Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor

The Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor is a railway corridor that runs 828 kilometres (514 mi) between the cities of Melbourne, Victoria and Adelaide, South Australia.[1] Most of the current traffic is freight; the only passenger train along the entire route is the twice-weekly passenger service The Overland, operated by Journey Beyond.

Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor
Overview
LocaleVictoria and South Australia
PredecessorVictorian Railways and South Australian Railways
Technical
Track gauge1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge since 1995
Previous gauge1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) from 1887 to 1995
Route map
to Adelaide–Port Augusta line
and Crystal Brook
 Adelaide
Adelaide-Wolseley railway
Victoria
South Australia
border
Western standard gauge line
Melbourne–Sydney railway
 Melbourne

History

From the 1850s, the Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad-gauge networks were established and expanded. The South Australian main line – the Adelaide-Wolseley line – was connected to the Victorian system at Serviceton in 1887. This was the first single-gauge link between two Australian colonies ;[2] other connections were only constructed after another 50 years because of the failure of the colonies (later, states) to agree on a uniform gauge.

Conversion to standard gauge and rerouting

In 1983, studies by the Victorian Railways and Australian National Railways Commission indicated that about $400 million would be required to construct a standard-gauge link between Melbourne and Adelaide. Various routes were considered, including via Pinnaroo, Ouyen and Maryborough, and the existing route via Ballarat, Ararat, Horsham, Bordertown and Murray Bridge.[3] The route eventually chosen avoided the steep grades of the Ballarat line by going via North Shore[4][5] (near North Geelong) and Cressy, joining the old route at Ararat to continue to Adelaide.[6] The line was converted to standard gauge in 1995 under a federal infrastructure program.[7]

Track and gauge

The line is single track for the entire route with the exception of a short dual-gauge section near Melbourne and a number of 1500–1600 metres (4900–5200 feet) passing loops every 15–45 kilometres (9.3–28.0 miles). Some branch lines were also converted to standard gauge.

References
  1. "AusLink Network Corridors". auslink.gov.au. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  2. "ARHS Railway Museum: History 1839 – 1900". railwaymuseum.org.au. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  3. "General News". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. February 1983. p. 19.
  4. "Geelong standard gauge platform opens, Overland accelerated but stations bypassed" Railway Digest July 1999 page 17
  5. Google (11 September 2023). "North Geelong" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  6. "The Overland". Australian Rail Maps. April 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  7. "ARHS Railway Museum: History 1950 – now". railwaymuseum.org.au. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2008.

Sources
  • Avery, Rod (2006). Freight Across the Nation: The Australian Superfreighter Experience. Brisbane: Copyright Publishing Co. ISBN 1876344474.

36°22′26″S 140°57′54″E

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