Geelong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service type | Regional rail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
System | Victorian railway network | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Operational | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Locale | Victoria, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Predecessor |
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First service | 25 June 1957 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current operator(s) | V/Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former operator(s) |
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Ridership | 8.15 million (2022-23) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | V/Line Geelong on Twitter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Route | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Termini | Southern Cross Waurn Ponds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stops | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance travelled | 93.0 km (57.8 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Average journey time | 1 hours 19 minutes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service frequency |
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Line(s) used | Serviceton, Deer Park–West Werribee, Port Fairy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On-board services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class(es) | Economy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Catering facilities | No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Baggage facilities | Limited | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track owner(s) | VicTrack | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Geelong line is a regional passenger rail service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia. It serves passengers between state capital Melbourne and the regional city of Geelong.
It is the most used regional rail service in Victoria, carrying 8.15 million people in the 2022-23 financial year. [1]
V/Line commuter services from Melbourne to Geelong once terminated at Geelong station. Some were extended to the existing South Geelong station in 1968, to the re-built Marshall station in 2005, and to the new Waurn Ponds station in 2014. [3]
In February 1959, the line from North Geelong to Corio was duplicated. [4] [5] The line from Werribee to Little River was duplicated in October 1970. In June 1981, the line to Lara was duplicated and the platform at Lara converted into an island platform, while the Little River station got a second platform. [4]
Construction of Waurn Ponds railway station was completed in 2014 and opened on 12 October, extending Geelong line services to Waurn Ponds. [6]
There have long been calls to electrify the line, but plans were put on hold by the State Government in 2002, [7] with diesel locomotives and railcars utilised instead. Train services between Melbourne and Geelong received a government-funded upgrade under the Regional Fast Rail project between 2004 and 2005, with new high-speed VLocity railcars manufactured by Bombardier in Dandenong entering service to Geelong in early 2006. [8]
Prior to the opening of the Regional Rail Link, services ran every 20 minutes during weekdays and hourly later at night, with more frequent services during peak. Services operated every 40 minutes on weekends. [9] In December 2013, after the opening of the first section of Regional Rail Link between Southern Cross and South Kensington, Geelong trains could no longer stop at North Melbourne. [10] From 21 June 2015, Geelong trains commenced running via the Deer Park–West Werribee line, no longer using the original line via Werribee and Newport. [11]
As part of stage 1 of Western Rail Plan's Geelong Fast Rail, a new dedicated express track for Geelong services between Werribee and Laverton is being planned. Construction will begin in 2023. It is planned that Geelong services will resume running via the Werribee line when the project is completed. Some Geelong services will continue to run on the existing Sunshine corridor (Regional Rail Link) to allow connections to the Melbourne Airport rail link. [12] The final service plan of Geelong services will be announced at a later date. [13]
Services on the Geelong line operate to a variety of stopping patterns during the weekday peak, with a frequency of from 6 to 36 minutes, depending on the station. Services may originate or terminate at Wyndham Vale, Geelong, South Geelong, Marshall or Waurn Ponds.
Outside the peak period, services operate to a 20-minute frequency, alternating between two stopping patterns:
During the weekends, services operate to a 40-minute frequency, with the vast majority originating and terminating at Waurn Ponds. These services skip Ardeer, and stations between Sunshine, Footscray and Southern Cross. Some services are filled by Warrnambool line services, which operates to different stopping patterns.
Almost all services are run using VLocity railcars, although a few services are still operated by locomotive-hauled N-class carriages. 70-year-old S-class carriages were used until 2010. [14]
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, trains on the Geelong – Melbourne corridor were chronically late. As of March 2010, trains had officially run late for 44 consecutive months on the line. [15] The poor performance of V/Line was well documented in the local Geelong press. [16] Recurring issues on the line included poor communication, [17] commuters worried about losing their jobs in Melbourne due to delays [18] and overcrowding. [19]
Since the opening of the Regional Rail Link in 2015, punctuality has generally improved.[ citation needed ]
Geelong is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay and the left bank of Barwon River, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Melbourne.
Sunshine railway station is located on the Sunbury line in Victoria, Australia, serving the western Melbourne suburb of the same name.
Footscray railway station is at the junction of the Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The first Footscray station, not on the current site, opened in January 1859. The existing station opened in September 1900.
Newport railway station is the junction for the Werribee and Williamstown lines in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of the same name, and opened on 1 March 1859 as Geelong Junction. It was renamed Williamstown Junction in January 1869, and renamed Newport on 1 November 1881.
Laverton railway station is located on the Werribee line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of Laverton, and opened on 1 July 1886.
Deer Park railway station is located on the Serviceton line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of Deer Park, and it opened on 2 April 1884 as Kororoit. It was renamed Deer Park on 3 December 1889.
The Werribee line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's ninth longest metropolitan railway line at 32.9 kilometres (20.4 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to Werribee station in the south west, serving 17 stations via Footscray, Newport, and Altona. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5–20 minutes are operated with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Werribee line run with a two three-car formations of Comeng, Siemens Nexas, and X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.
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.
Geelong railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the city of Geelong, and it opened on 1 November 1856.
North Shore railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Geelong suburbs of North Shore and Norlane, and it opened on 15 April 1895. It was renamed Corio on 27 September 1909, and was renamed North Shore on 1 December 1913.
Corio railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the northern Geelong suburb of Corio, and it opened on 15 September 1890 as Cowie's Creek. It was renamed Cowie on 9 May 1904, and renamed Corio on 1 December 1913.
Lara railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the town of Lara, and it opened on 1 November 1856 as Duck Ponds. It was renamed Lara on 30 June 1875.
The Warrnambool line is a long-distance regional rail service in Victoria, Australia. Operated by V/Line, it is the state's fourth longest railway line at 267.3 kilometres (166.1 mi). The line runs from Southern Cross station in central Melbourne to Warrnambool station in the south-west, serving 21 stations via Wyndham Vale, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, and Colac. The line has five return services each weekday and three return services on weekends. Trains on the Warrnambool service run with three- to five-car N-class carriage sets, which are hauled by N class locomotives.
The Port Fairy railway line is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the western Melbourne suburb of Newport through the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, the line once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy before being truncated to Dennington. This closed section of line has been converted into the 37 km long Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail. The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.
The Ballarat V/Line rail service is a regional passenger rail service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia. It serves passengers between state capital Melbourne and the regional city of Ballarat. Beyond Wendouree, it becomes the Ararat line and the Maryborough line.
Waurn Ponds railway station is located on the Warrnambool line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the southern Geelong suburb of Waurn Ponds, and it opened on 12 October 2014.
Tarneit railway station is located on the Deer Park–West Werribee line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburb of the same name, and opened on 14 June 2015.
Wyndham Vale railway station is located on the Deer Park–West Werribee line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the western Melbourne suburbs of Wyndham Vale and Manor Lakes, and opened on 14 June 2015.
The Regional Rail Link (RRL) was a project to build a 47.5-kilometre (29.5 mi) length of railway through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, the main aim of which was to separate regional V/Line Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong services from the electrified Melbourne suburban services, thereby increasing rail capacity and reliability. The project involved the building of an extra pair of tracks from Southern Cross station to Sunshine, parallel to the Western line, and a new double-track line from Deer Park, which joins with the Warrnambool line west of Werribee, near the site of the former Manor railway station. New stations were built at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale, while West Footscray and Sunshine stations were rebuilt. Additional platforms were built at Southern Cross and Footscray stations, and two level crossings near Sunshine were replaced by grade separations. The most used station before its construction, North Melbourne, was excluded from the project despite being the main connection hub for regional travellers not needing to go all the way to Southern Cross, and now requires regional rail link customers to change at Footscray.