Kalgoorlie railway station

View from the station in May 1931

Sunrise over Kalgoorlie Railway Station, 27 May 2021

WAGR P class locomotive with the Kalgoorlie Express at the station in 1935

Construction of the railway station and yard was begun in the late 1890s, as part of the extension of the Eastern Goldfields Railway from Coolgardie in January 1897.[2] The station was formally opened by the Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Gerard Smith KCMG, at a ceremony held on the station platform on 8 September 1896.[3]

In the early stages of the development of railways in the Eastern Goldfields, it was the junction for the following railways:[4]

• Kalgoorlie to Boulder, opened 8 November 1897[5]
• Kalgoorlie to Kanowna, opened 6 December 1897[6]
• Kalgoorlie to Menzies, opened 24 March 1898[7]

In 1917, Kalgoorlie became a break-of-gauge station when the Commonwealth Railways' standard gauge Trans-Australian Railway from Port Augusta opened. This ceased on 3 August 1968, when the Eastern Goldfields Railway was gauge converted.[8][9]

Surveyed in 1899,[10] the line went from Kalgoorlie station.[11] Due to costs and passenger decline, in 1920, some of the stations listed below were reduced in status by ceasing to be booking stations: Hannan Street, Golden Gate, Brown Hill and Trafagar.[12] In 1921, fares increased.[13] In 1930, the passenger service was closed.[14][15]

• Maritana Street Bridge
• Victoria Street
• Hanbury Street – the junction

Western side:

• Robert Street
• Coombe Street
• Halfway
• Kallaroo

Inner western side

• Hainault
• Fimiston
• Horseshoe

Boulder Loop

• Golden Gate – junction
• Dunlop Crossing
• Clancy Street
• Boulder railway station
• Forrest Street
• Ivanhoe Crossing
• Kamballie – junction

Eastern side

• Trafalgar
• Hillend
• Brown Hill[16]
• Croesus
• Williamstown[17]

The platform was the longest in Western Australia, 527 m[18]

It was eclipsed by the new East Perth Terminal platform, built for the 1969-70 extension of standard gauge into Perth.[19] At each end of the main platform are bay platforms; the three to the east (adjacent to the former water tank and signal box) were where Boulder loop line passenger services arrived, and the western one is where the current Prospector services terminate. The eastern bays were converted to standard gauge for Trans-Australia Railway, prior to the extension of the standard gauge line to Perth.

Due to it being the western terminus of the Trans-Australian Railway, the station has been the location of a number of commemorations and ceremonies from the opening of that railway in 1917 and since.[20]

Kalgoorlie is served by the Transwa Prospector rural train service and the Indian Pacific. It was also previously served by the Kalgoorlie Express, The Westland and Trans Australian.

The Prospector service runs to and from East Perth once or twice each day.[21]

• Transwa Prospector § Stops

• Media related to Kalgoorlie railway station at Wikimedia Commons