The Byron Bay Train is a
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
passenger rail service in
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
. Since commencing in December 2017, it operates on a three-kilometre section of the disused
Casino-Murwillumbah line.
A 1949-built
600 class railcar was converted to solar power for use on the service.
History
The first section of the Murwillumbah line (which the Byron Bay Train uses) opened between
Lismore and
Murwillumbah
Murwillumbah ( ) is a town in far north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in the Tweed Shire, on the Tweed River. Sitting on the south eastern foothills of the McPherson Range in the Tweed Volcano valley, Murwillumbah is 848 km north-eas ...
, connecting the
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
and
Tweed
Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...
rivers. Passengers and goods were transported to Sydney by coastal shipping from
Byron Bay
Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a hea ...
. Nine years later, an extension from Lismore to
Casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
opened (and later south to
Grafton – it was not until 1932 that the line was fully connected to Sydney). The line became a branch line when in 1930, the
North Coast line was extended from
Kyogle
Kyogle () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It falls within the local government area of Kyogle Council. At the 2016 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,751 people. Kyogle is known as a "gateway" ...
to
South Brisbane
South Brisbane is an inner southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , South Brisbane had a population of 7,196 people.
Geography
The suburb is on the southern bank of the Brisba ...
.
["Byron Bay Railroad Company" '']Railway Digest
''Railway Digest'' is a monthly magazine, published in Sydney, covering contemporary railways of Australia.
Overview
The magazine's publisher is the Australian Railway Historical Society (ARHS), NSW Division. The first issue was published in ...
'' March 2018 pages 50-54 The Casino-Murwillumbah railway was closed in 2004, with the last NSW CountryLink XPT train leaving Murwillumbah on 15 May 2004.
The section of track to the north of the town centre was fully restored by private investment at a cost of about $300,000 per kilometre. Track work on the section commenced on 23 May 2016 and was completed in late November that year. New platforms and a storage shed were completed in April 2017. It was confirmed in early January 2017, the train would run on solar-hybrid operation. The solar service is believed to be a world first.
Operations commenced on 16 December 2017.
[ The service carried over 10,000 passengers in its first 19 days. One year later in January 2019, the train carried its 100,000th passenger.
]
Train
The Byron Bay Railroad Company operates a single railmotor
Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it.
Steam railcars
Overview
In th ...
. Power car 661, along with trailer 761, was built at Chullora Railway Workshops
Chullora Railway Workshops were a major workshops for the repair and heavy maintenance of locomotives and rolling stock for the New South Wales Government Railways.
It was built on site at Chullora over 485 acres adjoining the main Sydney marshal ...
in 1949 as 601/701. In 1973, it was upgraded with its GM Detroit Diesel 6/71 engines replaced with Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
NT855-R2 engines and was subsequently renumbered 661/761. Withdrawn by the State Rail Authority
The State Rail Authority, a former statutory authority of the Government of New South Wales, operated and maintained railways in the Australian state of New South Wales from July 1980 until December 2003.
History
The ''Transport Authorities Ac ...
in the early 1990s, it was sold to the Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway
The Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway is an Australian mining museum, located in the Central Tablelands city of Lithgow, New South Wales.
Collection
The museum is principally a museum of coalmining and related industries. The aim of th ...
.
After 761 was destroyed by a bushfire, the 1960s-built trailer 726 was acquired as a replacement. It was restored to service in 2015 and operated a few charters on the Gwabegar line to Rylstone and Main Western line to Tarana
''Tarana'' is a type of composition in Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words (e.g. "odani", "todani", "tadeem" and "yalali") based on Persian and Arabic phonemes are rendered at a medium (''madhya laya'') or fast (''drut laya'' ...
. In 2017, it was converted to solar-hybrid operation. The conversion was completed in October 2017, and the railmotor was moved from Lithgow by road, arriving on 3 November 2017.[Lithgow-tech: Solar powered train to run Byron Bay Circuit]
''Lithgow Mercury
The ''Lithgow Mercury'', is a tri-weekly English language newspaper first published in 1878 in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia.
History
The ''Lithgow Mercury'' was established in 1878. Initially a weekly publication, the paper was publis ...
'' 31 October 2017 Electricity will be supplied from the grid when there is insufficient solar and the train is intended to run on diesel fuel about once a week.
The railmotor has a seating capacity of 100 people. It is believed to be the world's first solar-powered train.
Stations
The train operates a return shuttle between North Beach station located in Sunrise Beach and Byron Beach station, which serves the beach and Byron township. Due to the service not being subsidised by the government, the timetable will be reviewed from time to time. The train contains room for bikes, prams and surfboards, which can be carried free of charge. It does not use the existing station as this would have required the reinstatement of a level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
.[
The North Beach station is located on Bayshore Drive, near the Sun Bistro Tavern and Elements of Byron Resort. The Byron Beach station is located on the northern side of the Lawson Street level crossing in the Byron Bay CBD.
]
Ticketing
Passengers aged 0–5 years ride free, with those aged 6–13 travelling for $2, and passengers fourteen and up travelling for $5 on a one-way journey. A 10-ride adult ticket is available for $27.
References
External links
Official website
* by Fully Charged
Fully Charged is a YouTube channel, podcast, website, and live event focusing on electric vehicles and renewable energy founded by writer, broadcaster and actor Robert Llewellyn. Llewellyn presents many of the episodes with additional presen ...
{{Railway lines in New South Wales, state=collapsed
Byron Bay, New South Wales
Passenger railway companies of Australia
Railway companies of New South Wales
Railway companies established in 2017
2017 establishments in Australia
Murwillumbah railway line