Heritage route
Zig Zag Railway
Clarence → Bottom Points · Australia
A 19th-century engineering marvel in the Blue Mountains: trains reverse down a rock-cut Z of sandstone viaducts that once carried the main western line off the plateau.
- Distance
- 8 km
- Fastest time
- 1 h 30 min
- Average speed
- 5 km/h
- Top speed
- 30 km/h
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 422204: the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 5 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: the railway’s own site, a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Zig Zag Railway?
The Zig Zag Railway runs 8 km from Clarence to Bottom Points.
How long does the Zig Zag Railway take?
The fastest scheduled journey is 1 h 30 min for the 8 km. That is an average of 5 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 30 km/h.
Who runs the Zig Zag Railway?
Zig Zag Railway Co-op, with 1950s heritage diesel & steam.
How old is the Zig Zag Railway?
The line has been in service since 1869. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
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