page_title: Rail gauge in Australia
section_title: Wentworth Committee
hierarchical_section_title: Rail gauge in Australia / History / Wentworth Committee
caption_attribution_description: English: With the Perth CBD skyline in the background, NR28 is struggling up the dual gauge Mt Lawley incline as it hauls a seemingly well patronised eastbound Indian Pacific out of East Perth Terminal (not visible in the picture), at the start of its long transcontinental journey to Sydney via Adelaide, Australia.
context_page_description: Rail gauges in Australia display significant variations, which has presented an extremely difficult problem for rail transport on the Australian continent for over 150 years. As of 2014, there are 11,801 kilometres of narrow-gauge railways, 17,381 kilometres of standard gauge railways and 3,221 kilometres of broad gauge railways.
  In the 19th century, each of the Colonies of Australia adopted their own gauges. However, with Federation in 1901 and the removal of trade barriers, the short sightedness of three gauges became apparent. It would be 94 years before all mainland state capitals were joined by one standard gauge.
context_section_description: In 1956 a Government Members Rail Standardisation Committee was established, chaired by William Wentworth MP. It found that while there was still considerable doubt as to the justification for large scale gauge conversion, there was no doubt that work on some main trunk lines was long overdue. Both the committee and the government strongly supported three standardisation projects at a cost of £41.5 million:
  Albury to Melbourne (priority 1)
  Broken Hill to Adelaide via Port Pirie (priority 2, built 3rd)
  Kalgoorlie to Perth and Fremantle (priority 3, built 2nd)
  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. Over the next 12 months net freight tonnage was up 32.5% and to 1973 there was an average increase of 8.6%.
  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. A new dual gauge line was built through the Avon Valley from Midland to Northam on 1 in 200 grades instead of 1 in 40; and a new line was built from Southern Cross to Kalgoorlie though Koolyanobbing. The first wheat train ran from Merredin to Fremantle in November 1966 and the first iron ore train from Koolyanobbing to Kwinana in April 1967, with the line opened in full in August 1969. Kalgoolie to Perth freight train times were reduced from 31 hours to 13 hours, and passenger train times from 14 hours to eight hours. A new line was built from Woodbridge to Kwinana and one of the tracks on the Fremantle line converted to dual track from Cockburn Junction to Fremantle Harbour. The Midland line in Perth was converted to dual gauge and a new terminus station built.
  In November 1971, following the discovery of rich nickel deposits, work commenced on converting the 640 kilometre line from Leonora to Esperance including 90 kilometres of track on a new alignment. The work was completed in September 1974.
  In South Australia work on Port Pirie to Broken Hill did not start until 1963. The narrow gauge lines from Gladstone and Peterborough were not converted, with triple gauge yards provided. Standard gauge access to Adelaide was not provided. From Cockburn to Broken Hill a new railway was built on an improved alignment, avoiding the private Silverton Tramway route. The completion of this link enabled the first Indian Pacific to run across the nation in March 1970 from Sydney to Perth.
caption: Dual gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) & (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Midland line in Perth with an Indian Pacific service in December 2014
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