Media release – Tasmanian Transport Museum, 1 May 2023

Tasmanian Transport Museum preparing to reopen part of the former rail line into Hobart after 9 years of redundancy

The Tasmanian Transport Museum is proud to announce that accreditation has been gained to operate trains over a section of the former freight line into Hobart, between Elwick and Grove Roads. The line has been repaired and can now be used by its steam engines and railcars to give passengers a new and extended train ride when they visit the museum.

Services are expected to commence 21st May.

Whilst the section between Elwick and Grove Roads is only a kilometre, it represents Stage 1 of the museum’s business plan to reopen the line as far as Chigwell with the longer term goal of running to Granton.

The South Line, as it is formally known, has not been used for public passenger services since July 1978 when the Tasman Ltd service was cancelled. Since then, the only passenger trains to use the line was the occasional private charter using the Derwent Valley, Don River, Classic Rail Tours and Transport Museum rolling stock. In early 2006, Pacific National stopped heritage rail operators from using their network altogether.

The museum has held a lease over the corridor between Elwick Road and Mentmore Street, Chigwell, since February 2021. Before the museum’s trains could use the track, considerable work had to be done to replace 200 wooden sleepers, repair the Humphreys Rivulet Bridge and add additional infrastructure to negate identified risks. Its Safety Management System had to be reviewed and revised with the need to write many new procedures and revise others. The museum members have been dedicating most of their Saturdays for the past two years to achieve this goal. The volunteer hours would exceed 5000.

TasRail has assisted the museum to reach this milestone through the donation of steel sleepers and surplus track equipment.

The next major task for the museum is to reopen the four road crossings between Elwick Road and Mentmore Street. Design work is well advanced for the crossing at Grove Road.

An event for the media is planned immediately prior to the first weekend before the commencement of public operations. This will be the official launch with our steam engine hauling the first train of passengers to Grove Rd.

More information will follow nearer to the date.