Railway Digest Magazine

Possible IPL Phosphate Hill closure would hit Aurizon
Queensland Rail’s Townsville to Mount Isa line and Aurizon would be hit financially if Australia’s largest fertiliser manufacturer, Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL), closes its Phosphate Hill mine and plant in north-west Queensland. If the Phosphate Hill plant closes it is likely the 66-kilometre Flynn – Phosphate Hill branch line, opened for traffic in April 1976, would also close, but as John Hoyle reports, new developments might save it should IPL close its operations.

Bankstown Line closes, Civity arrives
Continuing our series of articles looking at the period of significant change to the railways of Sydney and NSW in 2024, we follow on from last issue’s coverage of the opening of Sydney Metro’s Chatswood to Sydenham extension, with a look at the associated closure of the T3 Sydenham to Bankstown Line for conversion as Stage 2 of that same M1 metro line. At the other end of the historical spectrum, that period also witnessed the first arrival into Sydney of one of Transport for NSW’s new Spanish-built Civity passenger trains. Owen Roberts takes a look at the month that was September 2024.

Fuelling the journey
Transporting more passengers than an A380 aircraft, train drivers have an important and safety-critical role. What is more, passenger train drivers and some freight drivers drive on their own, without another human to help them stay alert. Shiftwork and tiredness go hand in hand, and when the tiredness becomes overwhelming, a train driver needs something to help them stay alert and improve their mood. In this scenario, food can be an unlikely aid in the safety toolbox, as Charlotte Gupta and Anjum Naweed explain.

24hrs around Junee, Cootamundra & surrounds
On a very fresh Tuesday, 23 July, with the temperature barely holding in positive numbers, Anthony Evans began a quest to seek out the many trains operating around the Junee and Cootamundra area of southern NSW within 24-hours