Re: New line from Fassifern to Hexam?

[Paul G. Hogan <pghogan@SPAM-NYETbigpond.com>]

Bob <gioia@fastlink.com.au> writes: > In the Newcastle press yesterday 
>was a report about a proposed new line
> that would link the short north at Fassifern to the quad mainline at
> Hexam. <SNIP> Part of the proposed routr
> would run over a short part of the former Richmond Vale Railway across
> the swamps and into Hexam. 

This route would be defeated on EIS grounds alone. The extension of 
the F3 Freeway from Minmi to the New England Highway hasn't taken the
shortest logical route to the Pacific Highway at Hexham for this very 
reason- to preserve the unique wetland environment of the Hexham swamp.

Granted, the rail right-of-way still exists across the swamp, and a
new freeway rail overpass has been built near Stockrington (to single track 
width only), apparently because the railway was still gazetted, even 
though the track was lifted after Coal & Allied ceased operations.  

There was a plan floated at one stage to turn the old Stockrington
Colliery into a waste disposal dump, and run block "garbage trains"
(Tangarbage ? :-) ) from Sydney.. This proposal also seems
to have been consigned to history.

Cheers,

Paul Hogan