Stockinbingal–Parkes railway line

The Stockinbingal- Parkes railway line (also known as the 'Forbes line') is 576 kilometres (358 mi) a railway line in New South Wales, Australia which connects Stockinbingal on the Main South line with Parkes on the Main West line.[1] The line has come to be part of the main route for goods trains travelling between Sydney and the west of NSW and beyond, allowing trains to bypass the steep grades and passenger services on the Blue Mountains section of the Main West line.

Stockinbingal–Parkes
Forbes station
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Route map from Parkes on the Broken Hill line Tichborne Daroobalgie Forbes Red Bend Grawlin Plains Garema Back Creek Wirrinya Caragabal Berendebba Quandialla Eurabba Bribbaree Weedallion Tubbul Road Milvale joins the Lake Cargelligo line at Stockinbingal

Western goods trains were rescheduled to operate over this line in lieu of the Blue Mountains from 1993 when the now-defunct National Rail company commenced interstate freight haulage.[2] The line opened between Parkes and Forbes in 1893, and Forbes and Stockinbingal in 1918.[3] Passenger services were operated by CPH railmotors until their withdrawal between Stockinbingal and Forbes in October 1974. Services operated between Parkes and Forbes until 1983, consisting of a Mail train and a rail-motor service.[4]

No regular passenger services use the line, although Main West line passenger services occasionally divert over the line when trackwork closes the regular route. The line is owned by the Rail Infrastructure Corporation of New South Wales, however it is leased by the Australian Rail Track Corporation who are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the line.[5]

See also

• Rail transport in New South Wales

References

1. New South Wales Cross-Country Lines - Narromine-Cootamundra Clark, L.A. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, July, 1953 pp85-88
2. National Rail to run Western trains via South. Railway Digest, April 1993. ARHS (NSW Division).
3. Bozier, Rolfe; et al. "Stockinbingal- Parkes line". NSWrail.net. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
4. Banger,C. Passenger Rail Service Withdrawals By Line Section Since 1960. ARHS Bulletin, Vol 54, No 790. August 2003.
5. "Final Tripartite Agreement". ARTC. Retrieved 24 May 2007.