| System: | South Australian Railways |
| Status: | Closed and Removed |
| Locale: | Murray Mallee |
| Start: | Karoonda |
| End: | Peebinga |
| Continuesfrom: | Barmera line |
| Open: | 18 December 1914 |
| Close: | 7 December 1990 |
| Operator: | South Australian Railways Australian National |
| Linelength Km: | 106.2 |
| Map State: | collapsed |
| Coordinates: | -34.9347°N 140.9047°W |
The Peebinga railway line was a railway line on the South Australian Railways network. It opened on 28 December 1914 from a junction with the Barmera line at Karoonda and ran generally eastward through the Murray Mallee terminating at Peebinga, two kilometres from the Victorian state border. It closed on 7 December 1990.[1] [2]
| [3] [4] | |||||
| Order built | Line | Year opened | Year closed | Length (km) | Length (mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tailem Bend–Pinnaroo | 1906 | 2015[note a] | 86.6 | 139.4 |
| 2 | Tailem Bend–Barmera | 1913 / 1928[note b] | 1996[note c] | 159.5 | 256.6 |
| 3 | Karoonda–Peebinga | 1914 | 1990 | 66.0 | 106.2 |
| 4 | Karoonda–Waikerie | 1914 | 1994[note d] | 73.8 | 118.7 |
| 5 | Alawoona–Loxton | 1914 | 2015[note e] | 22.0 | 35.5 |
| 6 | Wanbi–Yinkanie | 1925 | 1971 | 31.5 | 50.6 |
| Total | 439.4 | 707.0 | |||
| Notes | |||||
The railway ran easterly from Karoonda then north-easterly, serving to open up for agriculture the lands between the Pinnaroo line which had opened in 1906 and the Barmera line which was still under construction when approval was granted for the Peebinga line. The Peebinga line was long and construction estimated to cost £207,000 plus £56,690 for rolling stock. The net operating loss was forecast as £11,804 per annum however this was considered acceptable for making agriculture possible on 621000acres of previously undeveloped land.[5]
Towns were established along the route with railway stations and schools however none of these have survived as towns.[6]
Consideration was given in 1927/28 to a suggestion of extending the line from Peebinga across the state border into Victoria and northward to Morkalla to connect with what became the Victorian Railways' Morkalla line which at that time terminated at Meringur.[7]