Ferny Grove line

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Ferny Grove line
Ferny Grove station in October 2012
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerQueensland Rail
Termini
Stations15
Websitequeenslandrail.com.au
Service
TypeCommuter rail
Services1
Route numberBNFG; BRFG; FGBN; FGBR
OperatorQueensland Rail
Rolling stockSMU & IMU
History
Opened1899 (1899)
Enoggera,
1919 (1919)
Mitchelton,
1920 (1920)
Dayboro
Closed1955 (1955)
West of Ferny Grove
Technical
Line length16.9 km (10.5 mi)
Track length16.9 km (10.5 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Electrification1979 (1979)
Operating speedMax 100 km/h (62 mph), Min 20 km/h (12 mph)
Route map

h:mm
km
Ipswich/Rosewood and Springfield lines
Beenleigh, Cleveland and Gold Coast lines
0:03
0.8
 Roma Street (1)
0:00
0.0
 Central (1)
0:02
1.3
 Fortitude Valley (1)
Bulimba Branch (closed)
2.4
 Bowen Hills (original site)
0:05
2.7
 Bowen Hills (1)
Exhibition line
Inner City Bypass
3.0
 Mayne Junction (closed)
Airport, Caboolture, Doomben, Redcliffe Peninsula,
Shorncliffe, Sunshine Coast lines
Enoggera Creek
Lutwyche Road
0:09
4.5
 Windsor (1)
0:11
5.5
 Wilston (1)
0:13
6.5
 Newmarket (1)
0:15
8.0
 Alderley (1)
0:17
8.9
 Enoggera (1)
Wardell Street
0:19
9.6
 Gaythorne (1/2)
0:21
10.9
 Mitchelton (2)
0:23
12.0
 Oxford Park (2)
0:25
12.7
 Grovely (2)
Dawson Pde
0:27
13.5
 Keperra (2)
Samford Road
0:31
16.1
 Ferny Grove (2)
18.6
 Camp Mountain (closed)
Samford Road
Main Street
21.4
 Samford (closed)
 Yugar (closed)
Samsonvale Road
Closeburn (closed)
 Mount Samson (closed)
 Samsonvale (closed)
 Kobble (closed)
 Armstrong Creek (closed)
 Dayboro (closed)

The Ferny Grove line is a suburban commuter railway line in Brisbane, Queensland. Operated by Queensland Rail, the line runs for 16.9 kilometres (11 miles) from Ferny Grove to Roma Street, where services continue on the Beenleigh line.

History

Based on initial surveys, in 1885 the Queensland Government planned to construct a railway line to Samford with the intention of extending it to Gympie. However, no immediate action was taken and further surveys resulted in the decision to construct the line to Gympie via the Mayne railway station (Bowen Hills) which created the North Coast railway line.[1]

The relocation of Brisbane's cattle sales yard from Normanby to Newmarket created a need to provide a railway to Newmarket. With financial guarantees provided by the Windsor Shire Council and the Enoggera Divisional Board, the Queensland Railways built a branch line from Mayne railway station (Bowen Hills) to Newmarket railway station to service the cattle yards and beyond to Enoggera railway station for suburban passenger services. This line opened on 5 February 1899.[2] The suburban service to Enoggera was not very profitable and the Queensland Government resisted any efforts to extend the Brisbane tramway services to Enoggera to avoid further competition.[1]

With the financial assistance of the Australian Defence Department, the line was extended to Rifle Range railway station (now called Gaythorne railway station) on 16 February 1916.[1] The line was extended to Mitchelton railway station on 2 March 1918. The line was extended to Samford railway station on 1 July 1918, to Samsonvale railway station (3 March 1919),[3] to Kobble railway station (3 November 1919) and finally to Dayboro railway station on 25 September 1920.[4] The additional traffic on the line led to its duplication to Newmarket in 1921. The sales yards were moved to Cannon Hill in 1931.

On 5 May 1947, a packed excursion train derailed at Camp Mountain, after Ferny Grove railway station, in what is Queensland's worst rail tragedy, the Camp Mountain train disaster.

The line was duplicated to Mitchelton in 1953, and the first automatic level crossing boom gates in Queensland were installed at Wilston Road, Newmarket in 1954.[5]

The line was closed beyond Ferny Grove after 30 June 1955 after the freight traffic was lost to road transport.[6] Ferny Grove was initially known as Ferny Flats, but the railway department changed the name of the railway station because of a Ferny Flats in New South Wales; the surrounding area followed suit.[7]

2008–2012 upgrades

Between 2008 and 2012 the remaining single track section between Mitchelton and Ferny Grove was duplicated, including an upgraded Ferny Grove station, an additional 1000 car parking spaces and construction of a new bus interchange.

Frequency and services

Typical service frequency on the Ferny Grove Line is four trains per hour (every 15 minutes) on weekdays and two trains per hour (every 30 minutes) at night and on weekends, increasing to 8 trains per hour (every 7.5 minutes) during weekday peak times for faster travel times for commuters working in the Brisbane central business district. Most services stop at all stations to Roma Street railway station. The typical travel time between Ferny Grove and Brisbane City is approximately 31 minutes (to Central).

Ferny Grove line services typically continue as Beenleigh line services.

Passengers for and from the Airport, Caboolture, Doomben, Nambour and Gympie North, Redcliffe Peninsula and Shorncliffe lines change at Bowen Hills, and all other lines at Roma Street.

Stations

Station Image Suburb Opened Terrain Time[a]
Roma Street
Brisbane 14 June 1875 Ground level 0
Central
Brisbane 18 August 1889 Underground 2[b]
Fortitude Valley
Fortitude Valley 1 November 1890 Underground 6
Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills 1973 Ground level 9
Windsor
Windsor 1921 Ground level 13
Wilston
Wilston 5 February 1899 Ground level 15
Newmarket
Newmarket 5 February 1899 Ground level 17
Alderley
Alderley 5 February 1899 Ground level 19
Enoggera
Enoggera 5 February 1899 Ground level 21
Gaythorne
Gaythorne 1916 Ground level 23
Mitchelton
Mitchelton March 1918 Ground level 25
Oxford Park
Mitchelton 1920 Ground level 27
Grovely
Keperra 29 June 1918 Ground level 29
Keperra
Keperra 1932 Ground level 31
Ferny Grove
Ferny Grove 1918 Ground level 35

Notes

  1. Travel time in minutes from Roma Street.
  2. Service dwells for 2 minutes.

References

  1. Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
  2. "The Enoggera Railway". The Brisbane Courier. 6 February 1899. p. 4. Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  3. "RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT". Daily Standard. No. 1933. Queensland, Australia. 3 March 1919. p. 3 (SECOND EDITION). Archived from the original on 5 September 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Kerr, John (1990). Triumph of narrow gauge : a history of Queensland Railways. Boolarong Publications. pp. 93, 224. ISBN 978-0-86439-102-5.
  5. Kerr, J. 'Brunswick St, Bowen Hills & Beyond' ARHS 1988
  6. "6 State Branch Railway lines To Be Closed". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Vol. LXXV. Queensland, Australia. 15 January 1955. p. 1. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. BRISbites (2000). "Brisbane Suburb: Ferny Grove - History of Ferny Grove". ourbrisbane.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2007.