1922 Border Railways Act

The 1922 Border Railways Act authorised the construction of cross border railways in the Riverina region of Australia. Despite being located in New South Wales, the region was closer to Victoria and their railway network, operated by the Victorian Railways. A further complication was that Victorian railways used 5' 3" gauge, while the New South Wales Government Railways used 4' 8½" gauge.

Background

The first Victorian 5' 3" line to be built into New South Wales was the Deniliquin - Moama line. Permission was granted to the private Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company by the New South Wales Government in 1874 to construct a line convert|45|mi|km long line from Moama on the Murray River north to Deniliquin, connecting with the Victorian railway system at the Murray Bridge, near Echuca. [cite web
url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/dc057c1016e548b4ca256c470025ff88/73d48ba2d3c1bb9bca2569de0028b417!OpenDocument
title=Private Railways
work=Year Book Australia, 1921
author=Australian Bureau of Statistics
publisher=www.abs.gov.au
accessdate=2008-07-20] Opened in 1876, it was later purchased by the Victorian Railways.

This was followed in 1904 when the Victorian parliament authorised an extension of the Goulburn Valley line line convert|13.2|km|mi north from Strathmerton station, to the south bank of the Murray River across from Tocumwal, New South Wales. The line was opened in February 1905,cite journal | year = 1990 | month = March | title = Tracks Across the State | author = Sid Brown | journal = Newsrail | publisher = Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division) | pages = pages 71-76 ] and in April 1906 the two state Premiers (Thomas Bent and Joseph Carruthers) signed an agreement for a final convert|3.3|km|mi extension, into the town itself. The existing road bridge was strengthened and became the responsibility of Victoria, with both states sharing construction costs for the line. Opened in 1908, the profit (or loss) of operating the line would be Victoria's.cite book |author=Lee, Robert |title=The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing Ltd |date=2007 |isbn= 9780522851342 |page=p.133] In the station became a break-of-gauge in 1929 with extension of the NSWGR Tocumwal line. [cite web
url=http://www.nswrail.net/lines/show.php?name=NSW:tocumwal
title=Tocumwal Branch
work=NSWrail.net
publisher=www.nswrail.net
accessdate=2008-07-20]

The Act itself

The final stage was in 1917 when the Border Railways Commission (made up be representatives of both states) recommended favourably on the construction of four additional Victorian lines into New South Wales, the most important being a line from Swan Hill to Balranald. The culmination was the 1922 Border Railways Acts of both states, with the first action being the Victorian Railways taking over the Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company in 1923 at a cost of £165,000. The actual construction differened from that initially proposed.

* The Balranald line was to have left the Victorian network at Swan Hill, but instead branched from the Deniliquin line at Barnes. Opened in 1926, it is still open today as far as Moulamein for rice traffic. Services beyond there was suspended in 1986.

* The Murrabit - Stony Crossing line was next to open in 1928. It left the Swan Hill line at Kerang station but was no great success as it ran though marginal land, being closed in 1943.cite book |author=Lee, Robert |title=The Railways of Victoria 1854-2004 |publisher=Melbourne University Publishing Ltd |date=2007 |isbn= 9780522851342 |page=p.134]

* The Yarrawonga - Oaklands line opened in 1938 and met the NSWGR Oaklands line at a break-of-gauge. It remains open today for grain traffic, but has an uncertain future due to the gauge conversion of the North East railway. [cite web
url=http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/newsroom/federal-state-co-operation-delivers-major-rail-project.html
title=Premier of Victoria, Australia - FEDERAL-STATE CO-OPERATION DELIVERS MAJOR RAIL PROJECT
publisher=www.premier.vic.gov.au
accessdate=2008-06-03]

* The line from Robinvale to Lette never officially opened, but the Railway Construction Branch ran an annual train on it from 1932 until dismantling in 1943.

ee also

* Rail transport in Victoria
* Rail transport in New South Wales
* Rail gauge in Australia
* Riverina

References

External links

* New South Wales: [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/bra1922177/sch1.html Border Railways Act 1922]