Fisherman Islands railway line

The Fisherman Islands railway line is an Australian dual gauge freight only line to the Port of Brisbane.

Fisherman Islands railway line
Overview
TerminiDutton Park
Fisherman Islands
Continues fromGold Coast line
NSW North Coast line
Service
Operator(s)Aurizon
Pacific National
History
Opened1980
Technical
Line length24 km (15 mi)
Track gaugeDual gauge
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

History

In 1980, Queensland Rail built a freight-only line between Cannon Hill and Fisherman Islands.[1] It paralleled the existing Cleveland line from Cannon Hill to Lytton Junction, east of Lindum, before continuing to Fisherman Islands on its own alignment.[2][3]

In 1992, the Queensland Government announced that construction would commence on an 11 kilometre dual gauge rail link from Dutton Park to Cannon Hill, with the existing line from Cannon Hill to Fisherman Islands to be converted to dual gauge. This would connect the Port of Brisbane to the NSW North Coast line and the standard gauge network. Prior to its construction, freight between the Port of Brisbane and New South Wales had to be either transhipped or wagons bogie exchanged at Acacia Ridge.[2] This was funded under the Federal Government's One Nation Program.

Construction commenced in September 1993. To avoid congestion, a grade separated junction was built at Dutton Park, where the new line branched off from the NSW North Coast line to allow the line to operate without interfering with Beenleigh and Cleveland line services.[2][4][5][6]

On 15 July 1996, the line opened from Dutton Park to Murarrie.[7] Narrow gauge workings commenced to Fisherman Islands in November 1996[8] with the first standard gauge train operating on 28 March 1997.[9]

References
  1. South east Queensland transport infrastructure rollout since 1975 Brisbane Times 6 July 2010
  2. "Green light for Fisherman Island standard gauge" Railway Digest May 1992 page 171
  3. Brisbane Standard Gauge lines track diagram SA Track & Signal
  4. "Fisherman Islands Standard Gauge Progress Report" Railway Digest November 1993 pages 467/8
  5. "Fisherman Islands line update" Railway Digest October 1994 page 22
  6. "Fisherman Islands line update" Railway Digest September 1995 page 15
  7. "Fisherman Islands Line Opened - Partly" Railway Digest September 1996 page 18
  8. "Fisherman Island Delay" Railway Digest January 1997 page 14
  9. "First Standard Gauge Train to Fisherman Islands" Railway Digest May 1997 page 13
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