AUSTRALIA'S RAILWAYS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 40, 10 November 1917, Page 8

AUSTRALIA'S RAILWAYS

TRANS-CONTINENTAL SERVICE COMMENCED. After nearly five years' work the two ends of the Australian trans-continentnl line, which, it is proposed, shall be known as the- Great Western Railway, met on October 17 at the eastern end of the Nullarbor Plain, and it is now possible to travel from Brisbane to Perth, a distance of 3200 miles,'pawing through tho capital cities of all the mainland States of tho Commonwealth. The official opening of the line has been fixc-d for next Monday.

Authorities declare that the work hns no parallel in the history of railway construction, for, though longer lines have been built, and line presenting greater engineering difficulties, nowhere else in the world has a railway been built across a thousand miles of waterless Country, nearly 800 miles of it absolutely uninhabited. The sum actually expended on the railway up to June 30 was and the total cost will be fully .£7,000,000. The original estimate was' a little over ,£4,000,000. The completion of this line brings Perth within four days of Sydney. As it is now only partly ballasted, the speed of the trains will bo kept down to nbout 30 miles an hour, but when the ballasting is complete the average speed will be increased to 14 milee an hour, 60 that the time for the 1052 miles of the new line -will be reduced to 24 hours, and tho time from Melbourne to Perth to nbout 62 hours. A passenger leaving Sydney on Sunday night for Melbourne would, after spending several hours in the southern capital, catch the Adelaide express at 4.30 p.m. on Monday, and reach Perth on Thursday. The first-class faro from Sydney to Perth will probably be about ,£l2 65., exclusive of sleeping berth charges, which will bo 10s. a night first-class and ss. a night second-class. Meals will be served iit rates varying from Is. 9tl. to 4s. The first-lass coache3 will include day-cars, which are practically observation cars, as well as sleep, ing cars. Ice chests, fans, and all other contrivances necessary to make the journey comfortable in summer will be provided. Aβ an experiment there will be even bathrooms. A great disadvantage will be the frequent break of gauge in the journey from east to west. In Queensland the gauge is 35ft., in *ew South Wales 4ft. SJin., Victoria on to Adelaide and thence to Terowie sft. 3in to Port Augusta 3Mt., then the neiwly-oonstructed lino to Kalgoorlia 4ft. B!in., and again 3ift. to Perth. Th'e" first through train reached Kalgoorlio on October 24. Among the pas< sengors was Sir John Forrest, to -whose persistence in advocating the railway the adoption of tho scheme was largely due. Before he was 27 years of age he bad crossed West Australia to South Australia twice. In the course of an interview Sir John Forrest eaid: "The railway journey from Port Augusta to Kalgoor- , lie has been most interesting, and the accommodation provided is on a splendid scale. The country passed through, with tho exception of about 100 miles on the South Australian side, is well suited for pastoral occupation, and now that facilities of transit are established it will be at once thrown open for settle' nient, and will soon be occupied for grazing purposes and become wealth-produc* ing. My thoughts naturally reverted to incidents of my former journey from Perth to Port "Augusta in 1870, which, with the primitive outfit and a few horses, took myself and my little band of comrades five months to accomplish. The transformation in the mode of travelling, and all that attends it, makes me feel grateful that one hns been privileged to take part in bringing it alwut. ■