| Maldon–Dombarton railway line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | |||
| Type | Railway | ||
| History | |||
| Commenced | 1983 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 34.9 km (21.7 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
| Highest elevation | 140 m (460 ft) | ||
| |||
TheMaldon–Dombarton railway line is a partially constructed railway line inNew South Wales, Australia. Construction commenced in December 1983 with the project being cancelled in June 1988. A number of feasibility studies have since been conducted, but none have found the project to be viable.
The proposed 34.9-kilometre line diverged from theMain South line atMaldon via a triangular junction and headed in a south-easterly direction over theNepean River before crossing beneath theHume Highway andPicton Road. It would then proceed toWilton, over theCordeaux River and through a four kilometre long tunnel which was to be the longest rail tunnel in Australia before joining theMoss Vale - Unanderra line atDombarton. The line was to be single track throughout with passing loops at Wilton,Cordeaux andAvon.[1]
The origins of the line can be traced back to a late 1970s proposal to construct a line from theLithgow andPicton area coalfields to a new export coal loader atPort Kembla. Plans advanced to the stage of thePublic Transport Commission calling for expressions of interest in constructing the new line's major engineering feature, the 12 kilometre Cordeaux tunnel in December 1977 before the plan lapsed.[1]
Following completion of the coal loader at Port Kembla in 1982, the idea of a rail link was revived and in September 1983, theWranState Government announced the Maldon to Dombarton line would be constructed with completion expected in 1986. The line was to be electrified, but with25 kV AC rather than the 1.5 kV DC system used on other New South Wales lines. The electrification would extend up theMain South line fromMaldon to Glenlee Junction where the existing electrified network fromSydney ended and atConiston Junction it would join theIllawarra line from Sydney that was in the process of being electrified. Construction commenced in December 1983.[1]
In June 1988, the incomingGreiner State Government cancelled the project, despite having committed to completing the line in theMarch 1988 election. It cited a massive cost blowout and that the 1990 southern and western coal exports were now being forecast at one-third of that forecast in 1982, although chose to ignore the increased tonnages that would result from the impending closure of theBalmain coal loader andGlebe Island grain terminal.[2]
In 2009, the Port Kembla Port Corporation released a pre-feasibility study into constructing the line.[3] In 2011, theFederal Government published a feasibility study into constructing the line.[4] This resulted in the Federal Government announcing that pre-construction activities would commence with contracts awarded in December 2012.[5][6] Prior to winning the2013 election, then Opposition LeaderTony Abbott, indicated that there was unlikely to be any further Federal Government funding for the freight line.[7]
In July 2014,Transport for NSW completed the planning and pre-construction design work, making the project ready to go ahead pending market interest and planning approval.[citation needed]
On 24 September 2014, the State Government announced it would undertake a Registration of Interest process to test if there is private sector interest in designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the Maldon to Dombarton Railway on a commercially sustainable basis, without government funding. Submissions closed on 10 April 2015.[8][9]
Transport for NSW ran an extensive evaluation process for the Registration of Interest that included seeking advice from independent experts. No respondent was found to be capable of constructing, operating and maintaining the proposed railway line on a commercially sustainable basis, without NSW Government funding. The NSW Government will use information obtained from the Registration of Interest to inform the future procurement process and the funding options available for implementing the Maldon to Dombarton Railway project.[10]
When the project was suspended, some parts had already been completed.[11] The following aspects were completed prior to suspension of works in 1988:
Duplication of the existingUnanderra-Moss Vale railway line fromDombarton toConiston Junction as well as a bridge built to take the line over the oldPrinces Highway atUnanderra eliminating a level crossing had been brought into use.[citation needed] Electrification masts had also been erected and those betweenUnanderra and Coniston Junction were used when theIllawarra line was electrified toDapto in January 1993.[citation needed]
