Albury V/Line rail service

N464 at Seymour leading the last regular locomotive-hauled service from Albury on 30 July 2022.

After February 2008, train services on the line terminated at Wangaratta station, with road coaches operating from Wangaratta to Albury. This was due to the deteriorating track conditions between Seymour and Albury which were resulting in train speeds being reduced from 115 to 80 km/h (71 to 50 mph),[1] and trains not being able to make the return journey in the timetabled period.

On 30 May 2008, the then Premier of Victoria John Brumby announced the broad gauge track between Seymour and Albury would be converted to standard gauge, with the project to be combined with the Wodonga Rail Bypass away from the Wodonga CBD. Three V/Line passenger locomotives and 15 passenger carriages were also to be converted to standard gauge to operate the service.[2] Although the project was planned for completion by 2010,[3] it was not finished until the end of June 2011.

While the gauge conversion program was being carried out between 2008 and 2011, all Albury services operated as road coaches north of Seymour, connecting with trains operating between Seymour and Melbourne. 68 seats on the NSW TrainLink Melbourne-Sydney XPT service were also made available at V/Line ticket prices.[4]

Rail services on standard gauge commenced on 26 June 2011 with one service each way each day between Albury and Melbourne. A second daily train service was added from 31 October, with a third daily service commencing operations 22 April 2012, marking the end of road coach replacements on the line.[5] However, serious problems soon emerged with the condition of the standard gauge track north of Seymour, meaning that the new service became very unreliable due to speed restrictions, and trains were regularly replaced by buses.[6][7]

VLocity DMUs began running on the line on 30 December 2021.[8] The final scheduled locomotive-hauled service on the Albury line ran on 30 July 2022, and was led by V/Lines N class locomotive N464.[9]

Completed in December 2020, the North East Line Upgrade (part of the Regional Rail Revival Program) brought modern VLocity trains to the Albury line.[10] The program was unveiled across two dates in mid 2018, with a series of upgrades announced to the line, alongside all other regional rail lines in Victoria.[11][12] Upgrades were delivered by different parties, including:[13][14][15]

• The Australian Rail Track Corporation, which completed:
  • Track resurfacing
  • New ballast
  • New underground wires
  • Drainage improvements
  • Rail bridge upgrades
  • Mud-hole removal
  • Upgrades to 20 more rail bridges
  • The renewal of track turnouts at Violet Town and Seymour
• Rail Projects Victoria, which completed:
  • A number of level crossing closures and upgrades
  • Modifications to train stabling at South Dynon
  • Upgrades to train stabling and accessibility at Albury station
  • An upgrade to Donnybrook station with:
    • 150 new car parking spaces
    • New platform shelters
    • Improved pedestrian access
    • Improved security with addition CCTV and new platform lighting
    • An extension of the city-bound platform
  • An upgrade to Wallan station with:
    • An extension of the existing waiting room
    • New toilets in the waiting room
    • New platform shelters
    • Two new bus bays with shelters
    • Improved security with addition CCTV and new platform lighting
    • Additional bicycle parking
    • An extension of the city-bound platform

The project was declared fully complete in December 2020 following the opening of the new stations and the conclusion of the final upgrade works. Upon opening, the Albury line received new long distance VLocity DMUs which replaced existing locomotive hauled train sets. VLocity's began running on the line on 30 December 2021. The final scheduled locomotive-hauled service on the Albury line ran on 30 July 2022, and was led by N class locomotive N464.[9][8]

V/Line operates daily passenger trains on the Albury line from Southern Cross station in Melbourne. Services as far as Seymour station are operated as the Seymour line. Services run by Metro Trains Melbourne also operate as far as Craigieburn station as the Craigieburn line.

The Albury service is classified by V/Line as a long-distance service, subsequently adding additional amenities to the service. Standard on all V/Line services, toilets and luggage racks are available in addition to other amenities.[16] Each individual carriage accommodates 74 seats in a 2+2 configuration, with each train set having two passenger cars and a cafe car.[17] Cafe facilities are also available on-board all Albury services, serving a range of pre-made warm goods, pre-packaged sandwiches and snacks, as well as drinks.[18] Unlike locomotive hauled services, first class isn't available on-board. Despite the lack of first class, quiet carriages are available.[18]

Prior to V/Line taking back operation of the Albury service from National Express in 2002, there had been 5 previous operators.[19] The majority of operations on the line have been government run, with these operators including the Victorian Railways, the State Transport Authority, and the Public Transport Corporation.[20]

The line serves 12 stations across 304.9 kilometres (189.5 mi) of track. All stations are at ground level, with one station—Albury station—located in the neighbouring state of New South Wales.

Station	Accessibility	Opened	Terrain	Train connections	Other connections
Southern Cross	Yes—step free access	1859[21]	Ground level	27 connections  Alamein line   Ararat line   Ballarat line   Belgrave line   Bendigo line   Craigieburn line   Cranbourne line   Echuca line   Flemington Racecourse line   Geelong line   Gippsland line   Glen Waverley line   Hurstbridge line   Lilydale line   Maryborough line   Mernda line   NSW TrainLink Southern   Pakenham line   Seymour line   Shepparton line   Sunbury line   Swan Hill line   The Overland   Upfield line   Warrnambool line   Werribee line   Williamstown line
Broadmeadows		1873[21]		4 connections  Craigieburn line   NSW TrainLink Southern   Seymour line   Shepparton line
Seymour		1872[21]		3 connections  NSW TrainLink Southern   Seymour line   Shepparton line
Avenel	No—steep ramp
Euroa	Yes—step free access	1873[21]
Violet Town
Benalla				1 connection  NSW TrainLink Southern
Wangaratta	No—steep ramp
Springhurst
Chiltern
Wodonga	Yes—step free access
Albury	No—steep ramp	1883[21]		1 connection  NSW TrainLink Southern

Upon the completion of the Albury line upgrade as part of the Regional Rail Revival project in 2022, long-distance VLocity DMUs were introduced on the service.[22] VLocity trains operate in a three-car configuration (with the ability to be configured up to 6 cars) with two doors per side on each carriage and a seating capacity of 222 seats per three car set in a 2+2 configuration.[23] There are two types of interior layouts: commuter (with seating, toilets, and luggage racks) and long distance (with seating, toilets, a kiosk style cafe, and luggage racks).[24] Unlike existing long distance locomotive hauled trains, first class isn't available on-board the new long distance VLocity trains.[25] Long distance VLocity's are currently in operation on all other long distance lines to some extent, with more progressively being delivered. The trains have been continuously built at Alstom's Dandenong factory in Melbourne's south-east since 2004.[26]

Alongside the passenger trains, Albury line tracks and equipment are maintained by a fleet of engineering trains. The two types of engineering trains are: the shunting train, designed for moving trains along non-electrified corridors and for transporting other maintenance locomotives; and the infrastructure evaluation carriage designed for general infrastructure evaluation including track and electrical infrastructure (if travelling along electrified corridors).[27] Most of these trains are repurposed locomotives previously used by V/Line, Metro Trains, and the Southern Shorthaul Railroad.[27]

In compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, all stations that are new-built or rebuilt are fully accessible and comply with these guidelines.[28] The majority of stations on the corridor are fully accessible, however, there are some stations that haven't been upgraded to meet these guidelines.[29] These stations do feature ramps, however, they have a gradient greater than 1 in 14.[29] Stations that are fully accessible feature ramps that have a gradient less than 1 in 14, have at-grade paths, or feature lifts.[29] These stations typically also feature tactile boarding indicators, independent boarding ramps, wheelchair accessible myki barriers, hearing loops, and widened paths.[29][30]

Projects improving station accessibility have included the Regional Rail Revival (RRL) program, which involves station rebuilds and upgrades.[31] These works have made significant strides in improving network accessibility, with more than 58% of the stations on the line classed as fully accessible. This number is expected to grow within the coming years as works progress on the RRL.[32]