Stockinbingal–Parkes railway line

Stockinbingal- Parkes Line
Legend from Parkes on the Broken Hill line Tichborne Daroobalgie Forbes Red Bend Grawlin Plains Garema Back Creek Wirrinya Caragabal Berendebba Quandialla Eurabba Bribbaree Weedallion Tubbul Road Milvale joins the Lake Cargelligo line at Stockinbingal

The Stockinbingal- Parkes railway line (also known as the 'Forbes line') is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia which connects Stockinbingal on the Main South line with Parkes on the Main West line.^[1] The line has come to be part of the main route for goods trains travelling between Sydney and the west of NSW and beyond, allowing trains to bypass the steep grades and passenger services on the Blue Mountains section of the Main West line.

Western goods trains were rescheduled to operate over this line in lieu of the Blue Mountains from 1993 when the now-defunct National Rail company commenced interstate freight haulage.^[2] The line opened between Parkes and Forbes in 1893, and Forbes and Stockinbingal in 1918.^[3] Passenger services were operated by CPH railmotors until their withdrawal between Stockinbingal and Forbes in October 1974. Services operated between Parkes and Forbes until 1983, consisting of a Mail train and a rail-motor service.^[4]

No regular passenger services use the line, although Main West line passenger services occasionally divert over the line when trackwork closes the regular route. The line is owned by the Rail Infrastructure Corporation of New South Wales, however it is leased by the Australian Rail Track Corporation who are responsible for the maintenance and operation of the line.^[5]

See also

• Rail transport in New South Wales

References

Railway lines in New South Wales
Main lines Broken Hill Main Northern Main South Main Western North Coast South Coast
Country branch lines Operational Berrima Binnaway-Werris Creek Blayney-Demondrille Boggabilla Bombala Canberra Cobar Coonamble Grenfell Gwabegar Hay Lake Cargelligo Medway Quarry Mungindi Naradhan Newcastle Oaklands Parkes to Narromine Picton-Mittagong loop Pokataroo Sandy Hollow-Gulgong South Maitland Railway Stockinbingal-Parkes Temora-Roto Tottenham Troy Junction-Merrygoen Unanderra-Moss Vale Walgett Warren Yanco-Griffith Closed Ballina Barraba Belmont Boorowa Brewarrina Burcher Camden Captains Flat Corowa Crookwell Dorrigo Eugowra Holbrook Inverell Kunama Kywong Merriwa Molong-Dubbo Morpeth Mount Hope Murwillumbah Newnes Oberon Rand Rankins Springs Richmond Vale Railway Taralga Tocumwal Toronto Tumbarumba Tumut Wallsend Westby
Sydney lines Commuter rail Airport Bankstown Carlingford City Circle Cronulla Eastern Suburbs East Hills Epping-Chatswood Main Suburban North Shore Olympic Park Richmond South West Goods lines Sydney Freight Network Southern Sydney Freight Closed Camden Kurrajong Rogans Hill Ropes Creek Royal National Park Sandown
Proposed or under construction Inland Railway Maldon–Dombarton Sydney Metro Northwest Sydney Metro City & Southwest Western Sydney Freight Line
Tourist & heritage railways Glenreagh Mountain Railway Lachlan Valley Railway New South Wales Rail Transport Museum Oberon Tarana Heritage Railway Richmond Vale Railway Skitube Zig Zag Railway