Overview | |
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Service type | Commuter rail |
Status | Operational |
Locale | Victoria, Australia |
Current operator(s) | V/Line |
Route | |
Termini | Southern Cross Bairnsdale |
Stops | 23 |
Distance travelled | 276.80 km (172.00 mi) |
Line(s) used | Gippsland |
On-board services | |
Class(es) | First & Economy |
Technical | |
Rolling stock |
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Track gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
Electrification | None |
Track owner(s) | VicTrack |
The Gippsland V/Line rail service (also known as the Traralgon V/Line rail service or Bairnsdale V/Line rail service) is a passenger service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia between Melbourne and the Gippsland region including the regional cities of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and Bairnsdale. It operates along the Gippsland railway line.
Although the Gippsland line was extended to Orbost in 1916, from the 1930s passenger services along the line extended only as far as Bairnsdale. In 1954 the line beyond Dandenong was electrified as far as Traralgon, with services from this time provided by the L class electric locomotives.
In 1975 suburban services were extended from Dandenong to Pakenham, on what is known as the Pakenham railway line. By the 1980s the motive power of trains reverted to diesel locomotives, with electrification cut back to Warragul in 1987, and to Bunyip in 1998. Suburban Comeng trains were used by V/Line to provide services from Melbourne to Warragul in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1993, passenger services from Sale to Bairnsdale were withdrawn. They were reinstated in 2004 as part of the Linking Victoria program. The line was upgraded as part of the Regional Fast Rail project in 2005 and the last of the overhead wires were removed, except for a short section to the Melbourne side of Bunyip station.
In March 2013 the service was suspended east of Traralgon because of safety problems with level crossings. [1] [2] Rail services resumed in October 2013. [3]
Services to Traralgon operate approximately hourly every day, with a higher frequency during the weekday peak periods. Between Southern Cross and Pakenham, services generally stop at Flinders Street, Richmond, Caulfield, Clayton and Dandenong. One service in the peak direction during the weekday peak also stops at Berwick. At those six stations, trains running towards Traralgon only pick up passengers, trains running towards Southern Cross and only set down passengers. Local services stop at all stations between Pakenham and Traralgon, but services during peak periods run express between Pakenham and Garfield, Garfield and Drouin, and Warragul and Moe. One morning peak service terminates and originates at Flinders Street instead of Southern Cross. During weekdays off-peak, Richmond station is only served by trains to Traralgon in the afternoon and evening. [4]
From Monday to Saturday there are three daily return services to Bairnsdale, and two return services to Bairnsdale, one return service to Sale on Sunday. [5] At Bairnsdale, trains connect with road coach services to Orbost, Batemans Bay and Canberra. One service in each direction daily is run using locomotive-hauled N type carriages, which provide first-class accommodation and a snack bar. Other services are operated by VLocity diesel multiple units, which are single-class and have no refreshment facilities. Some services stop all stations between Pakenham and Bairnsdale, while others (typically locomotive-hauled services) run semi-express between Melbourne and Moe. [6]
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The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Baw Baw Ranges, part of the Great Dividing Range, to the north. Mount St Phillack is the highest peak to the north of the Latrobe Valley, due north of Moe. The highest peak to the south is Mt Tassie, south of Traralgon.
Dandenong railway station is the junction for the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of the same name, and opened on 8 October 1877.
Pakenham railway station is a commuter and regional railway station on the Pakenham line, with V/Line services to Traralgon and Bairnsdale, serving the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Pakenham in Victoria, Australia. Pakenham is an elevated premium station, featuring an island platform with two faces. It opened on 8 October 1877, with the current station provided in 2024.
Nar Nar Goon railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Nar Nar Goon, and it opened on 1 April 1881.
Tynong railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Tynong, and it opened on 12 February 1880.
Garfield railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Garfield, and it opened on 17 December 1884 as Cannibal Creek Siding. It was renamed Garfield on 28 March 1887.
Bunyip railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Bunyip, and opened on 8 October 1877.
Longwarry railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Longwarry, and opened on 1 July 1881.
Drouin railway station is located in Drouin, Victoria along the Gippsland railway line. It opened on 1 March 1878.
Warragul railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Warragul, and it opened on 1 March 1878 as Warrigal. It was renamed Warragul on 1 May 1879.
Yarragon railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Yarragon, and it opened on 1 August 1878 as Waterloo. It was renamed Yarragon on 17 December 1883.
Trafalgar railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Trafalgar, and it opened on 1 August 1878. On 5 May 1884, it was renamed Narracan, and was renamed Trafalgar on 2 June of that year.
Moe railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Moe, and it opened on 1 March 1878.
Morwell railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Morwell, and it opened on 1 June 1877.
Traralgon railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Traralgon, and it opened on 1 June 1877.
Bairnsdale railway station is the terminus of the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Bairnsdale, and it opened on 8 May 1888.
The Gippsland line is a railway line serving the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland regions of Victoria, Australia. It runs east from the state capital Melbourne through the cities of Moe, Morwell, Traralgon, Sale and terminating at Bairnsdale.
Sale railway station is located on the Gippsland line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Sale, and it opened on 1 June 1877.