New England Online > Geography > Transport > Railways & Trams > Railway Lines
Railway Lines
The New England Rail Authority manages x lines across its entire network. Of these, there are four major trunk lines which link the important population centres of the country together. These are known as the Main Lines. in addition to the four existing trunk lines, an additional line is due to be built in the next few years.
Linking into these lines are the various rural and suburban branch lines which service the countryside and outer suburbs of the big cities. At present there are two suburban rail operators, located in Armidale and Port Macquarie. Additional services are proposed for Coffs Harbour and Inverell, and are due to go online in the next two years. the rail authority also runs freight services from mining and agriculture, allowing for the movement of commodities to ports along the coast. Finally, there are a few tourist lines which predominantly run steam trains and other historical locomotives with the most famous being the Dorrigo Mountain Line.
Trunk Lines
There are presently four trunk lines, with a fifth line in the process of construction. All trunk lines see both passenger and freight traffic on a daily basis. The lines are built to a grade known as InterCity standard, which allows high-speed trains to travel along them at speeds of between 250 and 300 km an hour. The trunk lines are as follows:
- Eastern Main Line: (Wauchope - Kempsey - Macksville - Coffs Harbour - Grafton - Maclean)
- Midland Main Line: (Armidale - Dumaresq - Guyra - Glen Innes - Tenterfield)
- North East Main Line: (Wongwibinda - Dorrigo - Coramba)*
- Southern Main Line: (Port Macquarie - Wauchope - Walcha - Armidale)
- Western Main Line: (Wongwibinda - Guyra - Inverell - Delungra)
Commuter Lines
Armidale and Port Macquarie both have commuter rail system systems in place which serve the various suburban areas of the two conurbations.
- Arding Line (Newling - Arding)
- City Line (Madgwick - Newling)
- Dangarsleigh Line (Dangarsleigh Junction - Dangarsleigh)
- Hillgrove Line (Newling - Hillgrove)
- Girraween Line (Madgwick - Crest Rd)
- Invergowrie Line (Parliament - Invergowrie)
- North Hill Line (Laureldale Junction - Erskine St)
- Thalgarrah Line (Newling - Thalgarrah)*
- Tilbuster Line (Madgwick - Devil's Pinch)
- Uralla and Border Line (Kelly's Plains - Uralla - Woolbrook)
Rural Lines
The west is considered to be the breadbasket of New England. It is from here that much of the cereal crops are grown and what little mining activity exists in New England is also done in this region. Therefore, there has been a requirement that a number branch lines be built into the countryside that can move heavy freight into the cities and to the coast for shipping abroad.
- Ashford Branch Line (Rob Roy - Ashford)
- Barraba Branch Line (Mt Russell - Bingara - Barraba - North Manilla)
- Koolkahn Branch Line ()
- Wellingrove Branch Line ()
- Woodsreef Branch Line (Barraba - Woodsreef Mine)
Tourist Lines
- Dorrigo Mountain Line (Dorrigo - Ulong)
- Glenreagh Mountain Line (Glenreagh - Ulong)
