Girgarre railway line

Girgarre railway line, Victoria

Line details
Commenced	August 1914
Opened	August 1914
Completed	August 1935 and the Echuca extension in 1955
Closed	October 1987
Fate	Closed and Dismantled
Length	21.9 km (13.6 mi)
Stations	6
Tracks	Alternating Single track with Double track passing areas
Used by	Freight and Passenger
Former connections	Rushworth and Colbinabbin Lines at Rushworth (south) and Toolamba-Echuca Line South of Tongala at Curr Rd Crossing (north)
Rail transport in Victoria
List of stations Closed railways

The Girgarre Line was a short branch line that was mainly used for freight traffic and some passenger services. It was in the state of Victoria in Australia. The line was first constructed branching off the Rushworth line at Rushworth, and later was extended to join the Toolamba-Echuca Line. Construction was commenced almost immediately after the completion of the Rushworth Line.

1935-1955

The Line was constructed mainly to service freight trains, usually containing goods such as fruit, dairy products and, grain, however later in its life, the line also did run passenger services, usually running 4 a day, 1 in either direction in the morning, and again in the evening. During the harvest season, passenger services ran more frequently, so that out-of-town farm hands could travel into the area. Only a few years after opening, it was decided that the Girgarre Line should be extended so that services could also reach the river port at Echuca. The line was extended following along the western side of Curr Road until it meets the Toolamba-Echuca just south of Tongala.

Use 1955-1987

After extending the line to link to Echuca, there was a much higher demand for passenger services along the line. This increase was mainly due to the fact that the line offered a faster route to the Goulburn Valley railway line. An upgrade was performed on the line, where sections were given double tracks to allow for services to travel in either direction at the same time. Stations were also constructed at Mt. Scobie and, Ky West.

Freight

Freight services made up the majority of the traffic on this line, pre-1955. Trains on this line serviced local farms as well as numerous factories in the area.

Passenger

Before the Echuca extension, on most days, only 4 passenger services would run on the line, although most freight services would also haul a passenger car as far as Rushworth or Murchison East. After the extension to Echuca, passenger demand increased, and a regular service was developed. For the first few years passenger services from Echuca would run in 2 sections, the first Echuca-Girgarre and the second Girgarre-Murchison East, however services to Echuca would alternate with every second service running directly with no change required. This was due to the unusual design of Girgarre Station, consisting of 3 tracks. Track 1 was a single direction track and only serviced platform 1, which was the first terminus for passenger trains from Echuca. Track 2 (centre track) was primarily a single direction track for freight services from Echuca, however it was used as a bi-directional track when freight trains needed to pass trains waiting at platform 2. This track did not function for passenger services. Track 3 was a single direction track which serviced platform 2 and also freight services to Echuca. After a major upgrade, track 1 was extended to rejoin track 2, and track 2 was converted to a permanent bi-directional track reserved for only passing trains waiting at either platform.

Stations

Waranga West, Bedwell and Two Tree

All 3 of these stations, located in numerous locations between Rushworth and Stanhope, were developed purely as a place of pick-up for produce from local farmers. None of these stations were upgraded to passenger stations, and remained only for the use of freight trains. Platforms were never built at these stations, however during the passenger service upgrades (PSU), a third bi-directional track was built through the station, to allow for the passing of loading freight trains. Due to the freight loading bay only being located on the Echuca-bound track, this track acts as bi-directional when Rushworth-bound trains require access to these facilities. Waranga West Station was established on the northern bank of the Waranga West Channel. Bedwell was established on the northern side of Bedwell Road. Two Tree was established on the southern side of Two Tree Road.

Rushworth Plains

Rushworth Plains was established as a passenger station during the passenger service upgrades. It was decided that a station was required along the 16 km stretch of track between Rushworth and Stanhope. Converting one of the 3 pre-existing freight stations was an option that was considered, however due to the location of the stations and other constraints, none of these options turned out to be viable. Given this, it was decided that a new station was to be built. The station location was chosen as it was close to the half-way point between the two towns, and was suitable as it provided close access to a larger number of local residents. The station was built using the standard 3 track design, with 2 platforms.

Stanhope

Stanhope station was originally built to service the dairy processing factory located on the southern fringe of the township. The station was built directly opposite the factory, just south of the Midland Hwy crossing. The PSU resulted in Stanhope being upgraded to a standard 3 track, 2 platform station. A fourth track was built during the PSU due to plans to build a line to Rochester, which never eventuated. In these plans, platform 2 was to be widened to become an island platform with one side being platform 2 (Echuca) and the other platform 3 (Rochester), however after further investigation, these plans proved not to be a viable option.

Girgarre

Girgarre was built to service the dairy processing factory located in the centre of the township. Originally the terminus for all Girgarre Line services, this soon changed with the extension of the line to Echuca. Girgarre was originally built with freight loading services, a train holding area, and a balloon loop. The PSU meant major developments for Girgarre Station. As described above, Girgarre had a very unusual design, however after further upgrades was eventually established as a standard 3 track, 2 platform station, however Girgarre kept its train holding area, and remained a terminus for some services. The balloon loop was re-developed to accommodate having to cross 3 tracks, and remained in service for quite some-time after the PSU, however as passenger services increased the balloon loop proved to be an inconvenience as services in both directions would have to be halted until the train had fully crossed all tracks. Due to this, the balloon loop was closed, however by this stage very few freight services terminated at Girgarre, so there was minimal impact to services.

Mt Scobie and Scobie Quarry Siding

Mt Scobie was built as part of the PSU after the Echuca extension. It was established to service the nearby Mt Scobie Rock Quarry and surrounding residents. Mt Scobie was established as a passenger only station, with freight services for the quarry being dealt with at Girgarre, however eventually a siding line was built from Mt Scobie Station to the quarry, where infrastructure was moved to from Girgarre. The decision was made to build a siding for the quarry to help alleviate overcrowding of trains at Girgarre and to free up more track space for passenger services. The Future Rail Project (FRP), which was developed to study long term options for the line in accordance with projected patronage and service demand, suggested that a fully segregated track be built from just south of Girgarre to Scobie Quarry to free up track space. It was also suggested that a platform be built on this track at Girgarre, to allow extra passenger services to run through Girgarre, however it was found that this platform would prove to be almost useless unless further major upgrades were made to the line, including adding a third track for the majority of the length of the line. None of the FRP suggestions were put into place, as the line closed before they were required.

Ky West

Ky West Station was constructed as a passenger only station to service the locality of Ky West. The station was built on the north side of Graham Road, the major link for Echuca, Tongala and Kyabram, which was directly opposite the infamous Ky West Hotel, a favourite watering hole for locals and visitors alike. The station was built as part of the PSU and remained open for the life of the line. Please note that 'Ky West', in this instance, is the correct spelling of the locality name, and is NOT and abbreviation for Kyabram West, which does not exist.

Curr (proposed)

Curr Station was a proposed station that was never built. The station was suggested by the FRP, to give local residence an alternative to Ky Valley and Ky West stations. This station was one of only few FRP suggestions that made it past the proposal stage, and was the most developed FRP suggestion, with plans being approved and even the land being landscaped in preparation for the development stage. Unfortunately the fate of the line had been decided just before Curr Station entered the development stage. Please note that 'Ky Valley', in this instance, is the correct spelling of the town name, and is NOT and abbreviation for Kyabram Valley, which does not exist.

Closure

In 1985, after 50 years in service, 30 of which was spent primarily in passenger service, passenger demand had diminished significantly, and it was at this point that it was decided to close the line. By this stage, freight services were few and far between as road freight services were becoming more prominent and preferred over rail freight. Passenger demand had also been reduced significantly, which was mainly due to a major upgrade on the Bendigo Line, which made that the faster route to Melbourne. The rail commission had decided that, as freight services on the Colbinabbin Line had ceased, and services on the Girgarre Line were few and far between, it would be more viable to cease all services on the line and replace passenger services with a bus service. This decision was made in 1985, 2 years before the official closure, however the news of the closure wasn't made public until 6 months prior to the planned closure. All companies using the freight services were informed of the closure only days after the decision, and as a result freight services completely ceased about a year before the official closure. To avoid the news of the closure getting out, the companies were sworn to secrecy, and the farmers who still used the freight service were told that only the freight services were ceasing operation. The cessation of the freight services on the line sparked public speculation that the line's life was coming to an end, however the rail commission kept quite about it for a further 6 months. The late notice of the closure created a public outcry, with local residents rallying against the decision, which lead to the rail commission delaying the closure of the line. The rail commission said they would give the line a further 6 months, in which time they will closely monitor patronage, and if the patronage met or exceeded the numbers needed to keep the line viable, they would reconsider the closure. Unfortunately the line on met half the patronage target needed, and as such was closed within the weeks following.

The final days

Passenger services continued to run on an altered timetable up until 2 days before the official closure date, with most of the services running to a limited express or express timetable. Only 4 services a day (2 in each direction) ran 'stopping all stations', running to a similar timetable as the original passenger services that ran on the line. On the final day of timetabled services, only 8 services (4 in each direction) ran. The services were as follows; Express Stopping all stations Limited Express Express On the official closure date, 4 special services ran. A service from Echuca, and one from Murchison East, ran to Girgarre in the morning in time for the 'closing ceremony'. The services then ran back to Echuca and Murchison East at the end of the ceremony to mark the official closure. These were the last trains to ever run on the line, despite the line remaining functional for 2 years for emergency use.

Girgarre railway line^[1]

Legend

Rushworth Line