Mildura | ||||||||||||||||
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General information | ||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 34°10′55″S142°09′48″E / 34.1820°S 142.1632°E | |||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Mildura | |||||||||||||||
Platforms | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Other information | ||||||||||||||||
Status | Closed | |||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||
Opened | 13 November 1903 | |||||||||||||||
Closed | 12 September 1993 | |||||||||||||||
Services | ||||||||||||||||
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Location | ||||||||||||||||
Mildura was the passenger terminus for the Mildura railway line in Victoria, Australia. Located in the city of Mildura it is located on the eastern side of the town centre, alongside the Murray River. Although there has not been a passenger rail service since 1993, the Victorian Labor Government promised to return the service in 1999, though it has yet to return as of 2023.
Agitation for a railway to Mildura commenced as far back as 1888, but it was not until 1898 that the Victorian Parliament recommended the extension of the Ultima line to Mildura, however this was overturned and the Woomelang line extended north instead. [1] The turning of the first sod at the station site was held in November 1901, by October 1903 rails had been laid up to Mildura, the official opening being on 13 November. Between 1922 and 1928 a railmotor service operated between Red Cliffs and Mildura stations to serve local passengers. [2] Major freight consigned from the region included bulk grain, sheep and cattle, and locally grown fruit. [1]
In 1923, a series of sidings were placed between the Mildura railway station and the wharves on the Murray River. These included a zig-zag section to enable trains to travel between the different elevations. These sidings were removed in 1973. [3] Mildura was once the destination of The Vinelander , the only Victorian intrastate passenger train to have both motorail and sleeping car facilities for passengers. [1] [4] The current station building dates to November 1979. [5]
In late 2009, removal of the station yard at Mildura commenced, with only a single track and the station buildings and platform retained. All other buildings and additional rail infrastructure, including additional tracks and the refuelling area were demolished. The project was carried out by the Rural City of Mildura along with Regional Development Victoria to open up the riverfront area, with $8 million in funding provided by the State Government. [6] As part of the work a new rail freight facility will be constructed to the west of the existing Merbein terminal, as well as refurbishment of the sidings at Red Cliffs for the storage of maintenance equipment.
The main freight traffic on the line is export grain and containerised wine, grapes, citrus, dried fruit and juice, totalling around 1.5 million tonnes per year. Containers are dispatched to Melbourne from a terminal at Merbein (north of the station) operated by Seaway Intermodal [7] which handles approximately 13000 export containers a year, as well as 500 import containers. [8] Cement was also despatched to Mildura from Waurn Ponds (near Geelong) until 2016, oil and LCL containers were carried until 2007. [9]
Today, Mildura lacks passenger rail services, but it is a stop on a number of V/Line operated coach routes, with the station building utilised as a waiting room and a location to purchase coach tickets. A service review was announced by the Bracks Government in 2000, [10] in part due to the independent politician Russell Savage enabling the formation of a minority Labor government in the 1999 Victorian state election. [11] The service has yet to be returned, but as recently as 2007 the Labor Party was stating that the freight upgrade as the "first stage in the reintroduction of passenger rail to Mildura". [12] In July 2009 the government announced that it would start another transport study into the return of passenger rail services "soon", though to date, passenger services have only returned as far as Maryborough. [13]
The Cranbourne line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's second longest metropolitan railway line at 44 kilometres (27 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Cranbourne station in the south-east, serving 24 stations via the City Loop, South Yarra, Caulfield, Oakleigh, and Dandenong. The line operates for approximately 20 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 to 15 minutes are operated with services every 15–20 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Cranbourne line run with a seven-car formation operated by High Capacity Metro Trains.
Wodonga railway station is located on the North East line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Wodonga, and it opened on 25 June 2011.
V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in the Australian state of Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross railway station in Melbourne. It also provides bus services across Victoria and into New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. In addition, V/Line is responsible for the maintenance of much of the Victorian freight and passenger rail network outside of the areas managed by Metro Trains Melbourne and the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
Rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria is provided by a number of railway operators who operate over the government-owned railway lines. The network consists of 2,357 km of Victorian broad gauge lines, and 1,912 km of standard gauge freight and interstate lines; the latter increasing with gauge conversion of the former. Historically, a few experimental 762 mm gauge lines were built, along with various private logging, mining and industrial railways. The rail network radiates from the state capital, Melbourne, with main interstate links to Sydney and to Adelaide, as well as major lines running to regional centres, upgraded as part of the Regional Fast Rail project.
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Merbein is a town just north of Mildura, Victoria, in the Sunraysia region of Australia. It is on the Calder Highway between Mildura and the Murray River crossing at the Abbotsford Bridge to Curlwaa. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 1,981. Merbein is 12 kilometres from Mildura, 553 km from Melbourne and 389 km from Adelaide.
Echuca railway station is located on the Deniliquin line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Echuca, and opened on 19 September 1864.
Maryborough railway station is located on the Mildura line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Maryborough, and it opened on 7 July 1874.
Creswick railway station is located on the Mildura line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Creswick, and the original station opened on 7 July 1874.
The Mildura railway line is a heavy rail line in northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Yelta station to Ballarat station via the settlements of Mildura, Ouyen and Maryborough in an approximate south-southeasterly direction. Initial sections of the line opened from Ballarat in 1874 and the line reached Mildura in 1903.
El Zorro was an Australian railway operator hauling freight and infrastructure trains in Victoria and New South Wales.
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The Robinvale railway line is a freight only country railway line in north-western Victoria, Australia. The line branches from the Mildura line at Dunolly, and at Inglewood the Eaglehawk – Inglewood line connects with the Piangil line outside Bendigo. The parallel Kulwin line junctions from the Robinvale line at Korong Vale then continues northward.
The Geelong–Ballarat railway line is a broad-gauge railway in western Victoria, Australia between the cities of Geelong and Ballarat. Towns on the route include Bannockburn, Lethbridge, Meredith, Elaine and Lal Lal. Major traffic includes general freight from the Mildura line, and grain.
The Vinelander was an Australian passenger train operated by the Victorian Railways and, later, V/Line between Melbourne and Mildura from August 1972 until September 1993. Operating overnight along the Mildura line, it included motorail and sleeping car facilities.
The Portland railway line is a railway line in south-western Victoria, Australia. It runs from the main Western standard gauge line at Maroona through Hamilton to the port town of Portland.
Tocumwal railway station is a heritage-listed closed railway station in the town of Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia. It was once the break-of-gauge between the broad gauge Victorian Railways Tocumwal line from the south, and the standard gauge New South Wales Government Railways Tocumwal line from the north. However, only the line from Victoria is still open.
Clunes railway station is located on the Mildura line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Clunes, and opened on 16 November 1874.
Roxburgh Park railway station is located on the Craigieburn line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Melbourne suburb of Roxburgh Park, and opened on 21 September 2007.
The Murray Basin Rail Project is a major railway project in the north-west of Victoria, Australia. The project includes the conversion of a substantial portion of the Victorian freight rail network from the historical broad gauge to the standard gauge used in other parts of Australia, and the upgrading of track to enable higher axle loads for more efficient intrastate freight transfer.