Re: Canberra branch closed part

[David Bromage <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au>]

Philip Shortus wrote:
> I heard there was a railway between the existing canberra station and a
> canberra civic station which was only open for 1 year?

It was always part of Walter Burley Griffin's plan that Canberra should
have a central railway station. His original 1911 plan included three
suburban railway lines radiating from Civic and suburban tram lines. The
plan showeda railway parallel to Northborne Ave to Dickson (Lonsdale St
and Ijong St would have been part of the track bed), then heading north
west towards Hall. It was to terminate at the border, where NSW would
extend the Yass line to meet it.[1] 

A standard gauge line from Kingston to Civic was opened in 1921. It
crossed the Molonglo River near Russell, but the angle of the bridge was
to be its undoing. The line ran along what is now Amaroo St in Reid,
through Glebe Park and along what is now Alinga St. Compare the very
flat Amaroo St with the undulating Booroondara St, the nest street
north.

The station was in what is now Garema Place. The end of the line was at
about Bunda St, where the Department of Transport and Regional Services
building now sits. During construction of this building, some rails and
sleepers were found buried.

The Molonglo River flooded in 1923, and due to incorrect placement of
the bridge piers, there was a washaway. Rebuilding the line and
alternative routes were proposed, but political interests prevented this
from happening. King O'Malley in particular was strongly opposed to
rebuilding the railway. The line was closed but remained in place for
several years. It was dismantled by 1928.

There was also a proposal for a line off the Cooma line into where
Tuggeranong is now. This was to serve the new township and a proposed
munitions factory.

As a matter of interest, there was also a 3'6" gauge construction
railway from the brickworks in Yarralumla to Parliament House, opening
in 1923. There were later extensions to Kingston power station and
civic. The line was closed and dismantled after 1927, although some
rails were found during the construction of new Parliament House in
1980.

Cheers
David

[1] Schedule 9 of the Seat of Government Acceptance Act 1909 reads "In
the event of the Commonwealth constructing a railway within the
Territory to its northern boundary, the State shall construct a railway
from a point near Yass on the Great Southern Railway to join with the
said railway, and the Commonwealth and the State shall grant to each
other such reciprocal running rights as may be agreed upon, or as in
default of agreement may be determined by arbitration, over such
portions of that railway as are owned by each."
There were serious proposals for this in 1914, 1923, 1959 and 1966.