News
24 February, 2026
Steam trains will return to Colo Vale this year
CEO of Transport Heritage NSW, Andrew Moritz, has told Wingecarribee Shire Council that final works on the historic Loop Line are now being completed including fencing, hazardous tree removal and refurbishment of the Colo Vale railway station.
CEO of Transport Heritage NSW, Andrew Moritz, has told Wingecarribee Shire Council that final works on the historic Loop Line are now being completed including fencing, hazardous tree removal and refurbishment of the Colo Vale railway station.
He said the works would be followed by a period of “operational readiness” to ensure the line is safe to operate.
Mr Moritz said an opening date had yet to be set – and would be determined in consultation with the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator – but it would be before the end of the year.
The Loop Line will provide another reason for people to visit Wollondilly and the Southern Highlands.
The railway museum at Thirlmere already attracts more than 80,000 people a year but Mr Moritz expects that to increase.
He said the museum’s “core experience” would continue to be the 45-minute steam train journey from Thirlmere to Buxton and return but the three-hour return trip to Colo Volo would add to visitor numbers.
“We anticipate it will be a very different experience and will attract a very different market to the museum,” he said.
Mr Moritz said the project was “enormously exciting”.
In recent years, he said, more than 18,000 sleepers and 80,000 track fastenings had been replaced to make the Loop Line “fit for purpose”.
There had also been geotechnical works and upgrades to five level crossings.
Mr Moritz said he was particularly excited about a new viewing platform planned for the Big Hill Cutting and believes it will become a major attraction for train enthusiasts.
The Big Hill Cutting near Yerrinbool was once the largest rail cutting in Australia.
Historic records show that blasts used to form the cutting killed two workers in 1863.
Mr Moritz was asked by Councillor David Kent about the 9km section of track between Colo Vale and Braemar and whether or not it would be reopened.
Mr Moritz said the cost of extending the track to Braemar had been estimated at $22 million because a bridge had been removed and would need to be replaced.
“We will get this bit (Thirlmere-Colo Vale) open and successful first and then we will take another look at that section of track,” he said.
Read More: Wollondilly, Southern Highlands, Colo Vale, Thirlmere, Buxton, Yerrinbool