Central Australia Railway

Central Australia Railway
Route and principal completion dates
Overview
Status	Partially closed and removed, remaining section used by the Pichi Richi Railway
Termini	Stirling North near Port Augusta Alice Springs
Service
System	South Australian Railways 1878–1917 South Australian Railways on behalf of Commonwealth Railways 1917–1926 Commonwealth Railways 1926–1975 Australian National (CR's successor agency) 1975–1981
Operator(s)	South Australian Railways Commonwealth Railways (became Australian National)
History
Opened	Port Augusta–Marree: 1884 Marree–Oodnadatta: 1891 Oodnadatta–Alice Springs: 1929
Closed	1981
Technical
Line length	1,241 km (771 mi)
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in); 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge from 1957 to 2016 (new route Port Augusta–Marree)
Route map Central Australia Railway (narrow gauge) Marree railway line (standard gauge) 1241 km Alice Springs (old) Central Australia Railway Adelaide–Darwin railway line to Darwin Alice Springs abattoir Alice Springs (current) 1237 km Heavitree Adelaide–Darwin railway line to Port Augusta Macdonnell triangle start preserved track 1231 km Macdonnell 1224 km Mount Ertwa end preserved track Ewaninga triangle 1208 km Ewaninga 1192 km Pohill Siding 1175 km Ooraminna 1163 km Deep Well Deep Well siding 1141 km Rodinga Rodinga stock yards 1125 km Maryvale 1099 km Bundooma 1076 km Engoordina 1060 km Mount Squire 1044 km Rumbalara Rumbalara stock yards 1028 km Musgrave 1014 km Finke (Aputula) 1012 km Finke stock yards 997 km Crown Point 981 km Duffield 965 km Wall Creek 962 km Northern Territory South Australia border 945 km Abminga Abminga sidings 929 km Bloods Creek 908 km Ilbunga 895 km Mount Emery 876 km Pedirka 859 km Mt Rebecca 841 km Mt Sarah (Stevenson Creek) 825 km Macumba 811 km Alberga 804 km Wire Creek Wire Creek siding 792 km Todmorten Oodnadatta sidings 770 km Oodnadatta 744 km North Creek Mount Dutton stock yards 729 km Mount Dutton Mount Dutton triangle Algebuckina Bridge 714 km Algebuckina 698 km Peake Creek Warrina stock yards 682 km Warrina Edwards Creek triangle 666 km Edwards Creek Edwards Creek siding 650 km Duff Creek (Weedina) 632 km Boorthana 616 km Box Creek 600 km Anna Creek 588 km Douglas 574 km William Creek William Creek triangle 554 km Irrappatana 537 km Strangways Springs 525 km Beresford 501 km Coward Springs Coward Springs triangle 489 km Margaret 473 km Curdimurka (Stuarts Creek) 453 km Lake Eyre 440 km Bopeechee 425 km Alberrie Creek 407 km Wangianna 387 km Callanna Marree gauge interchange Marree 356 km 372 km Marree 359 km Mundownda Witchelina 339 km Wirrawilla Farina triangles Farina 303 km 320 km Farina Lyndhurst 278 km 294 km Lyndhurst Old Mine loop Telford 271 km Telford end of Leigh Creek line tracks Leigh Creek Coalfield Copley 245 km 262 km Copley Leigh Creek 240 km Puttapa 231 km 247 km Puttapa Beltana 232 km Beltana 212 km Nilpena (Black Fellows Creek) Parachilna 175 km 195 km Parachilna Commodore 163 km 183 km Commodore Brachina 153 km 173 km Brachina 163 km Edeowie Moralana 127 km 137 km Mern Merna Cotabena 107 km 124 km Hookina (Wonoka) Neuroodla 89 km 105 km Hawker 89.6 km Wilson 73.0 km Gordon 57.5 km Willochra Wilkatana 48 km Peterborough–Quorn railway line end of Pichi Richi Railway 39.8 km Quorn Quorn Pichi Richi Depot 32.4 km Summit siding 23.6 km Woolshed Flat 18.2 km Saltia siding start dormant tracks Bungala Solar Plant Goods yard Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line Northern Power Station Port Augusta Racecourse 0 km Port Augusta Pichi Richi Depot Adelaide–Darwin railway line to Alice Springs

The routes of the narrow-gauge Central Australia Railway (1878–1980) and the standard-gauge Marree line which replaced the southernmost third of the route (1957–2019). Perspective view with the southern Flinders Ranges routes in the foreground. Political pressure mandated the difficult eastern alignment of the original route.

The former Central Australia Railway, which was built between 1878 and 1929 and dismantled in 1980, was a 1241 km (771 mi) 1067 mm narrow gauge railway between Port Augusta and Alice Springs.^[1] A standard gauge line duplicated the southern section from Port Augusta to Maree in 1957 on a new nearby alignment. The entire Central Australia Railway was superseded in 1980 after the standard gauge Tarcoola–Alice Springs Railway was opened, using a new route up to 200 km to the west. A small southern section of the original line between Port Augusta and Quorn has been preserved and is operated as the Pichi Richi Railway.