Rail gauge in Australia

A report by the Australian Government’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, and the Australasian Railway Association, estimated that as of September 2020, there were 32,868 km (20,423 mi) of heavy rail lines open and operational throughout the nation.

This decision was endorsed by the NSW Governor, and Colonial Secretary Earl Grey in London agreed in 1851.

After the interim appointment of Henry Mais in July 1852, the company selected a new Scottish engineer, James Wallace, who preferred the British standard gauge.

In February 1853, the other colonies (Victoria having separated from New South Wales in 1851) were sent a memorandum advising them of the pending change and recommended they likewise adopt 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in.

[17] In Victoria, the memorandum was distributed to three railway companies and their responses were sought, with two replying and only one showing a distinct preference for 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm).

However, the Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company asked for a determination from the government as it had prepared plans for both gauges and was due to send an order for locomotives and rolling stock to England by boat at the start of April.

In reply at the end of March, the companies were told the colonial Victorian government preferred 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) and the order was subsequently placed.

Despite a request by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to reconsider this alteration, in 1855, the NSW Governor William Denison gave the go-ahead for the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in Sydney to Parramatta railway, which opened in September of that year.

At a Select Committee called in Victoria in September 1853, a representative of the railway company which had not replied to Charles La Trobe's earlier memorandum, reported a preference for 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), but when asked if Victoria should follow NSW he answered: "We must, I conclude of necessity, do so".

The focus of railway traffic was movement from the hinterland to the ports and cities on the coast, so governments were not concerned about the future need for either inter-city passenger or freight services.

Work on gauge conversion was assisted by section 51 (xxxiii) of the Constitution of Australia, which made specific provisions for the Commonwealth Parliament to make laws with respect to railway acquisition and construction.

[30] Following the royal commission, agreements were made for the standard gauge NSW North Coast line to be extended from Kyogle to South Brisbane (completed in 1930) and for the Trans-Australian Railway to be extended from Port Augusta to Port Pirie (completed 1937).

[28] By the outbreak of World War II in 1939, there were still 14 break-of-gauge locations, with upwards of 1600 service personnel and many more civilians employed to transfer 1.8 million tons of freight during the conflict.

[36] Although Prime Minister Billy Hughes had expressed support for the idea of a third rail solving the break of gauge difficulty, the predominant opinion of senior officers of the railways was to oppose it.

[37] After the wartime experience, a report into the Standardisation of Australia's rail gauges was completed by former Victorian Railways Chief Commissioner Harold Clapp for the Commonwealth Land Transport Board in March 1945.

NSW entered into the agreement to advance gauge standardisation in Victoria and South Australia, but did not ratify it.

Both the committee and the government strongly supported three standardisation projects at a cost of £41.5 million: The Commonwealth, NSW and Victorian governments were first to start work, with the first freight train operating on the converted North East line to Melbourne operating in January 1962 and the first through passenger train in April 1962.

[39] The work in Western Australia was predicated by an agreement entered into in November 1960 between the state government and BHP for a standard gauge line to be built to allow iron ore from Koolyanobbing to be shipped to a new steel mill at Kwinana.

[39] From Cockburn to Broken Hill a new railway was built on an improved alignment, avoiding the private Silverton Tramway route.

[41] The completion of this link enabled the first Indian Pacific to run across the nation in March 1970 from Sydney to Perth.

Built to replace the narrow gauge Central Australia Railway, the 831 kilometre long line was completed in 1980.

With benefits exceeding the cost by 2.8 times over 25 years, Australian National was able to obtain a loan for the funding of the work.

[41] As part of the Keating government's One Nation project, the Melbourne-Adelaide railway line was converted to standard gauge in 1995.

[32][50] In November 2012, Brookfield Rail completed an upgrade on the Morawa to Geraldton line with gauge convertible sleepers installed to allow for conversion in the future.