The Taralga railway line is a disused branch railway line in the south of

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 ...

, Australia. The line commenced at a junction with the Goulburn to Crookwell line at Roslyn station and ran for a distance of to the small town of Taralga. The line operated between 1926 and 1957 and is one of few lines in New South Wales that has been formally closed by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

. Today all track has been lifted and little trace remains of the infrastructure associated with the line.

History

Demand for a railway line to Taralga existed from the mid-19th century. The town grew significantly in the 1860s, however remained isolated particularly during wet weather, when the poor quality roads in the region could become impassable. A railway connection was seen as highly desirable if the town was to continue to prosper. In 1884, a delegation met with the Minister for Public Works requesting a survey be conducted of a potential route between Roslyn and Taralga, branching off the already surveyed

Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of the Australian state of New South Wales, approximately south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters pate ...

Crookwell Crookwell is a small town located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Upper Lachlan Shire. At the , Crookwell had a population of 2,641. The town is at a relatively high altitude of 887 metres and there are several sn ...

route, offering that any private land that would need to be resumed would be given to the Government to facilitate construction. It was not until 1915 that construction of the line by the Department of Public Works was authorised through the passing of the ''Roslyn to Taralga Railway Act (1915) No 49'', at an estimated cost of £87,353. The Premier of New South Wales, Sir George Fuller turned the first sod on 8 January 1923, following delays due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, which led to the estimated cost of construction rising to £139,700, part of which would be subsidised by charging higher rates for transporting goods on the line compared to the rest of the

New South Wales Government Railways 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, Australia, between 1855 and 1932. Management The agency was managed by a range of differen ...

. and construction of the branch commenced, opening on 23 February 1926. Initial services consisted of a mixed train running three days per week between Roslyn and Taralga, a journey taking an hour and fifteen minutes that was timetabled to allow connections onward to Goulburn and Sydney. This soon became a daily service, however by 1930 it was cut back to twice a week due to a lack of traffic, with additional services operating only when demand required. The line was never profitable as traffic fell further and was formally closed on 1 May 1957, however the last train ran on the line in 1954. Typical goods carried on the line prior to its closure included livestock, wool and potatoes. The tracks were lifted and removed by 1959, and very little infrastructure remains except for the former station building and platforms at Strathaird.

References

{{coord missing, New South Wales Closed regional railway lines in New South Wales Railway lines opened in 1926 Railway lines closed in 1957 Standard gauge railways in Australia