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Railways in Western Australia
 The
opening of the transcontinental railway line in 1917 was the culmination
of two decades of agitation on the part of Western Australian politicians.
For many the railway line was the final link in the chain of Federation.
The official party which rode on the first railway carriage consisted of
State and Federal figures, including Sir John Forrest, former Western Australian
Premier and Deputy Prime Minister.
 The railway finally provided a land link for Western Australians with their eastern neighbours. Apart from increasing trade between the States, the train provided an opportunity for many to travel. The journey across the Nullarbor was a long and often uncomfortable ride. For nearly two decades it was the only alternative to taking a steamship from Fremantle, Albany or Esperance.
Until the introduction of the Indian Pacific service in 1970, travel between
west and east involved changing trains and railway gauges whenever crossing
State borders. Yet for all its inconvenience, perhaps because of it, the
railway remained an important symbol of national unity.
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