TasRail (officially Tasmanian Railway Pty Limited)Tasmanian Railway Pty Ltd Australian Securities & Investments Commission is a statutory corporation of the Tasmanian Government that has owned and operated Tasmania's mainline railways since 1st December 2009. It operates freight services only, as passenger trains in Tasmania ceased running in July 1978.
History Established under the Rail Company Act 2009, on the 1st December 2009 the Tasmanian Government purchased the AN Tasrail business from Pacific National.Rail Sale Agreement Finalised Asciano 7 September 2009 TasRail combined the above-rail (rollingstock) and business assets with the below-rail assets (track and associated infrastructure), for which the state had assumed responsibility in May 2007, to form a vertically integrated rail operator.
The Tasmanian Government Railways had operated the state's railway network until it passed to the federal government's Australian National in March 1978.Background – Organisation of Australia's Railways Department of Infrastructure & Regional Development
Fleet As of April 2017, the fleet consisted of 27 operational locomotives."Australia Wide Fleet List" Motive Power issue 96 November 2014 page 73"TasRail locomotive and rolling stock update" Railway Digest December 2014 page 20
Current locomotive fleet ClassImageTypeBuiltTop Speed (km/h)NumberNotes DQ class Diesel-electric 1964–196980 12 From Pacific National in 2009 DV class Diesel-electric 1961–197172 1 From Pacific National in 2009, De-motored and is used as a driving van TR class Diesel-electric 2013–2014100 17 Purchased from Progress Rail and have Caterpillar 3512 engines, All are still in operation
Former locomotive fleet ClassImageTypeBuiltTop Speed (km/h)NumberNotesPreservation2050 classDiesel-electric1978804Purchased from Aurizon in 2011, all storedD classDiesel-electric1971802From Pacific National in 2009, all storedDC classDiesel-electric19641001From Pacific National in 2009, scrappedMKA classDiesel-electric1967-1972806From Pacific National in 2009, all storedQR classDiesel-electric1964-1969803From Pacific National in 2009, All scrappedY classDiesel-electric1961–1971728From Pacific National in 2009, 7 preserved and 1 converted to driving van2 at Derwent Valley Railway. 1 at Queen Victoria Museum & Art Gallery, Launceston. 1 at Tasmanian Transport Museum, Glenorchy.
1 at Launceston & North East Railway. 2 at Don River Railway, Devonport.Z classDiesel-electric1973974From Pacific National in 2009, all preserved2 at Don River Railway 2 at Bellarine Peninsula RailwayZa classDiesel-electric1973-1976973From Pacific National in 2009, 1 stored, 2 preserved1 at Tasmanian Transport Museum 1 at Don River RailwayZB classDiesel-electric1973804From Pacific National in 2009, 2 preserved, 2 stored 1 at Don River Railway 1 at Launceston and North East RailwayZC classDiesel-electric1966-72804From Pacific National in 2009, 3 scrapped, 1 preserved1 at Launceston and North East RailwayZP classDiesel-electric1973801From Pacific National in 2009, preservedPreserved at the Don River RailwayZR classDiesel-electric1973801From Pacific National in 2009, stored
Road crossings There are 199 level crossings on the TasRail network with active control at 123 crossings and passive control at the remainder. Active control includes flashing lights and warning bells that are activated by approaching trains and passive control includes 'Stop' or 'Give Way' sign which rely on motorists to watch for trains before crossing the railway line. From 2003 to 2012, there were 36 reported crashes at level crossings, with 20 resulting in casualties, 3 of which were fatal. Para 3.1 Almost two thirds of crashes occurred within urban areas with speed limits 50 or 60 km/h. Relocation of the Hobart terminal to Brighton during June 2014 meant that 29 crossings became inactive, which was expected to reduce level crossing crashes in Tasmania by 30%. Para 4.2
See also Tasmanian Government Railways Tasman Limited Rail transport in Tasmania Railway accidents in Tasmania Rail transport in Australia
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Locomotive details