Geelong V/Line rail service

This article is about the V/Line service. For the railway itself, see Port Fairy railway line.
Geelong railway line, Victoria
Line details
Opened 1857
Length 81 km (50.3 mi)
Stations 13
Tracks Double track 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge to Geelong, single with passing loops beyond.
Service pattern Interurban
Rolling stock Sprinter and VLocity railcars,
locomotive hauled N and H type carriages
Former connections Queenscliff line
Rail transport in Victoria

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.

According to V/Line it carries more passengers than any other regional rail line in Australia.[1]

History

V/Line commuter services to Geelong once terminated at Geelong station, being extended to the existing South Geelong station in 1968,[2] and to the newly reinstated Marshall station in 2005.[3] The construction of Waurn Ponds railway station, which will extend the Geelong line as far as Waurn Ponds, began in early 2014.[4]

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.[5] There have been calls to electrify the line, but plans were put on hold by the State Government in 2002,[6] with Diesel locomotives and railcars utilised instead.

Services

The twin broad gauge and single standard gauge tracks
V/Line VLocity train near Little River
N class locomotive hauled train running near Lara
V/Line train crossing the Barwon River in Geelong

Passenger services operated by V/Line depart for Melbourne every 20 minutes with more frequent service operating during peak hours.[7] Travel times from Geelong to Southern Cross Station are less than 60 minutes, making the train service a popular alternative to driving for Geelong residents working or studying in the Melbourne area.[8] Sprinter and VLocity railcars are used, as well as locomotive hauled N and H type carriages. S type carriages were used until 2010.[9]

In December 2013, Geelong and Warrnambool trains ceased stopping at North Melbourne station following the opening of the Regional Rail Link between Southern Cross and South Kensington.[10]

On 12 October 2014, the line was extended to Waurn Ponds.[11]

On 21 June 2015, the service no longer stop at Werribee and Newport on the Werribee Line and instead diverges at West Werribee Junction and travels on new dedicated track via the Regional Rail Link on June 21, 2015. New stops are introduced at Wyndham Vale, Tarneit, Deer Park, Ardeer, and Sunshine[12][13]

Beyond Waurn Ponds, three passenger trains a day run to Warrnambool as the Warrnambool line. Additional services run during peak hours to Ardeer and Deer Park in Melbourne's outer western suburbs.[14]

Bold stations are termini, italic stations are staffed at least part-time.

Geelong railway line (with Regional Rail Link)
Legend
0 km Southern Cross (SSS) Zone 1
4.9 km Footscray (FSY) Zone 1
13.5 km Sunshine (SUN) Zone 1/2
Ballarat / Ararat / Bendigo / Swan Hill / Echuca lines
25.73 km Tarneit (TNT) Zone 2
40.34 km Wyndham Vale (WVL) Zone 2
56.25 km Little River (LTR) Zone 2
60.18 km Lara (LAR) Zone 2/3/4
72.78 km Corio (COR) Zone 3/4
75.9 km North Shore (NSH) Zone 3/4
78.85 km North Geelong (NOG) Zone 3/4
81.38 km Geelong (GLG) Zone 4
83.24 km South Geelong (SGL) Zone 4
88.49 km Marshall (MSL) Zone 4
91.79 km Waurn Ponds (WPD) Zone 4
Warrnambool line

Performance

Trains on the Geelong – Melbourne corridor are chronically late. V/Line has failed to meet their punctuality targets since 2006. As of March 2010, trains had officially run late for 44 consecutive months on the Geelong line.[15] The poor performance of V/Line has been well documented in the local Geelong press.[16] Recurring issues on the line include poor communication,[17] commuters worried about losing their jobs in Melbourne due to delays [18] and overcrowding.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.vline.com.au/community/home/howbusy.html
  2. ↑ "Rail Geelong - South Geelong Station". railgeelong.com. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  3. ↑ "Rail Geelong - Marshall Station". railgeelong.com. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  4. ↑ "New $26 million Grovedale station a boost for public transport in Geelong". Premier of Victoria. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "V/Line - First VLocity Services to Geelong". 3 February 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-20.
  6. ↑ "Electrification of the Geelong rail line not to proceed at this stage". Minister for Transport. 4 April 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.vline.com.au/timetables/timetables/train.html
  8. ↑ Moynihan, Stephen (5 May 2007). "The Age - 'Network hits 50-year high as commuters crowd on'". Melbourne. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
  9. ↑ Oates, Alex (2010-07-17). "Notorious old 4.55pm train to be replaced". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Changes to Geelong line services from Sunday 22 December 2013 Public Transport Victoria
  11. ↑ Waurn Ponds Station Public Transport Victoria
  12. ↑ "New timetables from Sunday June 21 - Geelong" (Press release). Geelong: V/Line. n.d. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  13. ↑ "Overview maps". Overview maps - Regional Rail Link. Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, State Government of Victoria, Australia. n.d. Retrieved 2015-06-24.
  14. ↑ Geelong - Melbourne Timetable Public Transport Victoria
  15. ↑ "V/Line misses targets on Geelong line". Geelong Advertiser. 17 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Taking the work train with trepidation". Geelong Advertiser. 23 August 2010.
  17. ↑ "V/Line passengers rail against bosses". Geelong Advertiser. 22 April 2010.
  18. ↑ "Late trains keep commuters away from home: Mulder". Geelong Advertiser. 22 March 2010.
  19. ↑ "Train seating report blasted". Geelong Advertiser. 3 June 2010.

External links

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