South Gippsland railway line
South Gippsland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status | Operational from Dandenong to Cranbourne, closed beyond Cranbourne | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Cranbourne | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator(s) | Metro Trains | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commenced | 1888 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Completed | 1892 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 187.6 km (116.6 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification | 1500 V DC overhead between Dandenong and Cranbourne | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The South Gippsland railway line is a partially closed railway line in
History
The
The line was well known for its sharp curves and spectacular scenery and was also one of the last lines to offer a 'Mixed Passenger and Goods' service in
On 24 July 1993, the last regular
Branch lines
A 5 km-long narrow-gauge horse-drawn tramway was opened from Welshpool to Welshpool Jetty in 1905. It was closed in 1941.
The mountainous
The
The
was opened in 1894, and the final section to Outtrim opened in 1896. The line was also closed in two stages: the first from Jumbunna to Outtrim on 4 September 1951, and from Jumbunna to Korumburra on 1 October 1953.Services
Passenger
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/V-Line_Melbourne_to_Koo_Wee_Rup_Economy_Return_Edmondson_Ticket.jpg/250px-V-Line_Melbourne_to_Koo_Wee_Rup_Economy_Return_Edmondson_Ticket.jpg)
Passenger services operated on the line from its opening. Services from Melbourne to Leongatha and Yarram were withdrawn on 6 June 1981, with replacement buses starting three days later.[4] As of July 1980, there was one loco-hauled Yarram service per day (except Sundays), with at least one air-conditioned carriage, running to Melbourne in the morning and to Yarram in the evening; this typically featured former Restaurant carriage 1BG, but a BE was substituted in December 1973 and 15BS was regularly used in February 1974, the latter marking the first regular use of a steel air-conditioned carriage on the line.[5] There were also railcar services from Leongatha to Melbourne in the early morning and afternoon, and from Melbourne to Leongatha in the morning and between midday and the evening, depending on the day. [6] To fill the gaps between those services, local trains were introduced on a three-month trial from Dandenong to Lang Lang, but they were withdrawn on 3 October 1981, due to insufficient patronage [citation needed].
Services to Leongatha were restored on 9 December 1984, with free train shuttles to Korumburra being provided to mark the occasion.[7] The 1984 timetable included two round trips per day from Monday to Saturday, and one round trip on Sundays.[7] However, the passenger service was again withdrawn on 24 July 1993.[4]
In 1995, the section of track between Dandenong and Cranbourne was electrified and a station added at Merinda Park, as part of a $27 million Federal Government-funded project.[8]
Freight
A significant portion of traffic on the line was superphosphate fertiliser to serve farms along the route; one particularly heavy train recorded on 14 February 1974 conveyed over 900 tonnes (including the weight of the wagons and Guard's van) between Monomeith and Nyora, then over 1000 tonnes to Korumburra including loading attached from the Wonthaggi line. This trip required the use of three locomotives (T399, T368 and Y145) for the latter portion, to manage the 1-in-40 slopes beyond Loch.[9]
With the ending of freight services from Koala siding in January 1998, the line became unused beyond Cranbourne. The exception was a tourist railway operation, which commenced operation between Nyora and Leongatha, and later became known as the South Gippsland Railway.
The Barry Beach freight service ceased in 1992. The line beyond Leongatha was booked out of service on 30 June 1992,
Enthusiast trains
Given that the line was facing near closure, a number of special
During the 1990s, steam tours only operated as far as Leongatha, with the first being run on 9 September 1990, again hauled by steam locomotive K153, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the steam locomotive being introduced into service.[12] In 1993, there were two notable steam-hauled trips to Leongatha. Both were operated by Steamrail Victoria, and comprised 11-car consists of Victorian Railways E-Type and W-Type wooden carriages, which ran numerous shuttles between Korumburra and Leongatha stations. The first one was on 2 May, which was supposed to be a triple header of K Class steam locomotives. However, one of the scheduled locomotives, K190, suffered a defective main internal steampipe failure at Caulfield, leaving locomotives K153 and K183 to double-head the train.[13] On 25 July 1993, the apparent "Last Lament to Leongatha" was run, operated by K190 and K183.
After the withdrawal of passenger services to Leongatha, a few more steam-hauled trips were organised before the line was booked out of regular use between Cranbourne and Nyora. On 17 April 1994, K190 and K183 again travelled to Leongatha with the "South Gippsland Rambler", with a consist of seven wooden carriages.[14] Steam locomotive J515 journeyed to Leongatha on 14 October 1995, for the first time since November 1989, organised by the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre and the ARHS. During the tour, J515 derailed due to a missing guide rail on the locomotive turntable at Korumburra that had been recently relocated from Foster.[15]
The last locomotive to traverse the South Gippsland main line before its closure was steam locomotive K190 operated by Steamrail Victoria. It returned to Steamrail Victoria's base at Newport on 29 April 1998, after it was leased to the South Gippsland Tourist Railway (SGTR) in December 1996.[16] The South Gippsland Tourist Railway had first been lent the locomotive during the summer of 1995–1996. The locomotive again returned for the summer of 1996–1997. K190 was leased to the South Gippsland Tourist Railway on 7 December 1996, when Steamrail Victoria operated another steam special to Leongatha.[17] Diesel loco T345 was also lent to the tourist railway at that time, and formed part of the train from Newport Workshops. K183 double-headed with K190 to Nyora, with T345 attached. K190 and T345 were detached at Nyora station. Shortly afterwards, K183 ran solo to Leongatha. K190 followed to Leongatha with a consist of the tourist railway's carriages. T342, T345 and the DERM RM55 combined for a Saturday tourist railway service. Later, K183 returned to Newport Workshops with the Steamrail Victoria train. However, steam locomotives D3639 and K183 combined for the last steam excursion to traverse the South Gippsland rail line on 25 September 1997. During that time, D3639 and with K190 were on loan to the South Gippsland Tourist Railway.[18]
Current status
The entire track between Nyora and Leongatha has now been removed and is undergoing conversion to a rail trail. The Great Southern Rail Trail initially extend from Nyora through to Welshpool, with discussions continuing about extending it to connect with the Yarram section, which is Wellington Shire.
The track beyond Leongatha, to Yarram and the Barry Beach branch line, was dismantled in 1994, but removal of other infrastructure, such as level crossing signals, took place around mid to late 1992, soon after the last train ran to Barry Beach. The section between Leongatha and Foster was turned into the Great Southern Rail Trail in 1998. In 2011, the Tarra Rail Trail from Alberton to Yarram was completed. As of September 2013[update], the section between Foster and Toora had been complete, leaving the final section from there to Alberton being converted into the Great Southern Rail Trail.
The section from Dandenong to
The remaining section of track from Cranbourne to Nyora is disused but mostly still intact. A length of track was pulled up at Koo Wee Rup in 2008 to allow the construction of toilets for the bus and coach stop, and a section of rail trail has been constructed through the town. Construction of the pipeline for Wonthaggi Desalination Plant made it necessary to remove three sections of the line. The first was about 100 metres on the down side of Monomeith Road, where about 50 metres of track were removed. The second was on the up side of Caldermeade Road, where about 30 metres of track were removed, and the third was about halfway between Caldermeade and Lang Lang stations.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Railway_tracks_at_site_of_former_Tooradin_station_%E2%80%94_December_2021.jpg/220px-Railway_tracks_at_site_of_former_Tooradin_station_%E2%80%94_December_2021.jpg)
Much of the operational and
Prior to the
On 24 February 2016, the South Gippsland Shire Council unanimously carried motions to support the return of rail services to Leongatha, following a petition, initiated by the South & West Gippsland Transport Group, which attracted 2,420 supporters. The successful motion means that the data gathered from the petition and documents prepared by South Gippsland Shire Council investigating the returning rail to South Gippsland were passed to Public Transport Victoria with a call to provide for South Gippsland rail services in the forthcoming Regional Network Development Plan. After the disbandment of the South Gippsland Tourist Railway on 16 January 2016, it was announced that VicTrack would leave the disused rail line between Cranbourne and Leongatha intact and available for future use by freight and passenger trains.[22] This announcement has since been contradicted by removal of the rail line from Nyora to Leongatha.
Political context
While the reopening the South Gippsland railway line as far as Leongatha was a prominent issue in the region in 2013, that is no longer the case, and the focus has shifted to developing the tourist potential of the expanding rail trail.[23] A South Gippsland Shire Council Priority Projects document, released in June 2013, acknowledged that the return of a rail service was a major community priority, with funding and support sought from all levels of government.[24] In early 2014, a report into possible extensions of the Melbourne metropolitan rail system identified the population growth corridor from Cranbourne to Koo-Wee-Rup, along the disused Leongatha line, as a key planning priority.[25]
The South and West Gippsland Transport Group, a public transport lobby group, established in April 2011, which was closely associated with the South Gippsland Shire Council and other local government bodies, campaigned for an integrated transport plan in the region, which included rail at the forefront.[26] The group had been known as the South Gippsland Transport Users Group and had amalgamated with numerous rail lobby groups in 1994, shortly after the rail passenger service to Leongatha was withdrawn in July 1993.[27] One notable milestone for the group was running a successful campaign that saw passenger rail services reinstated to Leongatha on 9 December 1984.[28]
A promise by the
References
- ^ a b "Works". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. October 1992. p. 330.
- ^ "Disappearing Tracks". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 101-106. April 1995
- ^ a b c "Farewell – The Sand Train". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). February 1998. pp. 71–76.
- ^ a b Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 77–82.
- OCLC 19676396.)
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "VicRail Yarram Timetable July 1980". Under The Clocks Blog. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0310-7477.
- ISBN 1-875475-12-5.
- OCLC 19676396.
- ^ "Vintage Train To Foster". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pp. 346-347. November 1987.
- ^ Grant Payne "ARHS DERM to Barry Beach and Welshpool, 12.5.90". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 228–31. August 1990.
- ^ "Preservation". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): page 349. November 1990.
- ^ "Preservation, Stemrail". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 214–15. July 1993.
- ^ "Operations, South East - Korumburra". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): page 183. June 1994.
- ^ "ARE Leongatha tour - report" https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/aus.rail/V1PD9R_d3Rc/LP8IoTY5Tk8J
- ^ "Around the State". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): page 189. June 1998.
- ^ "Tourist Trains". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): page 119. April 1997.
- ^ Geoff Peterson, "Dream Come True", Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): page 307. October 1996.
- ^ The Victorian Transport Plan
- ^ "Gippsland Public Transport Links Boosted in Budget" (PDF). Media release from the Minister for Public Transport. doi.vic.gov.au. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008. [dead link] Communication from Minister Lynne Kosky, 3 June 2008.
- ^ TransNet Logistics (1 May 2007). "Leongatha Rail Line: Reintroduction of Passenger Train Services (Review Summary & Transport Options Assessment Report)" (PDF). doi.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
- ^ Public Transport Users Association News March 2016 Volume 40 No.1 Page 3 'Council push for Leongatha trains to return' [1]
- ^ "Forums hear call for better regional public transport services". ABC News. 13 July 2015.
- ^ http://www.southgippsland.vic.gov.au/Files/PRIORITY_PROJECTS_2013.pdf[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "| HOME | South & West Gippsland Transport Group | A new rail solution for public and industry |". Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.ptua.org.au/files/newsletters/1980s/PTUA-news-198501.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ https://corporate.vline.com.au/getattachment/News-Alerts/Media-Releases/Release-of-report-into-VLocity-wheel-wear-(1)/Monash-IRT-Report-April-2016.pdf [bare URL PDF]