Re: Queanbeyan -Cooma Line

["Peter Berrett" <pberrett@optushome.com.au>]

David Bromage <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote in message
WQQF5.66$my.5702@news0.optus.net.au">news:WQQF5.66$my.5702@news0.optus.net.au...
> 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.

If one regards the Melbourne to Orbost to Canberra to Sydney line as a
series of jigsaw puzzle pieces you'd have to admit that some of the easier
pieces of the puzzle are being put in place.
>
> > 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.

If there is wood freight available to be carried is it entirely out of the
question? A few years ago I'd have thought that the reopening of the line to
Cooma and high speed trains to Traralgon were unlikely let alone a TGV
service to Canberra from Sydney.

>
> > 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.

But not an impossibility given that there is already a road that goes
through there. They just put a gas pipline through there too.

>
> 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.

Well... maybe. Speedrail at this stage is just Sydney to Canberra although
there is political pressure for an extension to Melbourne ( and then an
extension to Brisbane and then the Croweaters and Sandgropers will want
extensions as well...!). But it all cost $$$. I'm not necessarily suggesting
a high speed link Traralgon to Canberra - some parts might be slow, some
medium speed. That would significantly reduce the cost. Whilst the result
would not be a high speed service it might restore train services all along
the route. Bombala residents could travel into Canberra to access services
unavailable in Bombala.

I find the current events rather curious. Although such a line seems highly
unlikely it is rather curious that various pieces of such a line are being
upgraded, rebuilt or restored. If one hadn't read the newspapers but just
looked at what was actually happening in terms of rail projects and then
tried to extrapolate that into the future you'd be inclined to conclude that
Orbost and Bombala lines would be rebuilt soon and then someone would fill
in the gap between Orbost and Bombala.

Still not convinced? Melbourne to Orbost would need to be standardized
right? I purchased Railway Digest (october 2000)today, turned to page 15 and
found the following...

"The city of La Trobe plans to send a delegation to Canberra to lobby for a
standard gauge rail link to Gippsland. The City's mayor, Tony Hanning, said
that the council hopes to have the standardization of the line east from
Melbourne to Bairnsdale given a high priority."

No doubt any standardization of Traralgon to Bairnsdale would see some track
improvements incorporated into the work.

That gets the line as far as Bairnsdale. Sydney to Caberra (albeit slow) is
already built and there Cooma is a possibility.

It will be interesting to see over the next 6 months whether any proposals
surface for restoration of the lines to Bombala and Orbost. If these get
built there just one jigsaw puzzle piece left.

Interestingly a gas pipeline has just been put in place along this route
(although the pipeline can handle tighter curves and hills)

http://www.undergroundinfo.com/pgj%20archive/archi118.htm

cheers Peter







>
> Cheers
> David