The ''Central West Express'' is an Australian passenger train operating on the
Main Western line in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
to
Dubbo
Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...
.
History
The ''Central West Express'' commenced operating in June 1941 operating on alternate days from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
to
Dubbo
Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...
and
Parkes Parkes may refer to:
* Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation
Named for Henry Parkes
* Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town
* Parkes Observatory, a radi ...
. In the early 1950s it received air-conditioned
RUB sets and began to be hauled by
42 and
43 class diesel locomotives, although steam locomotives of the
36 and
38 classes would regularly haul it until July 1967.
In September 1956 in a reorganisation of rolling stock, the ''Central West Express'' was cut back to operate as a day return service to
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
with the RUB sets replaced by a
HUB set.
From 1957, the service was hauled by
46 class electric locomotives between Sydney and
Lithgow following the electrification of the
Main Western line over the
Blue Mountains.
The service was selected as the first to be converted to
XPT operation. Rebranded the ''Central West XPT'', it commenced operating in April 1982. Initially it operated six days a week to Orange extending to Dubbo on alternate days. From August 1983 all services ran to Dubbo and from December 1985 a Sunday service was introduced, a frequency it still maintains.
[Western Region timetable]
Transport for New South Wales 26 November 2017
Further reading
*''Central West Express'' Peter Attenborough Eveleigh Press 2011
References
{{NSWLocos, state=collapsed
Named passenger trains of New South Wales
Passenger rail transport in New South Wales
Railway services introduced in 1941
1941 establishments in Australia