We are extremely proud to announce that railway operations have re-commenced on the Cooma to Snowy Junction section of railway line, and our railway maintenance vehicles will be traversing this section from Saturday 25th May 2024.
This week saw a significant milestone for CMR and an exciting time for everyone who has worked so hard to get to this point.
Firstly, our inaugural group of Track Machine Operators successfully completed their training and are now qualified to operate our track maintenance vehicles. These volunteers have been working towards these qualifications for several months and we’re so proud to see them out on track.
A lot of people have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make this a reality, from developing and implementing our Safety Management System, maintaining and repairing the rail infrastructure, repairing our track machines, training our volunteers, and much more.
Secondly, for the first time in a decade, a rail vehicle left Cooma Station and travelled up the railway corridor. This is a very significant step in our efforts to return tourist train services to the Monaro.
Our team will now be able to commence maintenance work on the railway corridor and continue our restoration efforts. Our railway vehicles will begin to travel through this section on a regular basis, so please be vigilant and watch out for trains.
We hope you enjoy this little summary from our training, and while we can’t give you a date at the moment, we look forward to welcoming everyone to Cooma once we’ve completed our repairs.
What’s Next?
Initially, our volunteers will be focusing on clearing rubbish and vegetation through the railway corridor so that we can complete an updated inspection of the track and supporting infrastructure.
Once that is complete, we will continue with the replacement of sleepers and repairs to other supporting infrastructure. At the same time, we are continuing with the development and rollout of our Safety Management System as well as training to support passenger operation of our CPH Railmotors.
What do we need?
- Sleepers are the primary item that we are currently trying to source. We have a limited supply and we need more.
- Volunteer labour to assist with vegetation control and sleeper replacement in the railway corridor. The more teams we can get out there, the sooner we can bring back tourist services.
How can you contribute?
All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Donations can be made online through our online store via the following link:
https://cooma-monaro-railway.square.site/shop/Donations/4
Or directly to Cooma Monaro Railway using the details on our website:
