Re: Queanbeyan -Cooma Line

[dbromage@fang.omni.com.au (David Bromage)]

Peter Berrett (pberrett@optushome.com.au) wrote:
> Th Vic State Govt has announced High Speed Trains to Traralgon, there is the
> possibility of the Cooma line being reopened almost as far as Cooma,
> Bairnsdale is a real chance of reopening.

Yes, but only for slow freight. And the occasional ARHS special.

> Methinks Orbost will be next to reopen (to carry logs?), followed by
> reopening of the line to Bombala.

That would require putting back the track to Orbost.

> I know there are greenie problems but a joining of the Orbost line to the
> Bombala line doesn't look all that impossible.

Aside from the obvious engineering difficulties, getting through the
Alpine National Park is a political land mine. That's what kiled it as a
VFT route.

There was a proposal c1890 to build a broad gauge line from Bruthen to
Omeo which may have eventually got to Bombala. It would have had a ruling
gradient of 1 in 30.

> We will have the first pieces of a high speed rail link between
Melbourne
> and Sydney via Traralgon, Bombala and Canberra.

Nope. Speedrail is going via Albury. Saves 20 min on the journey and $1
billion in construction costs.

Cheers
David