Warrnambool Railway Line
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The Warrnambool railway line is a railway serving the south west of
Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
. Running from the western
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
suburb of
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...
through the cities of
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
and
Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...
, the line once terminated at the coastal town of
Port Fairy Port Fairy (historically known as Belfast) is a town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Souther ...
before being truncated to
Dennington Dennington is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is north of Framlingham and north-east of Ipswich in the east of the county. It lies along the A1120 road around west of the road's junction with the main A12 roa ...
(just west of Warrnambool). This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long
Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail The Port Fairy - Warrnambool Rail Trail is a 37.5 kilometre rail trail in southwestern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The official opening of the trail took place on 31 May 2012 at the Koroit, Victoria, Koroit Railway station building. ...
. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.


Services

Metro Trains Melbourne Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the operator and brand name of train services on the electrified metropolitan rail network serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest urban rail network in Au ...
operates suburban passenger services along the inner section of the line as far as
Werribee Werribee is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the local government area of the City of Wyndham. Werribee recorded a population of 50,027 at the 2021 census. Werrib ...
, while
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
operates the
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
and the
Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...
services. For 11 years, from 19 September 1993 until 31 August 2004, the Melbourne to Warrnambool passenger service was run by the private West Coast Railway company. Freight services also run on the line, operated by
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock, jointly owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Governm ...
and, for a brief period, El Zorro to the WestVic container terminal, between Warrnambool and Dennington.


History

The Warrnambool line was originally built by the private
Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company The Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Alexander Thomson (pioneer), Alexander Thomson, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, introduced and mentored a bill to inco ...
and opened on 25 June 1857, the line being sold to the
Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...
in 1860. The line was designed by English engineer Edward Snell, and built as a single track. The standard of engineering was called into question as the light timber bridges required extra maintenance and had a short life span, while the decision to build only a single track resulted in slow and infrequent trains. Travelers between Melbourne and Geelong continued to prefer the bay steamers across
Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is comple ...
, leading to diminished profits for the company. At a railway commission enquiry, Snell defended his approach as necessary to complete the work in time, with the expectation that the engineering works would be upgraded as traffic and revenue increased. The railway had the misfortune of a fatal accident on its first run. The company's superintendent – and a friend of Snell's – was struck when leaning out of the train's engine as it approached a bridge. An inquiry cleared the company of any negligence. The line was progressively duplicated from the 1950s to the 1980s. The line was later extended south-west, to
Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...
in 1876, Colac in 1877, Camperdown in 1883,
Terang Terang is a town in the Shire of Corangamite, Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Princes Highway and is south west of the state's capital, Melbourne. At the , Terang had a population of 2,254. History The semi-nomadic Kirrae W ...
in 1877 and
Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...
, Dennington and Port Fairy in 1890. This line is now closed beyond Warrnambool, with the last train leaving Port Fairy on 10 September 1977, hauled by B75, with the line officially closing on 12 September 1977. A branch line was built from
Koroit Koroit is a small rural town in western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia a few kilometres north of the Princes Highway, north-west of Warrnambool, Victoria, Warrnambool and west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Moyne local govern ...
(between Warrnambool and Port Fairy) to
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
(on the Ararat – Portland railway), via
Penshurst Penshurst is a historic village and civil parishes in England, civil parish located in a valley upon the northern slopes of the Weald, Kentish Weald, at the confluence of the River Medway and the River Eden, Kent, River Eden, within the Seveno ...
, in 1890. At the same time a short-lived connection was opened between Penshurst and
Dunkeld Dunkeld (, , from , "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to the geological Highland Boundar ...
(also on the Ararat – Portland railway). It closed eight years later. Branch lines were also constructed from
South Geelong South Geelong, also referred to as Geelong South, is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the City of Greater Geelong. At the 2016 census, South Geelong had a population of 993. The suburb is adjace ...
to Queenscliff in 1879, from Moriac (between Geelong and Winchelsea) to
Wensleydale Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The Dale (landform), dale is named after the village of Wensley, North Yorkshire, Wensley, formerly the valley's market tow ...
and Terang to
Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...
in 1890, from
Birregurra Birregurra, is a town in Colac Otway Shire, Victoria, Australia, approximately south-west of Melbourne. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 942. The name comes from an Aboriginal word thought to mean "kangaroo camp". The town is on G ...
(between Winchelsea and Colac) to
Forrest Forrest may refer to: Places Australia *Forrest, Australian Capital Territory *Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia *Electoral distric ...
in 1891, from Camperdown to Timboon in 1892, from Irrewarra (east of Colac) to Cressy in 1910, and from Colac to Alvie in 1923. A
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
branch was also opened from Colac to
Beech Forest Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted species i ...
in 1902, principally to carry timber, and was extended to Weeaproniah and Crowes in 1911. The branch lines began to be closed from the late 1940s, the Wensleydale line being the first in 1948, followed by the Forrest line in 1957, the Irrewarra line in 1953, the Alvie line in 1954, the Beech Forest line in 1962 (the section from Weeaproniah to Crowes having been closed in 1954), and the Timboon line in 1988. In 1993 West Coast Railway won the government tender to operate passenger services to Warrnambool using former
Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...
locomotives and rolling stock, including a regular steam hauled service. West Coast Railway ceased operations in 2004 handing the services back to government control by
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
. New
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...
and
Waurn Ponds Waurn Ponds is a mainly residential southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The suburb is bounded by Rossack Drive, Princes Highway, the Geelong to Warrnambool railway, Reservoir Road, Draytons Road, Pigdons Road, Deakin University and ...
stations opened along the line in April 2005 and October 2014 respectively. In July 2012, the Minister for Public Transport announced that a new
crossing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains o ...
would be constructed on the line at Warncoort, between Birregurra and Colac. Tenders were called for in August. The loop opened in April 2014. In 2017, the Victorian State Government announced upgrades to allow VLocity railcars to travel to Warrnambool. The Warrnambool line upgrades, as part of
Regional Rail Revival The Regional Rail Revival is a joint initiative between the Australian federal government and the Victorian state government to upgrade all regional railway lines in Victoria. The project has an estimated total cost of . of the project's tota ...
, include new signalling, level crossing upgrades and a second track between Boorcan and Weerite, either side of Camperdown. Other upgrades of the line (Geelong line upgrade) as part of the Regional Rail Revival include the duplication of track between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds and an upgrade of Waurn Ponds station.


19th century

The Port Fairy line was originally built by the
Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company The Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Alexander Thomson (pioneer), Alexander Thomson, a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, introduced and mentored a bill to inco ...
and opened on 25 June 1857, with the line being sold to the
Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...
in 1860. The line was designed by English engineer Edward Snell, and built as a single track. The line was later extended south-west, to
Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...
in 1876, Colac in 1877, Camperdown in 1883,
Terang Terang is a town in the Shire of Corangamite, Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the Princes Highway and is south west of the state's capital, Melbourne. At the , Terang had a population of 2,254. History The semi-nomadic Kirrae W ...
in 1877, and finally
Warrnambool Warrnambool (; Eastern Maar, Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the Census in Australia#2021, 2021 census, Warrnambool had a populati ...
, Dennington, and Port Fairy in 1890. The line is now closed beyond Warrnambool, with the last train leaving Port Fairy in September 1977. Branch lines were constructed from to Queenscliff in 1879, from (between Geelong and Winchelsea) to
Wensleydale Wensleydale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines. The Dale (landform), dale is named after the village of Wensley, North Yorkshire, Wensley, formerly the valley's market tow ...
and to
Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...
in 1890, from (between Winchelsea and Colac) to
Forrest Forrest may refer to: Places Australia *Forrest, Australian Capital Territory *Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia *Electoral distric ...
in 1891, from to Timboon in 1892, from (east of Colac) to Cressy and Ballarat in 1910, and from to
Alvie Alvie () is a small crofting hamlet, a working Scottish highland estate and civil parish, located on the south shore of Loch Alvie in the Badenoch and Strathspey area of Inverness-shire, within the Scottish council area of Highland. Alvie si ...
in 1923.


20th century

Throughout the mid 20th century, numerous branch lines were closed. The Wensleydale line was the first to close in 1948, followed by the Forrest line in 1957, the Colac–Ballarat line in 1953, the Alvie line in 1954, the
Forrest Forrest may refer to: Places Australia *Forrest, Australian Capital Territory *Forrest, Victoria, a small rural township *Division of Forrest, a federal division of the Australian House of Representatives, in Western Australia *Electoral distric ...
line in 1962 (the section from Weeaproniah to Crowes having been closed earlier in 1954), and the Timboon line in 1988, amongst a few others. These branch lines were closed due to limited passenger and freight demand with passenger rail services being replaced by coach services. Whilst the track beyond Waurn Ponds station is mostly single with some passing loops, many duplication projects have occurred along the Geelong section of the line. The section from North Geelong to Geelong was duplicated late April 1922. 37 years later in 1959, the section of track from Corio to North Geelong was duplicated. In 1979 the track from Werribee to Little River was duplicated and the sections from Little River to Lara and Lara to Corio in 1981. The
Regional Rail Revival The Regional Rail Revival is a joint initiative between the Australian federal government and the Victorian state government to upgrade all regional railway lines in Victoria. The project has an estimated total cost of . of the project's tota ...
project duplicated the track between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds in August 2024. In September 1977, the line beyond Warrnambool was closed. The final service to Port Fairy was hauled by a Victorian Railways B75 locomotive on 12 September.


Stations


References


External links


Rail Geelong: Line History
{{Victorian Railway Lines, mainlines Railway lines in Victoria (state) Railway lines opened in 1857 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia 1890 establishments in Australia Transport in the City of Hobsons Bay Transport in the City of Wyndham Transport in Barwon South West (region)