First passenger train over Sydney Harbour Bridge

The New South Wales Government Railways (NSWGR) was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered

rail transport in New South Wales The Australian state of New South Wales has an extensive network of railways, which were integral to the growth and development of the state. The vast majority of railway lines were government built and operated, but there were also several pri ...

, Australia, between 1855 and 1932.

Management

The agency was managed by a range of different commission structures between 1857 and 1932, which reported to either the Minister for Public Works or the

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

. The inaugural Chief Commissioner was Ben Martindale and, following the enactment of the he became Commissioner of Railways. John Rae succeeded Martindale in 1861, and in 1877 Charles Goodchap was appointed Commissioner. The set up a corporate body of three railway commissioners to manage the railways and remove them from political influence, resulting in the resignation of Goodchap. This Board of Railway Commissioners of New South Wales was in place from 22 October 1888 to 4 April 1907, and was replaced by a sole Chief Commissioner of Railways and Tramways until 22 March 1932, when a panel arrangement was restored for a period of nine months, with the Transport Commissioners of New South Wales. On 29 December 1932, the

Department of Railways New South Wales The Department of Railways New South Wales was the agency of the Government of New South Wales that administered rail transport in New South Wales, Australia between 1932 and 1972. Management The Department of Railways was under the control of ...

was established and Thomas Joseph Hartigan was appointed Commissioner for Railways replacing the functions of the Chief Transport Commissioner. Despite this change the operations of the department continued to be colloquially known as the "New South Wales Government Railways" ("NSWGR"). That continued until the creation of the

Public Transport Commission The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980. Upon dissolution, responsi ...

on 20 October 1972. The last Commissioner for Railways was Neil McCusker.

Executives

Chief Commissioner for Railways and Tramways

Chief Transport Commissioner

Legacy

The agency was succeeded by the Department of Railways on 1 January 1915; and then following the enactment of the , the Public Transport Commission was formed; later to become 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 ...

on 1 July 1980. Further restructures in 1996, 2001 and 2003 resulted in the establishment of the

RailCorp Rail Corporation New South Wales (RailCorp) was an agency of the State of New South Wales, Australia established under the ''Transport Administration Act 1988'' in 2004. It was a division under the control of Transport for NSW since the latter' ...

, the agency currently responsible for the Sydney suburban and interurban rail network and rural passenger services, and for providing government and commercial freight operators with access to the rails of the Sydney metropolitan area. On 1 July 2013, the operational responsibilities of RailCorp were transferred to NSW TrainLink and

Sydney Trains Sydney Trains is the operator of the suburban passenger rail network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The network is a hybrid urban-suburban rail system with a central underground core that covers over of track and 170 ...

Infrastructure

The agency built all of their track to the and ran its first official passenger train on 26 September 1855, between the Sydney terminal (just south of the current ) and Parramatta junction (just past Granville) railway stations.

Rolling stock

In 1936, the company owned 1187 locomotives, 457 railcars, 1445 coaches, 172 brake vans, 22.068 goods wagons.

Notes and references

{{Rail management structures in New South Wales Former government railways of Australia

Railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

Railway companies established in 1855 Railway companies disestablished in 1915 Railway companies of New South Wales 1915 disestablishments in Australia History of transport in New South Wales 1855 establishments in Australia