Kalgoorlie railway station

Kalgoorlie

Eastern end of the station in November 1930
Location Forrest Street, Kalgoorlie
Coordinates 30°44′46″S 121°28′01″E / 30.7460°S 121.4669°E / -30.7460; 121.4669Coordinates: 30°44′46″S 121°28′01″E / 30.7460°S 121.4669°E / -30.7460; 121.4669
Elevation 1,234 feet (376 m) [1]
Owned by Transwa
Operated by Transwa
Line(s) Eastern Goldfields Railway
Trans-Australian Railway
Distance 653 kilometres from Perth
Platforms 3 (1 side, 2 bay)
Construction
Structure type Ground
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened 8 September 1896
Services
Preceding station   Transwa Trains network   Following station
towards East Perth
ProspectorTerminus
Preceding station   Great Southern Railway   Following station
towards East Perth
Indian Pacific
towards Sydney

Kalgoorlie railway station is the most eastern attended station in Western Australia, located at the eastern terminus of the Eastern Goldfields Railway. It serves the city of Kalgoorlie. Beyond Kalgoorlie the line continues east as the Trans-Australian Railway.

Establishment

View from the station in May 1931
WAGR P class locomotive with the Kalgoorlie Express at the station in 1935

Construction of the railway station and yard was began in the late 1890s, as part of the extension of the Eastern Goldfields Railway from Coolgardie in January 1897.[2] The station was formally opened by the Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Gerard Smith KCMG, at a ceremony held on the station platform on 8 September 1896.[3]

In the early stages of the development of railways in the Eastern Goldfields it was the junction for the following railways:[4]

In 1917, Kalgoorlie became a break-of-gauge station when the Commonwealth Railways' standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway from Port Augusta opened. This ceased on 3 August 1968, when the Eastern Goldfields Railway was gauge converted.[8][9]

Platform

The platform is the longest in Western Australia.[10] At either end of the main platform are two bays; the one to the east (adjacent to the former water tank and signal box) was where services from the Boulder loop line passenger services arrived, and the western bay is where the current Prospector services terminate. The eastern end bay was also where passengers embarked and disembarked when the Trans-Australian service terminated in Kalgoorlie, prior to the extension of the standard gauge line to Perth.

Location and commemorations

Due to it being the western terminus of the Trans-Australian Railway, the station has been the location of a number of commemorations and ceremonies from the opening of that railway in 1917 and since.[11]

Services

Kalgoorlie is served by the Transwa Prospector rural train service and the Indian Pacific. It was also previously served by the Kalgoorlie Express, The Westland and Trans Australian.

The Prospector service runs to and from East Perth one or twice each day.[12]

Indian Pacific

The Indian Pacific also stops here. It runs once or twice a week (depending on the time of year) each way between East Perth and Sydney Central.

See also

References

  1. ↑ WAGR Timetable 1964, pg9
  2. ↑ "Kalgoorlie Railway Station.". Kalgoorlie Western Argus. WA: National Library of Australia. 22 April 1897. p. 11. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "To-Day's Proceedings. Reception of the Guests. The Week's Programme.". Kalgoorlie Miner. 8 September 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Kalgoorlie Railway Station". Kalgoorlie Miner. 5 May 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Opening of Boulder Line Extension". The West Australian. Perth,WA. 12 November 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Local and General". Kalgoorlie Western Argus. 9 December 1897. p. 12. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Opening Ceremonies". Kalgoorlie Western Argus. 24 March 1898. p. 11. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  8. ↑ Gray, Bill; May, Andrew (2006). A History of WAGR Passenger Carriages. Perth: Bill Gray. p. 262. ISBN 0-646-45902-3.
  9. ↑ History of Rail in Australia Department of Infrastructure & Regional Development
  10. ↑ "The Railway Station at Kalgoorlie.". The West Australian. Perth, WA. 11 July 1934. p. 16. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Institution of Engineers, Australia. Western Australia Division (2001), Trans-Australian Railway : national engineering landmark, commemorative plaque unveiling ceremony, Kalgoorlie-Western Australia, Tuesday, 27 November 2001, Kalgoorlie Railway Station, Institution of Engineers, Australia, W.A. Division, retrieved 23 March 2013
  12. ↑ Prospector Timetable
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