Hobart’s rail enthusiasts have paid tribute to Hobart’s passenger rail services of days gone by on the 50th anniversary of their cessation.
December 31 2024 marked 50 years since the last passenger train left the Hobart city terminal.
The service departed for Risdon at 11:12pm on December 31, 1974, carrying mostly rail fans.
In 1978, four years later, the last Tasmanian passenger train left Hobart for the state’s north.
Five decades later, the Tasmanian Transport Museum is keeping the memory of Hobart’s rail past alive by offering steam train rides on the former suburban line.
“Fortunately the Transport Museum can help you relive some of those days as all our passenger cars and locos operated on the suburban line at some time,” a museum spokesperson said.
“This Sunday our steam loco will run 30-minute services between the Museum platform and Grove Road.”
The museum hopes to eventually extend these services to Berriedale in 2025.
“Maybe your support for these trips will engender some support for a return of rail services to Hobart,” the spokesperson said.
