Port Fairy railway line

Port Fairy railway line, Victoria
Line details
Opened	1857
Completed	1890
Tracks	Double broad gauge track to Geelong, single beyond. Single standard gauge to North Shore
Used by	V/Line passenger services, freight traffic
Connections	Western SG, Geelong - Ballarat
Former connections	Queenscliff, Geelong Racecourse, Wensleydale, Forrest, Cressy, Beech Forrest, Alvie, Timboon, Mortlake, Port Fairy, Hamilton lines
Rail transport in Victoria
List of stations Closed railways

The Port Fairy railway line (also known as the South West line) is a railway serving the south west of Victoria, Australia. Running from the state capital Melbourne though the cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, it once terminated at the coastal town of Port Fairy until truncated to Dennington (outside Warrnambool). The line continues to see both passenger and freight services today.

Contents 1 Services 2 History 3 Line guide 4 References 5 External links

Services

Metro Trains Melbourne operates suburban passenger services along the inner section of the line as the Werribee Line, while V/Line services operate as the Interurban Geelong Line and the Intercity Warrnambool Line. For 11 years from 1993 until 31 August 2004 the Melbourne to Warrnambool services were run by the private West Coast Railway company.^[1] Freight services also use the line, operated by Pacific National and now El Zorro.

History

The Geelong line was originally built by the private Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company and opened on 25 June 1857, the line being sold to the Victorian Railways in 1860.^[2] The line was built as a single track, progressively duplicated from the 1950s to the 1980s.^[3]

The line was later extended south-west, to Winchelsea in 1876, Colac in 1877, Camperdown in 1883, Terang in 1877 and Warrnambool, Dennington and Port Fairy in 1890. This line is now closed beyond Warrnambool.^[4] A branch line was also built from Koroit (between Warrnambool and Port Fairy), Penshurst and Hamilton (on the Ararat – Portland railway) in the 1890s. A connection was also opened between Penshurst and Dunkeld (also on the Ararat – Portland railway) in about 1900.

Branch lines also followed, from South Geelong to Queenscliff in 1879, both Moriac (between Geelong and Winchelsea) to Wensleydale and Terang to Mortlake in 1890, Birregurra (between Winchelsea and Colac) to Forrest in 1891, Camperdown to Timboon in 1892, Irrewarra (east of Colac) to Cressy in 1910, and Colac to Alvie in 1923.

A narrow gauge (762 mm (2 ft 6 in)) branch was also opened from Colac to Beech Forest in 1902 to carry timber, and extended to Weeaproniah and Crowes in 1911.

The branch lines begun to be cut back 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 (Crowes) line in 1962, and the Timboon line in 1988.

Line guide

Broad Gauge tracks are in red, and Standard Gauge is in blue.

Port Fairy line

Legend 0 km Southern Cross 1.7 km North Melbourne North East line towards Albury-Wodonga Serviceton line towards Ballarat / Bendigo line 4.9 km Footscray Western SG via Newport-Sunshine line 10.6 km Newport Williamstown line 15.2 km Mobiltown 15.3 km Paisley Kororoit Creek 17.4 km Seaholme 18.4 km Altona 19.8 km Westona 22.2 km Laverton 23.5 km Aircraft 28.9 km Hoppers Crossing 31.7 km Werribee End of Werribee Line service Werribee River Lollipop Creek 39.60 km Manor (Closed) 49.56 km Little River Little River 59.50 km Lara Hovells Creek Princes Freeway 65.94 km Corio 69.17 km North Shore Western SG to Adelaide via Maroona & Ararat Geelong - Ballarat line 71.00 km North Geelong 74.56 km Geelong Geelong tunnel (422 m long) 76.42 km South Geelong Queenscliff line 78.86 km Geelong Racecourse Barwon River 81.60 km Marshall End of Geelong Line service  ? km Grovedale (Closed) 90.27 km Waurn Ponds (Closed) Creek 98.68 km Moriac (Closed) Wensleydale line 115.74 km Winchelsea 125.94 km Armytage (Closed) Forrest line 136.28 km Birregurra Princes Highway Colac-Ballarat line Crowes line 155.39 km Colac Alvie line 170.33 km Pirron Yallock (Closed) 184.90 km Pomborneit, (Closed) 200.49 km Camperdown 206.59 km Timboon (Closed) Timboon line 213.03 km Boorcan (Closed) 222.78 km Terang Mortlake line Garvoc (Closed) 244.68 km Panmure (Closed) 256.00 km Allansford (Closed) 263.45 km Sherwood Park 269.30 km Warrnambool End of Warrnambool Line service 274.00 km Dennington (Closed) Koroit (Closed) To Portland line via Penshurst and Hamilton Port Fairy (Closed)

References

External links

• Rail Geelong: Line History

Railway Lines in Victoria   Main lines Bendigo Line Mildura line North East Line (Melbourne–Sydney) Orbost Line Port Fairy Line Portland line Serviceton Line South Gippsland Line Tocumwal line Western SG line (Melbourne–Adelaide)   Branch lines Alexandra line Alvie line Balranald line Bolangum line Briagolong line Bright line Buninyong line Carpolac line Casterton line Cobram line Cohuna line Coleraine line Cudgewa line Daylesford line Echuca line (Deniliquin) Forrest line Grampians line Heathcote line Kulwin line Lancefield line Maffra line Mansfield line Mortlake line Mirboo North line Navarre line Noojee line Oaklands line Outtrim line Patchewollock line Peechelba East line Picola line Portland line Redesdale line Red Hill line Robinvale line Skipton line Strzelecki line Stony Crossing line Tatong line Thorpdale line Timboon line Wahgunyah line Waubra line Wedderburn line Wonthaggi line Woodside line Yackandandah line Yanac line Yaapeet line   Cross Country lines Avoca line Geelong-Ballarat line Eaglehawk–Inglewood line Moolort Line Toolamba–Echuca line   V/Line services Geelong Line Warrnambool Line Ballarat Line Maryborough Line Ararat Line Bendigo Line Swan Hill Line Echuca Line Seymour Line Shepparton Line Albury-Wodonga Line Traralgon Line Bairnsdale Line   Melbourne suburban services City Loop Werribee line Williamstown line Sydenham line Craigieburn line Flemington Racecourse line Upfield line Epping line Hurstbridge line Lilydale line Belgrave line Alamein line Glen Waverley line Pakenham line Cranbourne line Frankston line Stony Point line (unelectrified) Sandringham line Inner Circle line Outer Circle line Rosstown Railway St Kilda - Windsor line Spring Vale Cemetery line Mont Park line Kew line Red Hill line Whittlesea line Warburton line Mornington line Healesville line St Kilda line Port Melbourne line   Tourist railways Bellarine Peninsula Railway Daylesford Spa Country Railway Mornington Railway Puffing Billy Railway South Gippsland Railway Victorian Goldfields Railway Walhalla Goldfields Railway Yarra Valley Railway   Narrow gauge branch lines Whitfield line Gembrook line Crowes line Walhalla line   Melbourne goods lines Newport-Sunshine line Albion-Jacana line South Kensington-West Footscray line