The Hay railway line is a partly closed railway line in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The line branches from the Main South line

Main Southern railway line, New South Wales

The Main Southern Railway is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Southern Highlands, Southern Tablelands, South West Slopes and the Riverina regions.- Description of route :...

 at Junee

Junee, New South Wales

Junee is a medium sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town's prosperity and mixed services economy is based on a combination of agriculture, rail transport, light industry and government services, and in particular correctional services...

, and passes in a westwards direction through the towns of Coolamon

Coolamon, New South Wales

Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-west New South Wales, Australia. Coolamon is north-west of Wagga Wagga and south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The town is situated on the railway line between Junee and Narrandera. Coolamon had a population of 1,339 at the 2006...

 and Narrandera

Narrandera, New South Wales

-Transport:Narrandera is well served for transport. The Sturt Highway and the Newell Highways cross, just south of Narrandera. Greyhound buses pass daily - note that the destination can be listed as Jillenbah....

 to Yanco

Yanco, New South Wales

Yanco is a village with a population of 572 in Leeton Shire in South Western New South Wales, Australia. Yanco is a Wiradjuri aboriginal language word meaning the sound of running water. Yanco is located three kilometres from Leeton along the Irrigation Way...

. The first train arrived in Hay on 4 July, 1882. The line beyond Yanco to Hay

Hay, New South Wales

Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia.  It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....

 is now closed, although the section to Willbriggie

Willbriggie, New South Wales

Willbriggie is a community in the central part of the Riverina nearby to the city of Griffith. It is situated by road, about 16 kilometres north from Darlington Point and 17 kilometres south from Hanwood...

 remained open for grain haulage until 2004. At Yanco, the still-open Yanco to Griffith line

Yanco- Griffith railway line, New South Wales

The Yanco to Griffith railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. Together with the Junee- Yanco section of the Hay railway line, it is one of two routes to the town of Griffith, the other route being via Temora. It branches from the Hay railway line at the town of Yanco and...

 branches off in a northwesterly direction to Griffith

Griffith, New South Wales

Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...

.

Passenger services

Until 1986, passenger service operated over the section of line between Junee and Yanco on their way to Griffith, consisting of a through train to Sydney (the Riverina Express) on several days per week, with a connection service between Grifith and Junee (connecting with the South Mail) on the other days. A connecting railcar service was provided at Narrandera for passengers on the Tocumwal line

Tocumwal railway line, New South Wales

The Tocumwal railway line is a closed railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line branched from the still open Junee - Hay line at Narrandera station and then headed south west to Tocumwal station where there was a break-of-gauge with the Victorian Railways Goulburn Valley line from...

 operated three days per week, until withdrawn on Saturday November 26, 1983.

These services were withdrawn in 1986, and replaced by road coach services. Between 1986 and 1996, no passenger trains operated over the line until services were reintroduced in 1996 after considerable political pressure was placed upon the NSW State Government. A weekly locomotive train was initially reintroduced, subsequently replaced by a weekly Xplorer train. The train runs mainly for political reasons rather than fulfilling a significant transport role. Railway stations remain open at Coolamon

Coolamon, New South Wales

Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-west New South Wales, Australia. Coolamon is north-west of Wagga Wagga and south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The town is situated on the railway line between Junee and Narrandera. Coolamon had a population of 1,339 at the 2006...

 and Narrandera

Narrandera, New South Wales

-Transport:Narrandera is well served for transport. The Sturt Highway and the Newell Highways cross, just south of Narrandera. Greyhound buses pass daily - note that the destination can be listed as Jillenbah....

.