a dual gauge line into Brisbane , running alongside parts of the Beenleigh railway line . Since the Main Northern Line was closed north of Armidale in 1988,
450-419: The towns they pass through - in the government railways era, there would be regular freight services to towns such as Kempsey, Grafton and Casino. The only freight train that regularly services the North Coast Line is a cement and sugar train for Grafton, and is operated by Pacific National. The North Coast Line has significant curvature, equivalent to turning through 150 circles – 75.5 to the right and 74.5 to
475-634: Was Border Loop , a short crossing loop, which is now closed. About one kilometre south of that is the Cougal Spiral . These two locations are often confused. The line is owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity but leased to the Australian Rail Track Corporation until 2064. The first North Coast railway was opened between Murwillumbah , Byron Bay and Lismore in 1894 and extended to Casino in 1903 and Grafton in 1905. A branch line
500-530: Was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999. The railway line needs to climb at a steady ruling gradient from Kyogle to the summit at a tunnel at the border between the two states. The border is also at the watershed. The rail spiral and associated facilities are located between 871 and 876 kilometres (541 and 544 mi) from Sydney Central railway station . Climbing almost non-stop at
525-399: Was built from Maitland to Paterson and Dungog in 1911. It was extended to Gloucester and Taree in 1913 and to Wauchope , Kempsey and Coffs Harbour and from Glenreagh to South Grafton (now Grafton station) in 1915. The gap between Coffs Harbour and Glenreagh, which contains five tunnels, was completed in 1922. The Clarence River was the most difficult river to cross and it
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#1732766126239550-494: Was built to Kyogle in 1910, it was extended to South Brisbane in 1930. The line was built between 1905 and 1932, and when completed, bypassed the Main North line and provided a quicker route up the eastern seaboard. The development of the line was hampered by the many large rivers that flow through the North Coast. The line also features the Cougal Spiral , which is one of only two spirals in New South Wales. A railway
575-660: Was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The completion of the Cougal Spiral to Border Tunnel section of the North Coast Railway was a major engineering feat in the first half of the twentieth century, being one of several major engineering projects in NSW that allowed continuous railway access between Sydney and Brisbane . The place
600-737: Was not crossed until 1932. In the meantime, services were connected by rail ferry that carried the carriages across the river. The opening of the Grafton Bridge in 1932 completed the Sydney – Brisbane line as the first standard gauge inter-capital link. The completion of the Sydney–Brisbane link saw the Casino–Murwillumbah line become a branch line. In 1930 a branch line had been added to Ballina but this closed in 1949. The Murwillumbah branch closed in 2004. A picturesque branch
625-734: Was opened from Glenreagh to Dorrigo in 1924, but was difficult to maintain due to the steep terrain and high rainfall and it was closed in 1972 after a washaway. The Glenreagh to Ulong section is proposed for reopening as a heritage tourist railway by the Glenreagh Mountain Railway . The Dorrigo Steam Railway & Museum is also being set up in Dorrigo as a museum and working exhibit. NSW TrainLink operates three daily XPT services from Sydney terminating at Grafton, Casino and Brisbane and thirty-one weekly services from Newcastle terminating at Dungog. The premier trains on
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