| Albion - Jacana railway line, Victoria | |
|---|---|
| Line details | |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Stations | None |
| Tracks | Double track, broad and standard gauge |
| Used by | Freight, CountryLink XPT |
| Rail transport in Victoria | |
The Albion–Jacana line is a railway line in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Linking Albion station on the Sydenham line to Broadmeadows station on the Craigieburn line, it is a primarily freight only line with no overhead wires, passenger stations or platforms.
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The line was opened on 1 July 1929 to allow freight trains to avoid the steeper grades and busy suburban traffic on the Broadmeadows line via Essendon.[1] Initially consisting of 2 broad gauge tracks, in 1962 the track on the eastern side was converted to standard gauge as part of the Melbourne to Sydney gauge standardisation project.
The corridor is the present preferred option for the airport rail link to Melbourne Airport. The extra land required to build the link has been reserved by the State government.[2] As of 22 July 2008[update] the link was still on the Government agenda.[3]
Built as a double track railway, two major steel viaducts were required to cross the Maribyrnong River and Moonee Ponds Creek valleys. The Maribyrnong River Viaduct is 179 feet (54.6 m) above the riverbed at its highest point and is the second tallest bridge in Victoria[4] after the West Gate Bridge.
Today the track on the eastern side is standard gauge and part of the North East standard gauge line with two crossing loops.[5] The parallel broad gauge also has two crossing loops, each located before rejoining the main lines, and has a 20 km/h speed limit due to the poor track condition.[6]
The only passenger services using the line are the daily CountryLink XPT on the standard gauge line, and occasional broad gauge V/Line services during disruptions of the main line though Essendon.
Standard gauge in blue, broad gauge in red. Distances on the line are measured via Albion.
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