The Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) has backed a federal report warning the State Government against spending millions of dollars upgrading Western Australia's grain freight network.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union says it has been kept in the dark over Queensland Rails (QR) plans for the Townsville to Mount Isa rail line.
Union organiser Les Moffitt says all it knows is that QR is trying to buy out staff from their freight centre jobs.
There is a logjam of ships queued offshore at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal on the central Queensland coast, as a result of a record export month.
Capacity at Queensland's biggest coal terminal has increased from 72 million tonnes to 85 million tonnes and another expansion is already being planned.
The Victorian Government says it will start a transport study soon that will determine whether passenger rail services will be restored to Mildura.
The city has been without passenger rail since the Vinelander train was axed in 1993.
The Queensland Transport Minister says work will begin on a Gold Coast light rail system next month.
Rachel Nolan today addressed about 700 people with an interest in the construction and operation of the project.
The Minister says surveyors are about to begin work on the 13 kilometre first stage from Griffith University to Broadbeach.
The ability of the north-west to reach its full potential during a forecasted minerals boom is the major focus of QR's Mount Isa System Rail Infrastructure Master Plan, unveiled by Transport Minister Rachel Nolan today.
Ms Nolan said despite the current economic climate, long-term planning scenarios for the region aimed at catering for the anticipated growth and delivering infrastructure to support that significant development.
Two people have died after a freight train hit a car in South Australia - an accident police have described as particularly horrific.
The City of Fremantle says a freight train derailment at South Beach highlights the dangers of transporting lead carbonate through the metropolitan area.
The train was heading to Forrestfield when it lost two containers less than 10 metres from homes near South Beach early this morning.
No-one was hurt.
There were 94 sightings for this week. This is ten sighting more than last week, making a total of 2488 sightings for this year to date. On day 213 last year we had recorded 3046 sightings.
We have seen eight sighting on the B/G this week, which are four more than last week. We have seen 9140 from Mildura three times this week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with G527(PN)+A81(FA). And we saw one sighting of diverted 9141 to Mildura on Monday night, but I could not see its locos due to PM6 S/G train passing at the same time. And we saw four PN grain train this week on the B/G, we saw up and down trains on Tuesday and Thursday with all four trains having XR558(PN)+XR552(FA) and 40 hoppers.
Two people have died after a freight train hit a car in South Australia - an accident police have described as particularly horrific.
The collision happened just after 3:30pm on the Lochiel-Blyth Road, about five kilometres north of Nantawarra and 120 kilometres north of Adelaide.
Both people died instantly when the train hit their ute, as it drove through a railway crossing.
The Tasmanian Government has admitted it is still to finalise the agreement on the sale of the state's rail network.
The government announced at the start of the month, it would buy-out rail operator, Pacific National.
But the deadline to takeover the Melba rail line in the state's west has been missed.
The Infrastructure Minister Graeme Sturges says negotiations are continuing in good faith.
"There are a few matters that need to be resolved in relation to the business sale agreement," said Mr Sturges.
A freight train has derailed on the NSW Central Coast, causing the Newcastle line to close.
A Railcorp spokesman said extensive delays were expected after a Pacific National freight train derailed at Wyee at 11.07am (AEST) on Sunday.
"Nothing can go through the area because the train has derailed," the spokesman said.
Authorities say a rail crossing north of Adelaide where two people died yesterday afternoon will be upgraded within six months.
Police say the ute carrying a man and woman collided into the side of the Pacific National freight train, which was en route to Adelaide from Perth at the Bumbunga crossing, about 120 kilometres north of Adelaide.
The Ghan has departed Adelaide on another journey to the Top End - this time celebrating its 80th anniversary.
Governor-General Quentin Bryce and other dignitaries attended a ceremony at the Keswick terminal this morning before passengers jumped on board.
South Australian Transport Minister Pat Conlon says it is a great day for South Australian rail.
THE head of the Port Hedland Port Authority has suggested China could play a role in developing Australia’s biggest-tonnage port as he prepares to fly to the country later this month.
The port authority’s chief executive, Andre Bush, said Chinese interests "could well be participants" in the port’s growth plans, which include an outer harbour capable of shipping 400 million tonnes a year.
Mr Bush revealed China had already expressed an interest in the port’s expansion, but played down suggestions he and the chairman, Ian Williams, who will also make the trip to four of China’s biggest commodity ports, would be canvassing financiers.
The International Energy Agency speculates that an upswing in economic growth could lead to an oil crisis within five years. This, in turn would lead to another global financial crisis.
Three teenagers have narrowly missed being hit by a train at Lara, near Geelong, as they ran across tracks trying to catch a service heading to Melbourne.
VLine spokesman Daniel Moloney said the three, possibly aged between 10 and 14, jumped the gates at Lara station last night and ran in front of the Geelong-bound train, forcing it to brake heavily.
"It only just missed hitting and killing the kids," he said.
"The driver was really shaken up by the incident. It was obviously pretty close. We had to wait for a relief driver to get out to Lara to continue the train on."
The Federal M-P in the State's south-east says he is in favour of a very fast train for the region but understands why it did not make the Government's list for infrastructure projects.
Eden-Monaro's Mike Kelly was responding to calls for progress on the high-speed rail linking Sydney to Melbourne via Cooma and Bombala.
A cross-border report on transport issues will be handed to members of the Federal Parliamentary Standing Committee on Infrastructure later today.
Page MP Janelle Saffin says committee members will take aerial and on-site inspections of the Pacific Highway and Summerland Way before attending a meeting.
A road safety expert says new technology could eliminate rail crossing accidents but more political will is needed.
Professor Raphael Grzebieta is the chair in road safety at the University of New South Wales.
He says Intelligent Transport Systems are being developed overseas.
Two passenger trains have collided in Indonesia, injuring 18 people, police say.
There are concerns an extra one million litres of fuel a week will be trucked through the Blue Mountains to Dubbo if the local Shell depot closes.
The media and local MPs have received an anonymous letter which reveals plans by Shell to close its Dubbo depot because it no longer gets a government subsidy to transport fuel by rail.
A Connex passenger says he came close to falling onto the tracks when the doors on a packed city-bound train opened on the wrong side of the carriage.
Passenger Ronnie Braverman was on the full peak-hour service from Cranbourne this morning that stopped at Richmond station at 9.29am.
Queensland Transport Minister Rachel Nolan says she is working with the cattle industry to ensure livestock can continue to be transported by rail.
Rural lobby group AgForce and meat processors warn that changes proposed by Queensland Rail (QR) are forcing them to move cattle by road.
But Ms Nolan says the Government is committed to rail transport and talks are continuing on the best way to secure the future.
A workshop in Orange has heard road networks will not be capable of transporting all central western New South Wales' freight into the future.
The Freight and Logistics Council of NSW (FALCON) hosted yesterday's forum which was attended by about 40 people from companies including Rio Tinto's North Parkes mine, SCT freight transporters, Fletchers International abattoir in Dubbo, the Omya mine and plant in Bathurst and an Oberon window producer.
Police are investigating the death of a motorcyclist who was hit by a freight train south-east of Perth yesterday afternoon.
The 55-year-old man from South Lake was heading down Wright Road when he turned left onto Lowlands Road.
He was attempting to ride over the rail crossing in Mardella, near Jarrahdale, when he was hit and killed.
The New South Wales Mineral Council is concerned a proposed rail access agreement for Hunter coal producers will reduce the efficiency of the entire coal transport system.
In April, the Australian Rail Track Corporation lodged an access undertaking for the Hunter Valley Coal Network with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Riverina residents have just over a week left to comment on plans to expand the Bomen Industrial Estate near Wagga.
Wagga City Council has put the draft Bomen master plan on display with submissions open until August 14.
It outlines steps to transform the Bomen estate into a renowned transport and industry hub with a rail freight corridor.
The New South Wales Government is pushing ahead with plans to move parts of Newcastle University into the CBD as a catalyst to revitalise the inner-city.
The results of a community survey has revealed more than 85 per cent of the 500 respondents strongly support the Hunter Development Corporation's (HDC) 20-year vision for Newcastle.
HDC recommends cutting the inner-city rail line at Wickham and relocating the university's faculties of Business and Law and Arts.
The Mount Isa Mayor says a massive injection of state and federal funding is needed to upgrade rail infrastructure in north-west Queensland.
A masterplan has been released looking at what is required on the Mount Isa to Townsville rail line - to ensure it can cope with developing industries and increased freight tonnages in the future.
V/Line says work will not start until the end of September on upgrading the Murrayville to Ouyen rail line, in north-west Victoria.
The Member for Mildura, Peter Crisp, has welcomed the arrival of the first of 50,000 sleepers ordered for the work, and says he is pleased work will start soon.
The Minister for Regional Development Brendon Grylls says a $3.5 billion dollar fertiliser plant at Collie will have many positive spin-offs for the whole state.
The project is a step closer to reality following a $40 million investment from the Korean corporation, Samsung.
The plant is being built by Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers and is expected to begin production in the second half of 2013.
V/Line is proposing several infrastructure upgrades to cope with record passenger numbers on the Bendigo train line.
It wants to extend the Kangaroo Flat, Clarkefield and Riddell's Creek platforms to cater for longer train carriages.
A $150 million feasibility study has begun into building a rail line from Queensland, through the Northern Territory to Western Australia.
Project Iron Boomerang has been under consideration for some years, and aims to move iron ore and coal by rail from Moranbah in Queensland to Port Hedland in the west.
Convicted train robber Ronnie Biggs, famous as an international fugitive, is to be released due to ill health.
A man has been taken to hospital after being trapped under a train at Balaclava, in Melbourne's south-east.
Police think the man in his 40s had been sleeping under the platform when he was hit, just before 6:00am.
The New South Wales Government has lodged a preliminary environmental assessment of the west metro rail line with the Department of Planning.
The $9 billion underground metro would run from the CBD to Westmead with 11 stops including Leichhardt, Strathfield and Parramatta.
The Government says it now plans to consult with the community about the fine details.
Queensland has become the first state in Australia to have a bomb detection dog permanently checking its passenger train network.
Homer the labrador will begin work today, having spent three months in Brisbane training to find firearms and explosives.
nr 59 nr61 nr62 down bris goods 13.59 fast pasting through Violet town station.
There were 96 sightings for this week. This is two sighting more than last week, making a total of 2584 sightings for this year to date. On day 220 last year we had recorded 3134 sightings.
We have seen nine sighting on the B/G this week, which is one more than last week. We have seen 9140 from Mildura three times this week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with G527(PN)+A81(FA). And we saw three sightings of 9141 to Mildura on Tuesday (0053), Wednesday and Friday nights with G527(PN)+A81(FA) on Tue & Wed and with XR55X(FA)+G527(PN) on Friday. And we saw three PN grain train this week on the B/G, we saw up and down trains on Tuesday with XR558(PN)+BL32(NR) and 40 hoppers. And on Friday night we saw XR55X(FA)+XR55X(PN)+BL32(NR) and 60 hoppers on the down.
Adelaide's train and tram electricians are planning stopwork meetings this week over a pay dispute with TransAdelaide.
They will have four-hour stoppages affecting services and work on the South Road overpass and tramline extension projects.
PASSENGERS using the new myki smartcard in regional Victoria were overcharged 10,800 times in the ticket system's first four months of operation.
And as the launch of the $1.3 billion ticket system nears in Melbourne, it is also now clear that travellers will be expected to pay a $10 fee for the microchipped card, on top of normal ticketing charges.
Police are searching for a group of children who allegedly threw rocks at The Ghan as it passed through Alice Springs, leaving several windows smashed yesterday.
Staff onboard the passenger train have told police how rocks were thrown as it passed by the Karnte camp on the outskirts of the Central Australian town about 1.30pm.
A SENIOR transport official has delivered a stinging attack on his own Government's major blueprint to improve train services.
In a blunt warning, V/Line has said the State Government's proposed fix for the transport system is inadequate.
The frank assessment is contained in a confidential briefing to the Department of Transport, seen by the Herald Sun.
In the report, V/Line chief executive Rob Barnett warns that the promised 20 new V/Line trains would not be enough.
A man remains in a critical condition in Royal Perth Hospital after a freight train hit his car near Merredin.
Police say the collision happened at a level crossing on the Eastern Goldfields rail line about 3:30pm (AWST) yesterday.
Shell employees in Tamworth and Dubbo are receiving counselling and support after the fuel giant announced the town's depots are set to close.
Thirteen staff will lose their jobs in November when the outlets shut.
The company has decided to deliver fuel to the regional centres via truck rather than rail after a review of its operations.
EXCLUSIVE: AN express system for trains carrying ill passengers could prevent thousands of delayed services.
Connex says more than 3000 trains were delayed in just four months last year while staff dealt with ill passengers.
It was the leading cause of delayed trains from July to October, which cost Connex millions of dollars in fines for poor performance.
At present, a train with a sick passenger is stopped at a station until paramedics arrive, delaying that train and others behind it.
VR Products have launched their new web site, showcasing their current range of Victorian Railways HO scale model kits as well as future releases.
MOTORISTS should be taxed on how far they drive and truck drivers should be charged more to pay for the damage their heavier vehicles do to roads, a new report says.
The proposals form part of a paper commissioned for the review of the nation's tax system chaired by Treasury Secretary Ken Henry.
Japanese police have arrested a railway worker for pressing an emergency button to stop a commuter train because he wanted an excuse for being late.
Fearing he would be in trouble for turning up late for work, Masahiro Matsumoto pressed a roadside emergency button at a crossing causing the train to stop.
China's fourth biggest coal producer is set to bid for Queensland coal miner, Felix Resources.
The potential deal is the biggest involving an Australian firm and a Chinese state-owned company since Chinalco's failed bid to double its stake in Rio Tinto.
And some analysts are advising that the Federal Government should think carefully before it allows a Beijing-backed company to control an Australian miner.
The rail union says it is concerned the Queensland Government has no plans to replace ageing rail carriages.
The union's Shayne Kummerfeld says about 80 per cent of diesel carriages used across the Traveltrain network, including the Sunlander, Inlander, Westlander and Spirit of the Outback, are due to be retired in four years.
RailCorp has offered to reimburse a passenger who had to pay his own way home from Brisbane to the New South Wales central coast after getting on the wrong bus in Sydney.
The man was on a train bound for Gosford last Sunday night but had to change to a bus at Hornsby station after a fatal accident on the tracks .
RailCorp says it used transit officers and security guards to direct people to the right buses but a small number ended up on a 10-hour trip to Brisbane instead of Gosford.
The head of mining company Centrex Metals says Port Bonython is not the best location for export of minerals from much of Eyre Peninsula.
Centrex operations include its Wilgerup deposit on central Eyre Peninsula, which it hopes to start mining by November.
But it lacks a bulk commodities port within proximity.
The State Opposition wants electric trains to be used to transport cattle between Rockhampton, in central Queensland, and Brisbane.
A number of regional cattle trains have been cancelled, leaving producers stranded and questioning the reliability of the diesel service.
Transadelaide electricians have been sent home in Adelaide because of work bans.
The Electrical Trades Union members had banned use of mobile phones and two-way radios today as part of a pay dispute.
The state government has given Magellan Metals permission to transport lead from its Wiluna mine in the north-west Goldfields through the port of Fremantle.
The Environment Minister, Donna Faragher has approved the company's proposal to transport lead carbonate in double laminated, hole-proof bags.
Warren is being considered as the location for a new manufacturing plant for carbon black.
The carbon would mostly be exported to China for use in manufacturing tyres, electronics and toner cartridges.
It would be made from agricultural by-products such as wheat stubble and cotton trash within a 300-kilometre radius of Warren.
The State Opposition says West Australians should be alarmed by the Government's decision to allow lead to be transported through the port of Fremantle.
The Government has given Magellan Metals permission to transport lead carbonate by rail from its Wiluna mine, in the north-west Goldfields, on the condition it meets stringent conditions.
A TRAIN fire is causing delays of up to 25 minutes on Melbourne's busiest line.
Fire broke out in the motor of a train near Yarraman station on the Dandenong line about 4.45pm.
The train was not carrying passengers, Connex spokeswoman Lanie Harris said.
There were 96 sightings for this week. This is the same number of sightings as last week, making a total of 2680 sightings for this year to date. On day 227 last year we had recorded 3233 sightings.
Eleven people are dead and four injured after a train smashed into a minibus on a level-crossing near Iasi in north-eastern Romania, police said.
The leader of the Regiotrans private railway company, Florin Hadarean, has told Realitatea TV the bus driver, who police said was among the injured, had ignored warnings the train was approaching.
Residents of Wollongong and surrounding areas in the New South Wales Illawarra are being asked to comment on the proposed Wollongong railway station commuter car park.
NEW laws introduced by the Brumby Government to fast-track controversial transport projects will strip the community of its right to object, and provide for only ''sham consultation'', opponents have warned.
''This is legislation for millionaire mates rather than for the good government of the people of Victoria,'' said Brian Walters, SC, president of the Protectors of Public Land and a former Liberty Victoria president.
Following a fatality at Asquith on Sunday 9 August, RailCorp arranged emergency buses to transport passengers using CityRail and CountyLink services disrupted by the incident. One passenger, Mr Jerome Conway, later complained to the media that he had been directed to board the wrong bus and that instead of being taken to Gosford, he ended up in Brisbane.
MELBOURNE'S remaining vintage W-class trams will be phased out on all routes except the City Circle line, despite a new campaign to get hundreds of the dilapidated trams restored and back on the tracks.
The National Trust has begun lobbying to save the trams, introduced in 1923.
Patronage on Melbourne's metropolitan rail network is up more than six per cent, new figures show.
The data released by the State Government today reveals an overall increase of 6.3 per cent in train trips made in the 2008-09 year to a total of 213.9 million journeys.
Growth on the Sydenham line rose a whopping 59 per cent in the last four years.
Under the Government's $38 billion transport plan, 15 kilometres of track between Sydenham and Sunbury will be electrified from 2010 to alleviate congestion.
The Mayor of the Bland Shire, Tony Lord, says safety will not be compromised if road trains are allowed in the West Wyalong district.
The council will today consider a recommendation to allow a 12 month trial of the longer trucks on rural roads west of the Newell Highway, except residential village streets.
New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says he would eventually like to see an upgrade of the New England Highway.
Mr Rees was in Armidale yesterday talking to community leaders about what improvements they would like to see in the area.
An improvement in rail and road were key issues of concern.
Adelaide bus and train timetables will change from late September.
But commuters will not be given precise details for almost a fortnight.
Representatives from the Transport Department and public transport providers have given some details of the 90 services which are affected from September 27.
Leading motoring organisation NRMA has criticised plans by Shell to shift fuel transportation from rail to roads.
The fuel company says it will close its depots in Canberra, Dubbo and Tamworth and instead use trucks to deliver petrol.
Shell says the decision will mean an extra seven truck trips to Canberra daily but unions claim it will require an extra 14 trips a day.
New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees has made a pledge that commuters will soon see a dramatic improvement in the cleanliness of trains on the south coast and in the Southern Highlands.
Mr Rees says there will be a 50 per cent boost to the number of roving train cleaners, who will also work on weekends.
The general manager of the Hunter Development Corporation (HDC) says Newcastle University could have a number of logistical problems setting up a city campus if the rail line is not cut at Wickham.
The university has been liaising with the New South Wales Government about the possibility of co-locating its campus with a justice precinct.
The Queensland Government has announced it will not go ahead with part of its planned asset sales.
The Government hopes to raise $15 billion by selling various road, rail and port assets.
Premier Anna Bligh has told Parliament that the Federal Government has declined to buy some sections of the rail network.
The Federal Court has found against Railcorp in that they failed to staff Town Hall Station adequately.
TRAINS to Noarlunga are running again after a fire ignited in a city-bound engine at Marion Station tonight.
Like Cityrail with TrainDB, the New York Metropolitan Transport Authority has used copyright to prevent the use of their timetables for running a mobile application for displaying train timetable information.
People of Railpage, I have found a site that commenced in June 2009 on a survey about the Leongatha Railway Line. This survey is on a possible restoration survey by VicRail Passenger.
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said today's report of a Federal Senate Inquiry into Public Transport sends a clear message that the NSW government must develop rigorous public transport plans to be in the running for Commonwealth funding, or miss out. Ms Rhiannon called on Premier Rees to heed the report's message about the benefits of public transport for the environment, public health and the economy
Give them a bus or train every 10 minutes and they will come. This is from : http://www.smh.com.au/national/give-them-a-bus-or-train-every-10-minutes-and-they-will-come-20090822-eug7.html
There were 96 sightings for this week. This is the same number of sighting as last week, making a total of 2776 sightings for this year to date. On day 234 last year we had recorded 3332 sightings.
Sick and tired after decades of inaction on public transport, chiefly by Labor governments, the Herald sets out to forge a workable blueprint. Andrew West reports.
The NSW Government has baptised its new public transport ''super-agency'' with a shiny name - NSW Transport and Infrastructure - and will soon unveil a plan for Sydney's transport. Yes, another new plan.
Farm lobby group AgForce says the Queensland Government needs to spend more money on regional non-coal rail tracks if they are not going to be sold.
The Commonwealth has turned down an offer to buy or lease the tracks and the State Government says it does not want to sell them to the private sector.
AgForce president John Cotter says a lack of infrastructure is affecting the industry.
The Adelaide to Darwin railway must be made profitable to stop the slide of the rail freight industry, the National Transport Commission says.
The Tasmanian Greens have raised more questions about the State Government's ability to meet the deadline for the sale of the state's rail network.
Parliament has been told the Government failed to sign the business sale agreement with Pacific National by July 31st.
The Campaspe Shire will investigate the feasibility of a rail service between Kyabram and Echuca.
It is one of the objectives listed on the Kyabram district plan which was approved by the council this week.
The Lithgow City Council may lobby the New South Wales Government for rail transport incentives to prevent more big trucks travelling through its area.
Earlier this month, fuel company Shell announced it would be closing its depots at Dubbo, Tamworth and Canberra and would transport fuel by road rather than rail.
Victorian Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky will consider a proposal for the return of passenger trains to Harcourt.
The town's development group wants the return of V/Line services which were stopped in the early 1980s.
Public consultation is underway as to whether the St Lawrence Creek Railway Bridge should be heritage listed.
The Department of Environment and Resource Management has received a submission to include the bridge on the heritage register and people are able to make submissions on its historical significance.
Trains are again using the Belair rail line after it was closed for four months to allow a multi-million-dollar upgrade of the tracks and level crossings.
The first train back on the track had a 10-minute stop due to a mechanical fault, but then it was smooth riding from Adelaide to Blackwood.
The Lachlan Valley Rail Group hopes to keep running services on the Cowra to Demondrille line, despite the New South Wales Government announcing it will close next week.
The secretary, Gavin Knowles, says the group was only given two weeks notice of the closure.
Crowds packed one of the historic steam trains yesterday for a trip to Young.
Premier Anna Bligh says Queenslanders will eventually own more assets despite the State Government's controversial privatisation program.
Ms Bligh will today start retracing some of the steps of her "30 seats in three days" March election blitz.
This time, it is a more sedate 10 regions in four days, to explain why she is selling some roads, rail and ports, to fund a building program.
A Humula man says money being sought to fix the Gocup Road should go into reopening the Tumut to Cootamundra railway line.
Truck movements on the road from Tumut to Gundagai are expected to almost double soon to about 400 per day, when the second Visy mill comes online.
Councils do not have the $60 to $80 million needed, but they are campaigning for funding to upgrade the road.
ONE side of Creswick Railway Station will come alive next year when passenger trains return - but the other side remains derelict and abandoned.
The State Government says it would be too expensive to upgrade the existing Creswick Railway Station to V/Line standards and for wheelchair access.
THE first of Melbourne's new trains has been unloaded from the docks and taken to Newport.
The rail and ports operator Asciano has seen its full-year profit slump by almost 64 per cent to $71.8 million.
Asciano's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation for the year was $655.2 million, which is in line with the company's previous guidance.
Is it time having heavy rail on St Kilda line? People using public transport in the area, specifically the 96 route, experience over-crowding. Add more babies since 1971 and you have solid growth.
It would have taken an “army of thieves” to steal about $245,000 worth of heavy equipment from Richmond Vale Railway Museum this month.
Greens MP and ports spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has challenged claims made today by Minister for Ports Joe Tripodi that the Port Botany expansion passed its annual environmental audit with flying colours.
Three historic rail cars owned by the Burnie City Council have become the focus of some good old-fashioned Tasmanian north-south rivalry.
After sitting idle for several years the 1940s restaurant rail cars are suddenly hot property.
Derwent Valley Rail wants to buy them to set up a tourism venture in partnership with Forestry Tasmania.
The Mayor of the Cowra Shire, Bill West, has called on rail authorities to reveal details of the 'safety issues' that have forced the closure of a local line.
The Rail Infrastructure Corporation says operations on the track between Cowra and Demondrille, near Harden, will be suspended from next week because of safety concerns.
Councillor West says that is not good enough.
Mayors from Queensland's outback will use today's local government conference in Brisbane to highlight uncertainty about regional rail networks.
Freight and livestock services on regional lines have been cancelled in recent months and Queensland Rail is also negotiating to close some freight depots between Mount Isa and Townsville.
SUPPORTERS of the Bulldogs rugby league team went ''berserk'', vandalising a CityRail train after their team won a match on Monday night, a leaked security report reveals.
CityRail has confirmed the train, operating between Olympic Park and Lidcombe stations, was attacked but declined to blame Canterbury supporters directly for the damage.
THE $73 million state-federal upgrade of the Mildura rail freight line has been completed ahead of this year's grain harvest. Freight trains will be able to run at up to 80 km/h, cutting travel times between Mildura and Melbourne from 14 hours to about 10 hours.
A MAJOR safety upgrade for Melbourne's trains - mooted five years ago - is yet to be finished, more than 12 months after the original deadline.
Disagreement between Connex and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union over the position of a button has added to the delay.
The new safety system is designed to stop trains under the control of drivers who become incapacitated, even if the "dead-man brake" has failed.
Premier John Brumby has dismissed the running of all-night trams on Friday and Saturdays as "unlikely".
Asked about the all-night services on ABC Radio this morning, Mr Brumby said the Government had already increased late-night public transport and that 24-hour trams were ‘‘unlikely’’.
Grain transportation is to be halted on the Camurra to Weemelah rail line near Moree from September 1.
Services on the Cowra to Demondrille line in central western New South Wales will also be suspended, due mainly to safety concerns.
The Queensland Premier says jobs at the Jilalan Rail Yard will be secure when the Government asset is sold off.
Anna Bligh is opening the $500 million upgrade project at the rail yard near Sarina today.
The New South Wales Government says the needs of non-coal traffic on the Hunter Valley rail network are being largely ignored by a proposed new rail access agreement.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation has submitted conditions for accessing the network to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Two mates have found a novel way to make the most out of old rusting railway lines.
A few years ago Julio Mottola and Michael Albert hatched a plan to create a unique bike that could be ridden on rusting tracks.
Construction work on a new railway station at Wodonga is about to begin.
Victorian Transport Minister Lynne Kosky is at a sod turning ceremony for the works today.
The planned suspension of the Camurra to Weemelah rail line near Moree, from next Tuesday, is now under review.
The line is significant for local grain carriers who would be adversely impacted by the suspension, which may be indefinite.