South Coast Rail Line

[Southport]
 

The Queensland Railway’s South Coast train line opened to Southport in 1889 and Tweed Heads in 1903. Southport closed in 1964 and Tweed Heads in 1961.

The Southport railway line terminated next to Marine Parade which was the Pacific Highway, with the freight terminal crossing what is now Scarborough Street. The passenger platform was to the west of Scarborough Street with a footbridge providing pedestrian access across the yard. The Southport Transit Centre is located on this site.

[Coolangatta/Kirra]
 

[Tweed Heads]

Queensland Railway’s Tweed Heads Station was located on the southern side of Bay Street. It was located on the southern side of the Coolangatta Station yard with the State Border [Boundary / Dixon Streets] dividing the two yards. Locomotives for Tweed Heads turned on the Coolangatta triangle, the north eastern leg of which is seen near the Griffith and Dixon Street intersection. The far end of this track was a stock siding. The stock sidings were to the north of the Tweed Heads Public School located in Stuart Street.

The Coolangatta Railway Station was located on the Griffith Street side of the present day Chalk Street. Griffith Street was widened when the train line was removed, with the shops on the southern side moving backwards onto what was previously railway land. Chalk Street is the approximate location of the tracks.

Coolangatta Police Station is located on the eastern end of the train cutting between Coolangatta and Kirra.

Bibliography

	“Destination South Brisbane” Kerr and Armstrong 1978 Australian Railway Historical Society [ARHS], QLD.
	“Rails at the Tweed; A QR Station in NSW” R. Milne in the ARHS Bulletin October 2001
	“PB15s, Cement Bins and Picnic Trains; Southport Station in the Later Years” R.Milne in Australian Railway History, ARHS April 2004
	"The Old South Coast Railway Revisited" E. Marggraf in the ARHS Bulletin November 2003.
	Back copies of the ARHS Bulletin and “Australian Railway History” available from http://www.arhsnsw.com.au/arh.htm.
	Street maps from the Refidex Street Directory approx 1960.
	The widening of Griffith Street was reported by local residents.