Ruqayyah Snyder
Western Australia has extensive networks of standard and narrow-gauge railways. The Western Australian Government Railways adopted its first line from Geraldton to Northampton in 1879. The state's railway lines are used for the transport of commodities including grain, iron ore, coal, alumina, and bauxite. The standardisation of the railway gauge in Western Australia has been a topic of discussion and investigation since the beginning of the 20th century.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Railway Gauges | Standard gauge, narrow gauge, dual gauge |
| Track Widths | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) |
| Track Length | 5,543 km of track managed by Arc Infrastructure |
| Ownership | Public and private ownership |
| Usage | Passenger and freight services |
| Commodities Transported | Grain, iron ore, coal, alumina, bauxite |
| Operators | Arc Infrastructure, Transwa, Transperth, BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, Roy Hill, Rio Tinto |
| Locations | Perth, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Leonora, Avon Yard, Kwinana, Pilbara, Port Hedland, Geraldton |
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What You'll Learn
Western Australia's standard and narrow gauge railways
Western Australia has an extensive network of standard and narrow-gauge railways. The standardisation of the railway gauge in Australia has been a long and gradual process, with the first calls for uniformity coming as early as the beginning of the 20th century. However, it wasn't until the 1970s that most interstate lines began to be converted to standard gauge.
Western Australia's standard-gauge railway lines include the Trans-Australian Railway, which runs from Perth to the border with South Australia. This line was completed in 1917 and was a significant milestone in the state's railway history. Other standard-gauge lines in Western Australia include those from Kalgoorlie to Esperance and Leonora, as well as the line between Stirling North and Marree, which opened in 1957. The Western Australian Government Railways adopted the narrow gauge in 1879 for its first line from Geraldton to Northampton. Most of the railway lines in the southwest of the state are narrow gauge.
Dual-gauge railways, which accommodate both narrow and standard-gauge trains, are also present in Western Australia. One example is the line running from Avon Yard (near Northam) to the CBH Group export terminal at Kwinana, via Midland, Thornlie, and Cockburn South. This line serves as a vital link for transporting commodities such as grain, iron ore, coal, alumina, and bauxite.
The Pilbara region of Western Australia is home to several privately owned railway networks dedicated to transporting iron ore from mines to ports. Companies such as BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, and Roy Hill operate extensive railway networks in this region, connecting numerous mines to port facilities at Port Hedland. These railways play a crucial role in the state's mining industry.
The Public Transport Authority (PTA) of Western Australia manages the rail network in Perth, including the Transperth passenger train lines. All lines serviced by passenger trains are electrified and extend to areas such as Armadale, Fremantle, Midland, and Mandurah. Arc Infrastructure, formerly known as Brookfield Rail, manages the regional railway network in the southern half of Western Australia, covering 5,543 kilometres of track. This network includes standard, narrow, and dual-gauge tracks, facilitating the transport of various commodities and passenger services.
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Trans-Australian Railway
The Trans-Australian Railway, opened in 1917, runs from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, covering a distance of about 1691 kilometres (1051 miles). It was built to a standard gauge of 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). The railway was constructed to connect Western Australia with the rest of the continent, as it was previously isolated by thousands of miles of desert terrain.
The Trans-Australian Railway was a significant engineering feat, crossing the Nullarbor Plain and traversing some of Australia's driest and most isolated terrain. It holds the record for the most track laid in a single day (2+1⁄2 miles or 4.0 km) and in one calendar year (442 miles or 711 km). The construction was completed by the Commonwealth Railways, with tracks laid simultaneously in both directions from Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie.
The railway played a crucial role in reducing travel and communication times between East and West Australia. It shortened the mail delivery time from Adelaide to Perth by two days and allowed eastbound travellers to arrive in Melbourne three days earlier compared to sea travel. The inaugural passenger train service was known as the Great Western Express, later renamed the Trans-Australian or colloquially, "The Trans".
Over the years, the Trans-Australian Railway underwent gauge standardisation. Until 1970, it had a narrow-gauge line of 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in) at each end. After standardisation, it became part of the Sydney-Perth rail corridor, and passengers no longer needed to change carriages at different-gauge localities. Today, the railway is an essential freight corridor between Western Australia and the eastern states, with two experiential tourism services operating on the line: the Indian Pacific and the Trans-Australian.
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Dual gauge railways
Western Australia has extensive networks of standard and narrow gauge railways. Most of the railway lines in the southwest of the state are narrow gauge. The standard gauge lines run from Perth to the Western Australia-South Australia border on the
In 2010, Rio Tinto announced plans to expand capacity on the railway line linking its iron ore mines to Dampier. This would increase capacity to 230 million tonnes per year to meet increasing demand for iron ore. A dual gauge network based on the new Oakajee Port north of Geraldton has been proposed by the Department of Transport.
In the 1960s, standard gauge lines penetrated to Perth and Esperance, and long-distance heavy-haul railways were built in the Pilbara region by major iron mining companies, particularly BHP and Hamersley Iron. The construction of the Western Australian Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) brought Western Australia into the modern era of railway construction and operation. The SGR set in motion a considerable stream of economic and social benefits in Western Australia.
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Iron ore transportation
The Pilbara region of Western Australia has four privately-owned railway networks dedicated to transporting iron ore from mines to ports. The four heavy-duty railways are independent and operated as part of the production line between mine and port. These lines have pushed the limit of the wheel-to-rail interface, leading to valuable research for railways worldwide.
The BHP iron ore business in the Pilbara is known as Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) and is part of BHP's Minerals Australia asset group. BHP operates two railway lines in the Pilbara: the Goldsworthy railway and the Mount Newman railway. The Mount Newman railway is one of Australia's longest privately-owned railways, running for 426km from Newman to Port Hedland. It has the longest and heaviest trains in the world, with a record-breaking train weighing 99,734 tons and formed of 682 wagons running for 275km between Yandi and Port Hedland in 2001.
In addition to the BHP network, there are three more independent iron ore rail lines in the Pilbara. Rio Tinto operates the Hamersley and Robe River railway, Fortescue Metals Group operates the Fortescue railway, and Hancock Prospecting operates the Roy Hill railway. Rio Tinto's railway line links its iron ore mines to Dampier, and in 2010, the company announced plans to expand the capacity of this line to 230 million tonnes per year to meet increasing demand for iron ore.
In 2013, Aurizon, in conjunction with Brockman Mining and Atlas Iron, completed a study for a new independent iron ore railway in the Pilbara. As of 2014, iron ore trackage in the Pilbara was 2,295 kilometres long, accounting for 94% of all Australian iron ore exports.
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Arc Infrastructure
Western Australia has an extensive network of standard and narrow-gauge railways. The standard gauge lines run from Perth to the Western Australia–South Australia border on the Trans-Australian Railway, from Kalgoorlie to Esperance, and from Kalgoorlie to Leonora. Most of the railway lines in the southwest of Western Australia are narrow-gauge lines.
The BHP iron ore business in the Pilbara region is known as Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) and is part of BHP's Minerals Australia asset group. Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) also operates in the region, with 620 kilometres of railway lines connecting mines to port facilities at Port Hedland. The Rio Tinto network in Western Australia includes 1,782 kilometres of railway lines servicing 15 mines and four port facilities.
In the lead-up to the 2025 state election, the Cook state government expressed intentions to explore options for returning the network to public ownership by terminating Arc Infrastructure's lease, which is valid until 2049.
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Frequently asked questions
Western Australia has extensive networks of standard gauge and narrow gauge railways. Most of the railway lines in the southwest of the state are narrow gauge.
The standard gauge in Western Australia is 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm).
The narrow gauge in Western Australia is 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm).
Yes, there are dual-gauge railways in Western Australia that run from Avon Yard (near Northam) to the CBH Group export terminal at Kwinana via Midland, Thornlie, and Cockburn South.
