Geelong V/Line rail service

V/Line commuter services from Melbourne to Geelong once terminated at Geelong station. Some were extended to the existing South Geelong station in 1968, to the re-built Marshall station in 2005, and to the new Waurn Ponds station in 2014.[4]

In February 1959, the line from North Geelong to Corio was duplicated.[5][6] The line from Werribee to Little River was duplicated in October 1970. In June 1981, the line to Lara was duplicated and the platform at Lara converted into an island platform, while the Little River station got a second platform.[5]

Construction of Waurn Ponds railway station was completed in 2014 and opened on 12 October, extending Geelong line services to Waurn Ponds.[7]

There have long been calls to electrify the line, but plans were put on hold by the State Government in 2002,[8] with diesel locomotives and railcars utilised instead. 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.[9]

Prior to the opening of the Regional Rail Link, services ran every 20 minutes during weekdays and hourly later at night, with more frequent services during peak. Services operated every 40 minutes on weekends.[10] In December 2013, after the opening of the first section of Regional Rail Link between Southern Cross and South Kensington, Geelong trains could no longer stop at North Melbourne.[11] From 21 June 2015, Geelong trains commenced running via the Deer Park–West Werribee line, no longer using the original line via Werribee and Newport.[12]

The twin broad gauge and parallel single standard gauge tracks near Lara

V/Line VLocity train near Little River

Services on the Geelong line operate to a variety of stopping patterns during the weekday peak, with a frequency of from 6 to 36 minutes, depending on the station. Services may originate or terminate at Wyndham Vale, Geelong, South Geelong, Marshall or Waurn Ponds.

Outside the peak period, services operate to a 20-minute frequency, alternating between two stopping patterns:

• to or from Waurn Ponds, skipping Corio, Little River, Ardeer and stations between Sunshine, Footscray and Southern Cross – stopping all other stations.
• to or from South Geelong, skipping North Shore, Ardeer and stations between Sunshine, Footscray and Southern Cross – stopping all other stations.

During the weekends, services operate to a 40-minute frequency, with the vast majority originating and terminating at Waurn Ponds. These services skip Ardeer, and stations between Sunshine, Footscray and Southern Cross. Some services are filled by Warrnambool line services, which operates to different stopping patterns.

Almost all services are run using VLocity railcars, although a few services are still operated by locomotive-hauled N-class carriages. 70-year-old S-class carriages were used until 2010.[15]

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, trains on the Geelong – Melbourne corridor were chronically late. As of March 2010, trains had officially run late for 44 consecutive months on the line.[16] The poor performance of V/Line was well documented in the local Geelong press.[17] Recurring issues on the line included poor communication,[18] commuters worried about losing their jobs in Melbourne due to delays[19] and overcrowding.[20]

Since the opening of the Regional Rail Link in 2015, punctuality has generally improved.

• Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company
• V/Line

• http://www.vline.com.au
• Rail Geelong: Line History
• https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/mrpv/barwon-heads-road-upgrade/stage-1