Geelong–Ballarat railway line
Geelong – Ballarat | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Status | Freight only |
Former connections | Lal Lal racecourse branch |
Service | |
Type | Regional |
System | Victorian Railways |
Rolling stock | 153 hp Walker railmotor (until 1978) |
History | |
Commenced | 10 April 1858 |
Completed | 1862 |
Technical | |
Number of tracks | Double track (until 1934) crossing loops |
The Geelong–Ballarat railway line is a
History
After the
The prospectus for the £1,000,000 "Geelong, Ballaarat and North Western Railway Company" (the different spelling "Ballaarat" persisted until the early 1990s) was advertised in January 1854[4] with the Francis Bell as the engineer. Bell surveyed and designed the line, and lithographed plans were made available with the prospectus. Because private railway companies were unable to raise the necessary capital in London, the Victorian colonial government took over the construction of trunk railway lines to Ballarat and Bendigo. Bell's plans were used as the basis for the current railway alignment by the engineer-in-chief of the Victorian Railways, George Darbyshire.
Construction work on the Geelong – Ballarat railway began in 1858 under the supervision of the Victorian Railways engineer
The Geelong to Ballarat line connected with the
In 1978, passenger services on the line were withdrawn when the
In 1995, the track between North Geelong and Gheringhap was converted to
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Geelong-Ballarat railway, a special train ran from Geelong to Ballarat and return on Tuesday 10 April 2012,[10] and further celebrations were held during the following weekend, on the 14 & 15 April.
As part of its election policy, the state Coalition government, elected in November 2010, instituted a study into reintroducing passenger services on the line.[11] The so-called "Rail Revival Study", obtained by the Herald Sun in mid-2013 using Freedom of Information laws, concluded that returning rail passenger services to the line was not viable due to the high cost.[12] Despite a push in November 2013 to re-open these railway sections for passenger traffic, nothing ended up happening, with the line remaining freight-only.[13]
Line guide
The line uses
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Engineering heritage
The line received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.[15]
References
- ^ "Blue Bridge (Rail), Mount Doran Egerton Rd, Elaine, VIC, Australia (Place ID 3945)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 28 September 2008.
- ^ a b "Rail Geelong – Geelong Line Guide". www.railgeelong.com. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ "Ballarat Australia History – Rail Heritage". www.ballarathistory.org. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne. 25 January 1854. p. 6. Retrieved 3 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "Yelta Line". www.vicsig.net. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ "VICSIG – Infrastructure – Inverleigh". www.vicsig.net. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ Waugh, Andrew. "Geelong – Ballarat (1990) (1925K)" (PDF). Victorian Station Histories. www.vrhistory.com. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ Waugh, Andrew. "Warrenheip station" (PDF). Victorian Station Histories. www.vrhistory.com. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ Department of Transport. 2 April 2011. Archived from the originalon 7 November 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ^ "Geelong - Ballarat Railway 150th". railgallery.wongm.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Rail Revival Study: Geelong – Ballarat – Bendigo investigations underway". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ Harris, Amelia (2 June 2013). "Too costly to get trains back on track between Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, study shows". Herald Sun. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ "Residents Revive Push for regional rail link". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ "North Geelong to Yelta" (PDF). V/Line ~ Network Access ~ Information Pack. www.vline.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
- ^ "Geelong to Ballarat Railway, 1862-". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
Further reading
- The Lal Lal Racecourse Branch, Gavan Duffy, C.D. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, August 1961
External links
Media related to Geelong–Ballarat railway line at Wikimedia Commons