Railways and Tramways of Australia
New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
Almost all railway lines in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory are standard gauge. Broad gauge lines extend from Victoria into New South Wales, reaching Tocumwal and Deniliquin. The three major network managers in the state are the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), UGL Regional Linx (UGLRL) Country Regional Network (CRN) and the Transport Asset Holding Entity of New South Wales.
Links to maps of the major railway lines in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, and light rail lines in Sydney, are below.
Australian Rail Maps: Northern New South Wales
Australian Rail Maps: Southern New South Wales
Transport for New South Wales: Sydney and regional map links
Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)
In New South Wales the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) manages and maintains 4693 km of track, including lines that are part of the interstate network, as well as other lines. The lines in New South Wales that are part of the interstate network consist of:
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Macarthur to the New South Wales–Victoria border near Albury
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Cootamundra West via Parkes to the New South Wales–South Australia border near Broken Hill
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Broadmeadow to the New South Wales–Queensland border at Border Tunnel.
Other ARTC lines in New South Wales are:
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the Southern Sydney Freight Line from Sefton to Macarthur
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Port Botany to Chullora and Sefton
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Unanderra to Moss Vale
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Yarrawonga to Oaklands, which is the New South Wales section of the line from Benalla (in Victoria) to Oaklands
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Parkes to Dubbo via Narromine
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Maitland to North Star (north of Moree)
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Gap (near Werris Creek) to Dubbo via Merrygoen
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Muswellbrook to Merrygoen via Gulgong.
The ARTC’s Hunter Valley network carries around 290 trains per day. These include coal, general freight, bulk freight and passenger trains. Around half of all services operating on the Hunter Valley network are coal trains to the Port of Newcastle, the largest coal export port in the world. The ARTC has Network Control Centres in New South Wales at Broadmeadow and Junee.
Canberra Metro Operations (CMET)
Canberra Metro Operations (CMET) has been contracted to maintain and operate Canberra’s light rail network. Stage 1 was opened in April 2019 and extends from the city to Gungahlin via a 12 km route along Northbourne Avenue, the Federal Highway, Flemington Road and Hibberson Street. The route starts north of Alinga Street in the city and finishes east of Gungahlin Place on Hibberson Street in Gungahlin. It includes 14 stops. Plans for future extensions from the proposed city terminus include possible routes to Canberra airport, the Parliamentary Triangle, Belconnen and Woden. Stage 2 will extend from the city via Parkes and Barton to Woden.
Newcastle Transport
The Newcastle light rail line is 2.7 km in length and runs from Newcastle Interchange at Wickham to Newcastle Beach. It runs through the city centre along the former heavy rail corridor and Hunter Street, before continuing to its terminus. There is potential for future extensions to suburbs such as Mayfield, Merewether and Adamstown.
Skitube Alpine Railway
www.perisher.com.au/resort-info/mountain-operations/skitube
Skitube Alpine Railway is a Swiss designed rack-rail line from Bullocks Flat to Blue Cow in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains. The line is 8.5 km in length and climbs from an altitude of 1132 metres to 1893 metres above sea level, including a lengthy section of 1 in 8 (12.5%) gradient. It includes a 6.3 km tunnel and three stations. Overhead wiring provides 1.5 kV volts DC to power the trains. Skitube Alpine Railway provides transport for skiers and other visitors to the skifields. The first section of the line opened between Bullocks Flat and Perisher Valley in 1987, and it was completed to Blue Cow in 1988.
Sydney Light Rail
www.transportnsw.info/travel-info/ways-to-get-around/light-rail
Sydney Light Rail is managed and operated by Transdev and has three lines:
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The L1 Dulwich Hill line extends from Central station to Dulwich Hill through Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, Glebe, Lilyfield and Lewisham West. Most of the line is built along the formation of a former goods railway. It is 12.7 km long and there are 23 stops.
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The L2 Randwick line extends from Circular Quay to Randwick via Town Hall, Central and Moore Park. It is 9 km long and has 14 stops.
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The L3 Kingsford line shares the L2 line from Circular Quay to the corner of Anzac Parade and Alison Road, near Moore Park, and then extends to Kingsford. There are five stops along the 3 km section from the junction with the L2 line to Kingsford.
Sydney Trains
www.transport.nsw.gov.au/sydneytrains
Sydney Trains manages and maintains track owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity of New South Wales (TAHE) within the Sydney suburban and interurban areas.
Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE)
The Transport Asset Holding Entity (TAHE) owns most of the railway network in the Sydney suburban area and some interurban areas, including responsibility for stations and property. It provides access to its network for railway operators. The TAHE network includes all of the passenger railways in the Sydney suburban area, and interurban lines to Bomaderry, Lithgow and Newcastle Interchange. Boundaries with the ARTC network are near Unanderra, 91.080 km from Central; near Macarthur, 57.97 km from Central; and near Broadmeadow, 163.920 km from Central. It has a boundary with the UGL Regional Linx (UGLRL) Country Regional Network (CRN) near Bowenfels, 158.8 km from Central. The entire TAHE network is electrified, with the exception of the line from Kiama to Bomaderry. Although TAHE is a network owner, the management and maintenance of its network is the responsibility of Sydney Trains.
UGL Regional Link (UGLRL) Country Regional Network
UGL is an engineering company that was previously known as United Group. Its activities include construction, maintenqace and rail management services. UGL Regional Linx (UGLRL) is a subsidiary of UGL and has its headquarters in Orange. It manages the Country Regional Network (CRN) in New South Wales, which covers 2386 route kilometres of operational passenger and freight rail lines, and 3139 route kilometres of non-operational lines throughout New South Wales. UGLRL manages and maintains this network, providing access for rail operators. Most of its lines are in regional areas of the state and have low levels of traffic. Grain haulage forms the majority of freight traffic on these lines. The UGLRL website provides a wide range of information about its network, including route information, maps, diagrams, Train Operating Conditions Manual, access information, Standard Working Timetables and Country Train Notices.
V/Line
V/Line manages broad gauge lines that extend from Victoria into New South Wales from Echuca to Deniliquin, and from Strathmerton to Tocumwal.