Rail transport in South Australia
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{{main|Rail transport in Australia}}
[[Image:AdelaideRail 6.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|[[Pacific National]] freight from Melbourne to Perth passing [[Belair railway station, Adelaide|Belair]] in the Adelaide Hills.]]
[[Image:AdelaideRail 5.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[FreightLink]] Adelaide to Darwin freight train at [[Dry Creek railway station, Adelaide|Dry Creek]].]]
[[Image:AdelaideRail 8.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Australian Railroad Group|ARG]] broad-gauge limestone train from the Barossa Valley to Osborne passing Birkenhead]]
[[South Australia]] was the first colony in [[Australia]] to build a railway line. It was a horse-drawn [[tram]]way from the port of [[Goolwa, South Australia|Goolwa]] on the [[Murray River]] to an ocean harbour at [[Port Elliot, South Australia|Port Elliot]] in 1854. Today the state has {{RailGauge|1600}} [[broad gauge]] suburban railways in [[Adelaide]], a number of country freight lines, as well as key {{RailGauge|ussg}} [[standard gauge]] links to other states.
==Gauge==
The first of the [[Railways in Adelaide|main line railways]] in [[Adelaide]] was built in 1856 between the city and the port, in the {{RailGauge|1600}} [[broad gauge]]. The [[Melbourne-Adelaide railway|main line to Melbourne]] was opened after a bridge was built at [[Murray Bridge, South Australia|Murray Bridge]] in 1886. It was the first railway line between colony capitals to not have a [[break-of-gauge]]. It was also the last of these to be converted to [[standard gauge]] in 1995.
The lines on [[Eyre Peninsula]] and the mid north were built to {{RailGauge|42}} [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]]. Once the standard gauge from [[Port Pirie, South Australia|Port Pirie]] to [[Broken Hill]] was built, broad gauge extended up to this line, and narrow gauge north of it.
The main interstate links from [[Adelaide]] to [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], [[Melbourne]], and [[Sydney]] as all of {{RailGauge|ussg}} [[standard gauge]].
==Operators==
The country railways were initially owned by [[South Australian Railways]]. The narrow gauge lines north and west of [[Quorn]] were handed over to the [[Commonwealth Railways]] in 1926, though the Commonwealth had had financial responsibility for these lines since 1911. The Commonwealth Railways later merged with the S.A.R. to become the [[Australian National Railways Commission]] (ANR) in 1978, and was eventually absorbed into the [[National Rail Corporation]].
The metropolitan railway lines are now owned and operated by [[TransAdelaide]], interstate passenger services by operated by [[Great Southern Railway (Australia)|Great Southern Railway]], intrastate freight by [[Australian Railroad Group]], and interstate freight by a number of companies including [[Pacific National]], [[QRNational]], [[FreightLink]], and [[Specialised Container Transport]].
==Passenger services==
[[Image:AdelaideRail 9.jpg|thumb|[[TransAdelaide]] [[3000 class railcar]] as used on Adelaide suburban services]]
[[Image:AdelaideRail 7.jpg|thumbnail|right|[[Great Southern Railway (Australia)|GSR’s]] [[Indian Pacific]] from Adelaide to Sydney near Hawker Street, Bowden]]
Passenger services in South Australia have declined since the days of the [[South Australian Railways]], today the only services are the [[TransAdelaide]] Adelaide suburban services; and the [[Great Southern Railway (Australia)|Great Southern Railway]] operated [[The Overland]] between Adelaide and Melbourne, the [[Indian Pacific]] between [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] and [[Sydney]] via Adelaide, and [[The Ghan]] from Adelaide to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], via [[Alice Springs]].
==Railway preservation==
[[Port Adelaide]] is home to the [[National Railway Museum (Port Adelaide)|National Railway Museum]], the largest undercover [[railway museum]] in Australia. The [[SteamRanger]] preservation group in the [[Adelaide Hills]] has restored a number of [[steam locomotives|steam]] and diesel locomotives for tourist services, and the [[Pichi Richi Railway]] based in [[Quorn, South Australia|Quorn]] operates on part of the former [[Central Australia Railway]].
==History==
[[South Australia]] was the first colony in Australia to build a railway line, a [[Victor Harbor railway line, South Australia|horse-drawn tramway from Goolwa to Port Elliot]] opened in 1854, from
from the port of [[Goolwa, South Australia|Goolwa]] on the [[Murray River]] to an ocean harbour at [[Port Elliot, South Australia|Port Elliot]] in 1854. It was later extended to a safer harbour at [[Victor Harbor, South Australia|Victor Harbor]]. This line was used to move freight between the shallow-draft vessels navigating the Murray, and coastal and ocean-going vessels, without either having to traverse the narrow and shallow mouth of the river with unpredictable [[Current (water)|current]]s.
The first of the [[Railways in Adelaide]] was built in 1856 between the city and the port. The Adelaide railways were all built as [[broad gauge]] of {{RailGauge|1600}}. Gradually, a network of lines spread out from Adelaide. These were initially built to carry [[ore]], particularly [[copper]], then later freight from the Murray River, and [[cereal|grain]] from the broadacre lands. In the first half of the 20th century, most of these lines carried passengers as well as freight.
The main line to Melbourne was opened after a bridge was built at [[Murray Bridge, South Australia|Murray Bridge]] in 1886. It was the first railway line between colony capitals to not have a [[break-of-gauge]]. It was also the last of these to be converted to [[standard gauge]] in 1995.
==Timeline==
*'''1856''' - First broad (1600 mm) gauge line from [[Port Adelaide railway line|Adelaide to Port Adelaide]] opens
*'''1870''' - First narrow (1067 mm) gauge line opens from [[Port Wakefield, South Australia|Port Wakefield]] to [[Balaklava, South Australia|Balaklava]]
*'''1880''' - Broad gauge line reaches [[Terowie, South Australia|Terowie]]
*'''1887''' - Railways of South Australia and Victoria meet at [[Serviceton, Victoria]]
*'''1888''' - Narrow gauge line built from [[Port Pirie, South Australia|Port Pirie]] to [[Broken Hill, New South Wales]]
*'''1891''' - Narrow gauge line reaches [[Oodnadatta, South Australia|Oodnadatta]] from Terowie [[break-of-gauge]] station
*'''1917''' - First standard gauge [[Trans-Australian Railway|line]] completed between [[Port Augusta, South Australia]] and [[Kalgoorlie, Western Australia]], requiring a break-of-gauge at Terowie, Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie to reach Perth
*'''1919''' - Railways of South Australia and New South Wales meet at [[Broken Hill, New South Wales]] with a break-of-gauge
*'''1937''' - [[Trans-Australian Railway]] extended to Port Pirie and the broad gauge railway from Adelaide to [[Redhill, South Australia|Redhill]] extended to Port Pirie
*'''1970''' - Port Pirie to Broken Hill standard gauge line officially opened, completing the [[East-West rail corridor, Australia|Sydney - Perth rail link]]
*'''1980''' - [[Tarcoola, South Australia]] to [[Alice Springs]] standard gauge railway opened, first stage of the [[Adelaide-Darwin railway]]
*'''1982''' - Adelaide to [[Crystal Brook, South Australia]] standard gauge railway opened, connecting Adelaide to the standard gauge network
*'''1995''' - Adelaide to Melbourne standard gauge railway opened
*'''2008''' - South Australian Treasurer Kevin Foley announces budget which includes plans to electrify the Noarlunga and Outer Harbor rail lines
The first South Australian steam-operated line was built as a [[Victorian broad gauge|broad gauge]] (1600 mm) line in 1856 between the city and [[Port Adelaide railway station, Adelaide|Port Adelaide]] stopping at Bowden, Woodville and Alberton. This line is now part of the [[Railways in Adelaide|Adelaide suburban network]] and has been proposed for standardisation and conversion to light rail. It was extended as the [[Outer Harbor railway line, Adelaide|Outer Harbor line]] to [[Outer Harbor railway station, Adelaide|Outer Harbor]] in 1908. [[Grange railway line, Adelaide|A branch]] was built to [[Grange railway station, Adelaide|Grange]] in 1882. It was extended as the [[Henley Beach railway line, Adelaide|Henley Beach line]] to [[Henley Beach, South Australia|Henley Beach]] in 1894 and closed in 1957.
==Development of the lines==
===Southern Lines===
The South Line, through the Adelaide Hills, was opened to [[Aldgate, South Australia|Aldgate]], [[Nairne, South Australia|Nairne]] in 1883, [[Murray Bridge, South Australia|Murray Bridge]] in 1884 and [[Bordertown, South Australia|Bordertown]] and [[Serviceton, Victoria]], connecting with [[Victorian Railways]] in 1887. This line was standardised in 1995.
A branch line was built to [[Marino railway station, Adelaide|Marino]] in 1913, and [[Willunga railway line, Adelaide|extended to Willunga]] in 1915. The section from [[Hallett Cove railway station, Adelaide|Hallett Cove]] to Willunga was closed in 1969. In the 1970s the line was extended south from Hallett Cove, reaching [[Christie Downs railway station, Adelaide|Christie Downs]] in 1976, and [[Noarlunga Centre railway station, Adelaide|Noarlunga Centre]] in 1978, forming the current TransAdelaide [[Noarlunga Centre railway line, Adelaide|Noarlunga Centre line]].
The beginnings of the [[Victor Harbor railway line, South Australia|Victor Harbor line]] was a horse-drawn broad (1600 mm) gauge [[tram]]way built from the port of [[Goolwa, South Australia|Goolwa]] on the [[Murray River]] to an ocean harbour at [[Port Elliot, South Australia|Port Elliot]] in 1854. This line was used to move freight between the shallow-draft vessels navigating the Murray, and coastal and ocean-going vessels, without either having to traverse the narrow and shallow mouth of the river with unpredictable [[Current (water)|current]]s. It was later extended from Port Elliot to [[Victor Harbor, South Australia|Victor Harbor]] in 1864 and from Goolwa to [[Strathalbyn, South Australia|Strathalbyn]] in 1869. It was extended to [[Mount Barker, South Australia|Mount Barker]] Junction on the South Line in 1884 and strengthened to carry steam trains.
A branch line was built to [[Monarto, South Australia|Monarto]] and [[Cambrai, South Australia|Cambrai]] in 1886. In was shortened to [[Appamurra, South Australia|Appamurra]] near [[Palmer, South Australia|Palmer]] before being closed due to the standardisation of the Adelaide - Melbourne line in 1995.
A branch line was built from [[Tailem Bend, South Australia|Tailem Bend]] to [[Pinnaroo, South Australia|Pinnaroo]] in 1906. This was connected with the [[Victorian Railways]] at the [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]]n border and [[Ouyen, Victoria|Ouyen]] in 1915. The South Australian part of this line was standardised in 1998 to reconnect it with the Adelaide - Melbourne line. This has created a [[break-of-gauge]] at Pinnaroo, but there are proposals to standardise the [[Mildura railway line, Victoria|Mildura line]] from [[Geelong, Victoria|Geelong]] to [[Mildura, Victoria|Mildura]] and the line between [[Ouyen, Victoria|Ouyen]] and Pinnaroo.
A branch line was opened from Tailem Bend to [[Karoonda, South Australia|Karoonda]] and [[Alawoona, South Australia|Alawoona]] in 1913 and extended to [[Loxton, South Australia|Loxton]] in February 1914.<ref name=Bromby>{{cite book
| last =Bromby
| first =Robin
| title =Ghost Railways of Australia
| publisher =Lothan Books
| date =2006
| location =Sydney
| pages =232
| isbn = 0 7344 0923 0 }}pp74-75</ref> This was standardised in 1998.
A branch line was opened from Karoonda to [[Waikerie, South Australia|Waikerie]] in December 1914; it closed in 1990. Another branch line was opened from [[Wanbi, South Australia|Wanbi]] to Yinkanie (near [[Moorook, South Australia|Moorook]]) in September 1925, but closed in 1971. In 1928 a branch line was opened from Alawoona to [[Renmark, South Australia|Renmark]] and [[Barmera, South Australia|Barmera]], crossing the Murray River at [[Paringa, South Australia|Paringa]]; it closed in 1990. Another branch was opened from Karoonda to [[Peebinga, South Australia|Peebinga]] in December 1914, but it was closed in 1990.<ref name=Bromby/>
====Southern narrow gauge lines====
[[Image:Naracoorte V class.jpg|thumb|right|[[South Australian Railways|S.A.R.]] V class No. 9 commenced service on the Kingston-Naracoorte railway (3′6″) in early 1877. Transferred to northern division of S.A.R. in 1888, retired in 1953 (on display in Naracoorte).]]
In 1876 a narrow (1067 mm) gauge line was built from [[Kingston SE, South Australia|Kingston SE]] to [[Naracoorte, South Australia|Naracoorte]]. In 1879, a railway was built between [[Beachport, South Australia|Beachport]], [[Millicent, South Australia|Millicent]] and [[Mount Gambier, South Australia|Mount Gambier]], with a branch line from Wandilo to Glencoe. A line was later built from Mount Gambier to Naracoorte and [[Wolseley, South Australia|Wolseley]] in 1887, creating a [[break-of-gauge]] junction.
A broad gauge branch was opened from Mount Gambier to [[Heywood, Victoria|Heywood]] near [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]] in 1917. From 1953 to 1956, the southeastern lines were converted to broad gauge, with the exception of the Beachport - Millicent and the Wandilo - Glencoe line, which were closed down. The Kingston - Naracoorte was closed in the 1970s. The other southeastern lines, including the line to Heywood, have been out of use since the standardisation of the Adelaide - Melbourne and [[Maroona, Victoria|Maroona]] - Portland lines in 1995. There are regular calls for their standardisation.
===Northern lines===
====Broad gauge lines====
In 1857 the 42 km [[Gawler railway line, Adelaide|Gawler line]] was built to [[Gawler railway station, Adelaide|Gawler station]], which was rural at the time, and extended to [[Roseworthy, South Australia|Roseworthy]], [[Kapunda, South Australia|Kapunda]] in 1860 and [[Morgan, South Australia|Morgan]] in 1878 (now closed beyond Kapunda). The main line left the Kapunda branch at Roseworthy and proceeded to Hamley Bridge, [[Riverton, South Australia|Riverton]], [[Burra, South Australia|Burra]] in 1870, and [[Terowie, South Australia|Terowie]] in 1880.
A branch line was built from Gawler Junction, north of [[Gawler railway station, Adelaide|Gawler station]], to [[Gawler Central railway station, Adelaide|Gawler Central Station]], [[Penrice, South Australia|Penrice]] and [[Angaston, South Australia|Angaston]] in the [[Barossa Valley]] in 1911.
A branch line was built from Riverton to [[Clare, South Australia|Clare]] in 1919 and [[Spalding, South Australia|Spalding]] in 1922.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.wilsonvineyard.com.au/riesling_trail/09_construction_to_spalding.asp
| title=The Riesling Trail
| publisher=The Wilson Vineyard www.wilsonvineyard.com.au
| accessdate=2006-04-27}}</ref> This line was lifted in the early 80s and part of it restored as a bicycle/walking trail.
In 1925, a broad gauge line was built from [[Salisbury railway station, Adelaide|Salisbury]] to [[Redhill, South Australia|Redhill]] and in 1937, it was extended to Port Pirie to meet the extension of the standard gauge from Port Augusta. This line was converted to standard gauge in 1982, including a deviation at the northern end to move the rail junction from Port Pirie to [[Crystal Brook, South Australia|Crystal Brook]].
===Western Division narrow gauge lines===
The lines in the [[Mid North]] (generally north of [[Goyder's Line]], which is the limit of 10" annual rainfall) were built to [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] (1067 mm).
====Upper Yorke Peninsula lines====
[[Image:Wallaroo-overgrown-rail-tracks-0835.jpg|thumb|Broad-gauge tracks at the abandoned cargo rail station near the port in Wallaroo.]]
The first narrow gauge line ran from [[Port Wakefield, South Australia|Port Wakefield]] to [[Hoyleton, South Australia|Hoyleton]], opened in 1870 and extended to [[Hamley Bridge, South Australia|Hamley Bridge]] in 1878, creating Australia's first [[break-of-gauge]] on the government railways. <ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ahc.gov.au/publications/national-stories/transport/chapter5.html
| title=Linking a Nation
| publisher=Australian Heritage Commission www.ahc.gov.au
| accessdate=2006-04-27}}</ref>
A horse-drawn tramway was built by the [[Kadina and Wallaroo Railway and Pier Company]] between [[Wallaroo, South Australia|Wallaroo]] and [[Kadina, South Australia|Kadina]] in 1862 and extended to [[Moonta, South Australia|Moonta]] in 1866. This was acquired by the [[South Australian Railways]] in 1877 and a new narrow gauge line was built along its route and connected to [[Port Wakefield, South Australia|Port Wakefield]] in about 1878. A line was built from Brinkworth to [[Snowtown, South Australia|Snowtown]], [[Bute, South Australia|Bute]] and Kadina in 1879. These lines were converted to broad gauge in 1927. <ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.ypr.org.au/view_history.php?historyID=4
| title=Lions Club of Yorke Peninsula Rail
| publisher=Lions Club of Yorke Peninsula Rail www.ypr.org.au
| accessdate=2006-04-27}}</ref>
All the lines west of the [[Adelaide]]-[[Crystal Brook, South Australia|Crystal Brook]] standard gauge line and the line from Snowtown to Brinkworth were closed after the Adelaide - Crystal Brook line was opened in 1982, despite proposals to convert some of them to standard gauge.
It is notable that no narrow lines in South Australia that were converted to broad gauge have yet been converted to standard gauge, although there are calls to convert the [[Wolseley, South Australia|Wolseley]] to [[Mount Gambier, South Australia|Mount Gambier]] line to standard gauge. This partly relects the lifting of restriction on the road transportation of grain Australia-wide that followed recommendations of the 1986-88 [[Royal Commission into grain storage, handling and transport]]. This particularly affected South Australian railways because of the short distances between the growing areas and its various wheat exporting ports. The Snowtown to Wallaroo Broad Gauge was converted to [[Dual Gauge]] (Standard/Broad) during the late 1980s.
====North Mount Lofty Ranges lines====
A line was built from Balaklava to [[Brinkworth, South Australia|Brinkworth]] and [[Gladstone, South Australia|Gladstone]] by 1880 and later extended to [[Wilmington, South Australia|Wilmington]]. The Hamley Bridge - Balaklava - Brinkworth - Gladstone line was converted to broad gauge in 1927, making Gladstone a [[break-of-gauge]] junction. In 1969, when the line from Port Pirie to Broken Hill was converted to [[standard gauge]], Gladstone became a three-gauge break-of-gauge junction (together with [[Peterborough, South Australia|Peterborough]] and succeeding [[Port Pirie, South Australia|Port Pirie]], which had been reduced to two gauges). In the 1980s, the broad gauge line north of Balaklava and the narrow gauge line were closed, leaving Gladstone as a purely standard gauge station.
A narrow gauge line was built from Terowie to [[Peterborough, South Australia|Peterborough]] in 1881, creating a [[break-of-gauge]] at Terowie, although the enforced train change created an opportunity for General [[Douglas MacArthur]] to deliver his famous line "I shall return" at Terowie station on [[20 March]] [[1942]]. The break-of-gauge was not overcome until the Terowie - Peterborough line was converted to broad (1600 mm) gauge in 1970, to meet new the standard gauge from [[Port Pirie, South Australia|Port Pirie]] to Broken Hill, but it was abandoned by 1988.
The narrow gauge line was extended to [[Orroroo, South Australia|Orroroo]] also in 1881 and [[Quorn, South Australia|Quorn]] in 1882, connecting with the new line from [[Port Augusta, South Australia|Port Augusta]]. This line has now been abandoned.
A narrow gauge railway was built from Port Pirie to Gladstone, Peterborough and [[Broken Hill, New South Wales|Broken Hill]], in 1888 to serve the Broken Hill silver and lead mine, which was becoming the largest and richest of its kind in the world. Since the New South Wales Government would not allow the South Australia railway to cross the border, the last 30 km was built by a private company as a tramway, the [[Silverton Tramway]] from [[Cockburn, South Australia]] to [[Silverton, New South Wales]] and Broken Hill. In 1970 the line was converted to standard gauge, completing the standard transcontinental gauge line from Sydney to Perth.<ref name="nrm">{{cite web
| title = A History of Rail in South Australia
| work = National Railway Museum Port Adelaide
| date =
| url = http://www.natrailmuseum.org.au/common/nrm_a01_index.html
| format = HTML
| accessdate = 2008-03-05 }}</ref>
===The Great Northern Railway===
The Great Northern Railway was completed from [[Port Augusta, South Australia|Port Augusta]] across the [[Pichi Richi Railway|Pichi Richi Pass]] to [[Quorn, South Australia|Quorn]] in 1879, Hergott Springs (now known as [[Marree, South Australia|Marree]]) in 1883 and [[Oodnadatta, South Australia|Oodnadatta]] in 1891. It was extended to [[Alice Springs, Northern Territory|Alice Springs]] by [[Commonwealth Railways]] in 1929, when it was renamed the [[Central Australia Railway]].
In 1957, a new standard gauge line was built from [[Stirling North, South Australia|Stirling North]] (near Port Augusta) to Marree on a new alignment west of the [[Flinders Ranges]] and the narrow gauge line between [[Hawker, South Australia|Hawker]] and Marree was abandoned. The remainder of the narrow gauge line between Stirling North, Quorn and Hawker was abandoned in 1972, although the Stirling North - Quorn section has been taken over by the [[Pichi Richi Railway|Pichi Richi tourist railway]]. The narrow gauge line from Marree to Alice Springs was abandoned with the opening of the new standard gauge railway from [[Tarcoola, South Australia|Tarcoola]] to [[Alice Springs]] in 1980, which forms port of the [[Adelaide Darwin railway]]. The standard gauge line from Stirling North has since been abandoned north of [[Leigh Creek, South Australia|Leigh Creek]].
=== Eyre Peninsula lines ===
The lines on [[Eyre Peninsula]] were built to [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] (1067 mm) as their primary purpose was to promote the development of the area.
Construction started with a railway between Port Lincoln and Cummins, opened in 1908. Growth of the network continued through until the 1950s. The system covers some 800 route kilometres, of lightly built permanent way.
BHP developed two separate systems.
The Tramway at Whyalla (1067mm gauge) for ore haulage, and a standard gauge tramway from Proper Bay to Coffin Bay on Southern Eyre Peninsula for mineral sand haulage. The Proper Bay operation was closed in 1989, and removed in 2000.
===Northern Territory railway===
[[Image:Old Ghan train.jpg|thumb|[[NSU class]] diesel locomotive on display in [[Marree, South Australia|Marree]]]]
The [[Northern Territory]] was part of South Australia from 1863 to 1911, when it was transferred to [[Government of Australia|Commonwealth]] control.
The [[Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway]] was a [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] (1067 mm) [[railway]] and ran from [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], once known as Palmerston, to Pine Creek.
The John Cox Bray Government in [[South Australian]] introduced the Palmerston and Pine Creek Railway Bill in 1883. The £959,300 contract went to C & E Millar of Melbourne on the proviso that they could use coolie labour. The line reached [[Pine Creek, Northern Territory|Pine Creek]] in 1888 and was officially opened on [[30 September]] [[1889]]. Singhalese and Indian gangs did the grubbing and earthwork and 3,000 Chinese labourers laid over 1 km of track per day. A total of 310 bridges and flood openings were built.
The [[Government of Australia|Commonwealth Government]] took over the line in 1911 and renamed it the Northern Territory Railway. The line was extended to [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]] in 1917. Further extensions in the 1920s saw it eventually reach Birdum, just south of [[Larrimah, Northern Territory|Larrimah]], in 1929, when it was further renamed the North Australia Railway, to distinguish it from the Central Australia Railway, which reached Alice Springs from the south in the same year.
Although a railway line from [[Alice Springs, Northern Territory|Alice Springs]] to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] had been discussed for many years, the North
Australia Railway was closed in 1976. However eventually the standard gauge [[Ghan|Adelaide to Darwin Railway]] was finally completed on 17 September 2003 with the line between Alice Springs and Darwin. The first freight train reached Darwin on 17 January 2004.
===Adelaide suburban network===
[[Railways in Adelaide|Adelaide's metropolitan rail network]] is the only one in [[Australia]]'s five major cities that has not been electrified. Almost $500 million in funding has been provided in the 2008-09 State Budget for electrification and gauge conversion.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23815093-5006301,00.html
|title=AdelaideNow... SA Budget - Electric trains, trams to the Port
|publisher=www.news.com.au
|date=June 05, 2008
|accessdate=2008-06-05
}}</ref>
In Adelaide, concrete sleepers, installed since the 1990s are of a slightly more expensive [[gauge conversion|gauge convertible]] type to facilitate the conversion.
==List of country railways in South Australia==
===Mid north===
*[[Port Broughton, South Australia|Port Broughton]] - [[Mundoora, South Australia|Mundoora]] (1876) was horse-drawn uphill, and [[gravity]]-powered to carry bagged [[wheat]] down to the port.
*Adelaide - [[Kapunda, South Australia|Kapunda]], later extended to [[Morgan, South Australia|Morgan]], with [[Junction (rail)|junction]]s at [[Gawler, South Australia|Gawler]] and [[Roseworthy, South Australia|Roseworthy]]
*Roseworthy - [[Burra, South Australia|Burra]], later extended to [[Terowie, South Australia|Terowie]], then [[Peterborough, South Australia|Peterborough]], with junctions at [[Hamley Bridge, South Australia|Hamley Bridge]] and [[Riverton, South Australia|Riverton]] (now closed beyond Burra)
*Hamley Bridge - [[Balaklava, South Australia|Balaklava]], continuing through [[Brinkworth, South Australia|Brinkworth]] to [[Gladstone, South Australia|Gladstone]]
*Brinkworth - [[Snowtown, South Australia|Snowtown]] - [[Kadina, South Australia|Kadina]] - [[Wallaroo, South Australia|Wallaroo]] - [[Moonta, South Australia|Moonta]]
*Gawler to [[Penrice, South Australia|Penrice]] and [[Angaston, South Australia|Angaston]] in the [[Barossa Valley]], carries [[marble]] from a quarry at Penrice to [[Sodium carbonate|soda]] works at [[Osborne, South Australia|Osborne]], near Port Adelaide
*Riverton to [[Clare, South Australia|Clare]] and [[Spalding, South Australia|Spalding]] - closed, the easement is now used for the [[Riesling Trail]] cycle path through the [[Clare Valley]]
*Adelaide - [[Port Pirie, South Australia|Port Pirie]]
*[[Port Wakefield, South Australia|Port Wakefield]] - Balaklava
*Port Wakefield - Kadina
===Branches from the Melbourne line===
*[[Balhannah, South Australia|Balhannah]] to [[Mount Pleasant, South Australia|Mount Pleasant]] via [[Oakbank, South Australia|Oakbank]], [[Woodside, South Australia|Woodside]], [[Mount Torrens, South Australia|Mount Torrens]] and [[Birdwood, South Australia|Birdwood]]. Opened 1918, closed 1963 (tracks have since been totally removed)
*[[Mount Barker, South Australia|Mount Barker]] to Goolwa and Victor Harbor
**[[Sandergrove, South Australia|Sandergrove]] to [[Milang, South Australia|Milang]] via [[Nurragi, South Australia|Nurragi]]. A 13 kilometre [[spur line]] opened in 1884 and closed in 1970 (line dismantled)
*[[Monarto, South Australia|Monarto]] (west of Murray Bridge) north to [[Cambrai, South Australia|Cambrai]] (shortened to [[Appamurra, South Australia|Appamurra]] near [[Palmer, South Australia|Palmer]] before being closed). The rails from that section were reused in 2001 by [[Pichi Richi Railway]] to extend their narrow gauge track from Stirling North to [[Port Augusta, South Australia|Port Augusta]]
*[[Tailem Bend, South Australia|Tailem Bend]] (south east of Murray Bridge) to [[Pinnaroo, South Australia|Pinnaroo]] continuing into [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] to [[Ouyen, Victoria|Ouyen]]
*Tailem Bend - [[Karoonda, South Australia|Karoonda]] - [[Alawoona, South Australia|Alawoona]] - [[Loxton, South Australia|Loxton]] (still in use - the other branches off this line have been removed)
**Karoonda to [[Waikerie, South Australia|Waikerie]]
**[[Wanbi, South Australia|Wanbi]] - Yinkanie (near [[Moorook, South Australia|Moorook]])
**Alawoona - [[Renmark, South Australia|Renmark]] and [[Barmera, South Australia|Barmera]], crossing the Murray River at [[Paringa, South Australia|Paringa]]
**Karoonda - [[Peebinga, South Australia|Peebinga]]
*[[Wolseley, South Australia|Wolseley]] (between [[Bordertown, South Australia|Bordertown]] and the state border) through [[Naracoorte, South Australia|Naracoorte]] to [[Mount Gambier, South Australia|Mount Gambier]], branching west to [[Millicent, South Australia|Millicent]] and east to the Victorian network at [[Heywood, Victoria|Heywood]] near [[Portland, Victoria|Portland]]
**Naracoorte - [[Kingston SE, South Australia|Kingston SE]] opened 1877, closed.
===North===
*Broken Hill - Port Pirie
*Peterborough - [[Port Augusta, South Australia|Port Augusta]] via [[Orroroo, South Australia|Orroroo]] and [[Quorn, South Australia|Quorn]]
*Port Pirie - Port Augusta
*[[Central Australia Railway]]: Quorn - [[Marree, South Australia|Marree]] (1883) - [[Oodnadatta, South Australia|Oodnadatta]] (1891) - [[Alice Springs]] (1929) (narrow gauge) - closed in 1980
*Port Augusta - Marree (standard gauge) (1957) replaced the narrow gauge line to Marree. Now used to haul [[coal]] from [[Leigh Creek, South Australia|Leigh Creek]] to the [[power station]]s at Port Augusta.
*Port Augusta - [[Kalgoorlie, Western Australia]] - the first standard gauge line, built in 1917
*Port Augusta - [[Whyalla, South Australia|Whyalla]] (1972) standard gauge
*[[Tarcoola, South Australia|Tarcoola]] - Alice Springs (1980)
===Eyre Peninsula===
[[Genesee and Wyoming Australia]] (GWA) owned
*[[Port Lincoln, South Australia|Port Lincoln]] - [[Thevenard]] (west of [[Ceduna, South Australia|Ceduna]]) with a junction at [[Cummins, South Australia|Cummins]] and Yeelanna.
* [[Thevenard]] to Penong (Via Kevin) (Kevin - Penong Closed)
*Cummins - [[Buckleboo, South Australia|Buckleboo]] (north of [[Kimba, South Australia|Kimba]]) (Kimba - Buckleboo Dormant)
*Yeelanna - [[Kapinnie, South Australia|Kapinnie]] (Dormant)
GWA managed
*Whyalla - [[Iron Knob, South Australia|Iron Knob]] (private - owned by [[BHP Billiton|BHP]]/[[OneSteel]]) - narrow gauge, opened 1901, carries [[iron ore]]
*Whyalla (109km) - [[Iron Baron, South Australia|Iron Baron]] (private - owned by [[BHP Billiton|BHP]]/[[OneSteel]]) opened 1930, extended to [[Iron Duke, South Australia|Iron Duke]] in 1990
[[BHP Billiton]] owned
* Proper Bay (near Port Lincoln) to [[Coffin Bay, South Australia|Coffin Bay]] to carry [[lime sand]] between 1960 and 1989<ref>See [http://www.nicdoncaster.com/rail/BHP/ this website for more information] </ref>
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==References==
*Andrews FB. "The Salisbury munitions tramways." In '''Light railways''', 187. February 2006.
*Anon. '''The bay line.''' SASTA, Adelaide. 1979
*Callaghan WH. '''The overland railway'''. ARHS NSW, St James. 1992.
*Castle BJ. "The Balhannah - Mount Pleasant branch line." '''ARHS bulletin''' 316, February, 1964.
*Collins N. '''The jetties of South Australia.''' Privately published, Woodside. 2005.
*Fluck RE, R Sampson and KJ Bird. '''Steam locomotives and railcars of the South Australian Railways'''. Mile End Railway Museum, Roseworthy. 1986.
*Jennings R. '''Line clear: 100 years of train working Adelaide-Serviceton.''' Mile End Railway Museum, Roseworthy. 1986.
*Lockyer A. "Jetty and wharf tramways of South Australia". In '''Light railways''', 142. August, 1998.
*Mack D. '''Little coastal railways of the Adelaide plains.''' Privately published, Camden Park. 1986.
*McNicol S. '''SAR railcars.''' Railmac, Elizabeth. 1989.
*Pantlin G and J Sargent (eds). '''Railway stations in greater metropolitan Adelaide.''' Train Hobby, Melbourne. 2005.
*Richardson J.(ed) '''Along the line no. 2.''' Traction, Canberra City. 1964.
*Richardson J.(ed) '''Along the line in South Australia.''' Traction, Canberra City. 1964
*Sampson R. '''Rails round Adelaide.''' Mile End Railway Museum, Walkerville. 1978.
*Thompson MH. "The Goodwood - Brighton - Willunga line." '''ARHS bulletin''', 336, October, 1965.
*Wheaton RT. '''Rails to the bay.''' Australian Electric Traction Assoc. Sydney, 1971.
== External links ==
*[http://www.natrailmuseum.org.au/common/nrm_a01_index.html National Rail Museum] - history of rail in South Australia
*[http://www.peninsula-pioneer.com/ Peninsula Pioneer] - history of the railways of Eyre Peninsula
*[http://www.railpage.com.au/ Railpage Australia] - discussion forums and news
*[http://www.railsa.org RailSA] - discussion forums and news
*[http://members.optusnet.com.au/~douglas1c1/ South Australian Railway Page]
*http://www.wilsonvineyard.com.au/the_trains/ SAR Weekly Notices and Annual Report indexes]
'''Maps:'''
*[http://www.railmaps.com.au/vicwest.htm eastern SA map]
*[http://www.railmaps.com.au/central.htm western SA map]
*[http://www.sa-trackandsignal.net/ SA railway track and signalling]
{{Australian rail}}
[[Category:Rail transport in South Australia|*]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Australia| ]]
[[Category:Transport in South Australia]]