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Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor. Australia's inter-capital rail corridors.

Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor

Overview
Locale	Victoria and South Australia
Predecessor	Victorian Railways and South Australian Railways
Technical
Track gauge	1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge since 1995
Previous gauge	1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) from 1887 to 1995
Route map Legend to Adelaide–Port Augusta line and Crystal Brook Adelaide Adelaide-Wolseley railway Victoria South Australia border Western standard gauge line Melbourne–Sydney railway Melbourne This diagram: view talk edit

The Melbourne–Adelaide rail corridor consists of the 828-kilometre (514-mile) long 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard-gauge main line between the Australian state capitals of Melbourne, Victoria and Adelaide, South Australia, and the lines immediately connected to it. Most of its traffic is freight; the only passenger train along the entire route is the twice-weekly passenger service The Overland, operated by Journey Beyond.

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 ; 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. The route eventually chosen avoided the steep grades of the Ballarat line by going via North Shore (near North Geelong) and Cressy, joining the old route at Ararat to continue to Adelaide. The line was converted to standard gauge in 1995 under a federal infrastructure program.

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. "North Geelong" (Map). Google Maps. 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 / 36.373951°S 140.965087°E / -36.373951; 140.965087

• Railway lines in South Australia
• Railway lines in Victoria (state)
• 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia
• Standard gauge railways in Australia
• Rail infrastructure in Australia
• Interstate rail in Australia
• Railway lines opened in 1887
• 1887 establishments in Australia