Southern Line

The Southern Line is that which runs from Toowoomba, south to the Border location of Wallangarra. At Wallangarra, the standard gauge NSW line meets the narrow metals of Queensland at this break of gauge station. The line is 191 km in length.

The Line opened in stages, reaching just to the north of Warwick in 1871. It was extended to Stanthorpe in 1881, finally reaching Wallangarra in 1887. A year later in 1888, the New South Wales Main North Railway was opened, and this then became the interstate rail link between Brisbane and Sydney. The NSW North Coast line was completed into South Brisbane in 1930 providing a direct link between the two cities, although passengers and goods had to be ferried across the Clarence River until 1932..

Despite the more direct and quicker route being available to Brisbane via the NSW North Coast line, the old route between Sydney and Brisbane was used by ‘mail’ trains until February 1972. The line between Tenterfield (NSW) and Wallangarra was abandoned by the NSW Railways in 1988. The line is still open on the Queensland side, but there are now no regular services. The Souther Downs Steam Railway, based in Warwick, still provide occasion excursions to Wallangarra, as do the QLD ARHS, and QR Heritage.