Royal Commission on the Port Augusta to Alice Springs Railway

Appointed by the Governor-General by Letters Patent under the Royal Commissions Act, under the Port Augusta to Alice Springs Railway (Alteration of Route) Act 1950 (in force 11 January 1951), after the Commonwealth and South Australia disagreed over the route. The Act prescribed the form of the commission: a judge of the Supreme Court of a state other than South Australia, a nominee of the Commonwealth Government and a nominee of the South Australian Government, and made its recommendation binding on the Commonwealth. It was asked whether the "B2" route (broadly following the existing line via Quorn) or the "C" route to the west was more suitable, having regard to costs, the future conversion of the line to Alice Springs and coal traffic from Leigh Creek. The official lists disagree on the date of the Letters Patent; this record follows Schedule 1 of the Royal Commissions Regulations 2019.

1. 1 June 1951The Parliamentary Handbook dates the Letters Patent 1 June 1951; Schedule 1 of the Royal Commissions Regulations 2019 gives 14 December 1950.

Reported on 4 July 1952, recommending the western "C" route that bypassed Quorn and Hawker. The Stirling North to Brachina Railway Act 1952 authorised the Commonwealth Railways to build the line on the recommended route; the standard gauge line from Stirling North to Marree opened in 1957.

• Choosing between the B2 and C routes for the Stirling North to Brachina standard gauge railway
• Comparing construction, maintenance and operating costs of the routes
• Considering coal traffic from Leigh Creek and the later conversion of the line to Alice Springs

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