Transportation of Australia
Railways
total:
33,819 km (2,540 km electrified)
broad gauge:
3,719 km 1.600-m gauge
standard gauge:
15,422 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:
14,506 km 1.067-m gauge
dual gauge:
172 km NA gauges (1999)
National rail services
The Great Southern Railway, owned by Serco Asia Pacific, operates three trains: the Indian Pacific (Sydney-Adelaide-Perth), The Ghan (Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin), and the Overland (Melbourne-Adelaide) [1]. Since the extension of the Ghan from Alice Springs to Darwin was completed in 2004, all mainland Australian capital cities are linked by standard gauge rail, for the first time.
State rail services
V/Line operates trains and buses in Victoria [2].
StateRail is the government body responsible for all passenger rail services in New South Wales (NSW). Operations are handled by its two independent services:
- CityRail operates passenger trains in the greater Sydney area.
- CountryLink operates passenger trains in the remainder of NSW.
All rail freight operators in NSW have been privately owned since 2002.
The Rail Infrastructure Corporation is responsible for the development and maintenance of tracks, overhead wiring, etc.
Cities with metro systems:
- Melbourne (simply known as the 'City Loop' because it is a simple circuit of the central business district with five stations)
- Sydney (Sydney subways)
Highways
total:
913,000 km
paved:
353,331 km (including 13,630 km of expressways)
unpaved:
559,669 km (1996 est.)
Waterways
8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft
Pipelines
crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km
Ports and harbors
Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Merchant marine
total:
57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,657,194 GRT/2,206,574 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 28, cargo 4, chemical tanker 4, container 1, liquified gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 8, roll-on/roll-off 6 (1999 est.)
Airports
408 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total:
265
over 3,047 m:
11
2,438 to 3,047 m:
11
1,524 to 2,437 m:
115
914 to 1,523 m:
120
under 914 m:
8 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total:
143
1,524 to 2,437 m:
18
914 to 1,523 m:
113
under 914 m:
12 (1999 est.)
Reference
Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000.
- See also : Australia
railway maps
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