Stony Point Railway Line
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The Stony Point line is a greater-metropolitan railway line in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The line extends from the
Frankston line The Frankston railway line is a 42.7 km commuter rail passenger train service in Melbourne, Victoria. It operates between Flinders Street in the Melbourne central business district and Frankston through the south-eastern suburbs includi ...
and is part of the city's suburban passenger railway network, and the
Myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced the ...
integrated ticketing system (Zone 2), but is not electrified like the rest of Melbourne's rail network. It has operated with a variety of rolling stock, and was the last suburban service in Australia to be operated by a
locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
hauled train. The line is also used by freight trains serving the Long Island
steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...
in
Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
.


Services

Passenger services are run as a shuttle service between Frankston and Stony Point, with passengers from Flinders Street required to change at Frankston station. It is the only non-electrified line operated by
Metro Trains Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the franchise operator of the electrified suburban passenger service on the Melbourne rail network. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation (6 ...
, which operates Melbourne's suburban
heavy rail Various terms are used for passenger railway lines and equipment; the usage of these terms differs substantially between areas: Rapid transit A rapid transit system is an electric railway characterized by high speed (~) and rapid accelerati ...
network. Since 27 April 2008, services have been operated using Sprinter diesel multiple units leased from
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger train and coach services in Victoria, Australia. It provides passenger train services on five commuter lines and eight long-distance routes from its major hub at Southern Cross ...
, replacing the previous A class locomotive hauled trains and MTH carriages. The services appear in the suburban
Working timetable A working timetable (WTT) - (Fr. ''horaire de service (HDS)'' or ''service annuel (SA)''; N. America ''Employee timetable'') - The data defining all planned train and rolling-stock movements which will take place on the relevant infrastructure duri ...
and are given 85xx series train numbers, which fall under the 8xxx series given to non-electric passenger services.
Goods In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not tran ...
trains operated by
Qube Logistics Qube Holdings is a diversified logistics and infrastructure company in Australia. History In July 2006, following the takeover of Patrick Corporation by Toll Holdings, Chris Corrigan and some executives departed and teamed with Kaplan Funds Man ...
serving the Long Island
steel mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...
s use the line as far as the junction of the Long Island line between Tyabb and Hastings. Steel trains generally run twice daily. Trains from Long Island to Melbourne run approximately 4 am and mid-afternoon, while trains from Melbourne to Long Island run approximately midnight and noon.


History

The Stony Point line was opened from Frankston to Baxter station in 1888, and
Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
,
Bittern Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' in Old English; the word "bittern ...
and Stony Point in 1889. Branches were opened from Baxter to Mornington in 1889, and from Bittern to Red Hill in 1921. The long branch from Long Island Junction to Long Island was opened on 29 April 1969 to serve the adjacent steel mill. The Red Hill line was closed in 1953. The Mornington line remained until 1981, but the line south of Moorooduc is now operated by the
Mornington Railway The Mornington Railway is a heritage railway near Mornington, a town on the Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne, Victoria. The line is managed by the Mornington Railway Preservation Society and operates on part of the former Victorian Railwa ...
as a tourist railway. Passenger services on the entire line were withdrawn on 10 June 1981, and the line from Long Island Junction to Stony Point closed from 22 June 1981 until 26 September 1984, when passenger services were reintroduced. For the reopening
DRC railcar The DRC (Diesel Rail Car) was a class of railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways on its country rail network in Victoria, Australia. The cars were built by Tulloch Limited in New South Wales, and featured aluminium and steel construction, ...
s DRC40 and DRC 41 used, with two MTH carriages in between them making up a 4 car train. The
DRC railcar The DRC (Diesel Rail Car) was a class of railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways on its country rail network in Victoria, Australia. The cars were built by Tulloch Limited in New South Wales, and featured aluminium and steel construction, ...
s were frequently used, either in multiple or with MTH trailer cars. Frequent breakdowns saw diesel locomotives called in to haul the consist instead. In December 1989, to celebrate the centenary of the opening of the line,
DERM The Diesel Electric Rail Motor (DERM) was a railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways of Australia. History Originally built as a petrol electric rail motor (PERM), they were the longest-lived rail motor on the Victorian Railways, wi ...
58RM was used to provide shuttles. On that day the DRC railcar had failed, and a third series T class was used with two MTH carriages to provide the regular service. During November 1987, locomotives used on the service included P15, T403, T355, P12 and P18. The locomotives were changed on a daily basis due to excessive wear of brake blocks from the constant stopping and setting back movements. Despite their failures the DRC railcars remained the preferred rolling stock until at least 1990. In August 1994, a T class with two MTH carriages were used, but by November 1995, weekday services were being operated by a P class with 2 MTH carriages, with an A class used on weekends with an extra MTH car. On another occasion in November 1995, an X class diesel in V/Line Freight livery was used with three MTH carriages, but these kinds of workings disappeared after V/Line was separated into passenger and freight divisions. By the 2000s, the service had settled down, with the A class locomotive and a single MTH carriage sent between Frankston and Spencer Street on a regular basis for refuelling and maintenance. Two MTH carriages would be used on the train, a third stabled at Frankston, and the fourth would be at Spencer Street or the
Newport Workshops The Newport Railway Workshops is a facility in the Melbourne suburb of Newport, Victoria, Newport, Australia, that builds, maintains and refurbishes Rolling stock, railway rollingstock. It is located between the Williamstown railway line, Willia ...
undergoing repairs. An A class locomotive and two car MTH consist could carry 126 passengers, weighed 199 tonnes and was 56.9 metres long; but with an extra car a total of 238 passengers could be carried, which weighed 238 tonnes and was 76.1 metres long. At some point the ownership of the MTH carriages was transferred from country operator V/Line to suburban operator M>Train, and later
Connex Melbourne Connex Melbourne was a train operator in Melbourne, Australia. Formed in October 1997 as Hillside Trains, a business unit of the Public Transport Corporation, it was privatised in August 1999 becoming a subsidiary of Connex. In April 2004, it ...
. On a limited number of occasions V/Line underwent locomotive shortages, with leased A classes from
Freight Australia Freight Australia was an Australian railway company that purchased the V/Line Freight business from the Government of Victoria in 1999. Initially known as Freight Victoria, it operated rail freight services and controlled non-urban rail track in ...
and later
Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail Corporation, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock (owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Government of New ...
appearing on the train in their green and yellow livery. In late 2007, the
safeworking Signalling block systems enable the safe and efficient operation of railways by preventing collisions between trains. The basic principle is that a track is broken up into a series of sections or "blocks". Only one train may occupy a block at a ...
on the line was altered, with the
Electric Staff Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...
and Train Staff and Ticket sections replaced by Automatic and Track Control signalling controlled remotely from Frankston Signal Box. On 27 April 2008, diesel railcars were again introduced on the line, this time with the Sprinter units originally purchased by V/Line in 1993. Two units usually operate the service, with a single unit returning to
Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...
for servicing on a regular basis, with another sent in the opposite direction to replace it. The units are selected from the normal V/Line fleet, and are not dedicated to the run. No ticketing equipment is fitted, but new locks were fitted to the toilet doors to prevent their use when being used by
Metro Trains Melbourne Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the franchise operator of the electrified suburban passenger service on the Melbourne rail network. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture between Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation (60% ...
. On 1 April 2015, passenger services were suspended indefinitely following a series of safety breaches where boom gates failed to drop for an approaching train. After three months of remedial works, a full passenger service returned to the line on 30 June 2015. In July 2018, the state opposition announced that if it won the 2018 election, it would begin work in 2019 to extend the Frankston line to Baxter station. The project involved duplication and electrification of Frankston–Baxter section and would have added two new stations—Frankston East and
Langwarrin Langwarrin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Frankston local government area. Langwarrin recorded a population of 23,588 at the . Langwarrin is bounde ...
. However, the existing Government was returned to office. A business case for the project was delivered to the federal government in late October 2019.


Line guide

Bold stations are termini, where some train services terminate; ''italic'' stations are staffed. Continues from the
Frankston line The Frankston railway line is a 42.7 km commuter rail passenger train service in Melbourne, Victoria. It operates between Flinders Street in the Melbourne central business district and Frankston through the south-eastern suburbs includi ...
at '' Frankston''. All stations are in
Myki Myki ( ), stylised as myki, is a reloadable credit card-sized contactless smart card ticketing system used for electronic payment of fares on most public transport services in Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Myki replaced the ...
ticketing Zone 2.


References


External links


Stony Point line timetableOfficial line map
(includes Frankston line)
Statistics and detailed schematic map
at th
vicsig
enthusiast website
Metro Trains Melbournemyki: train, tram and bus Tickets in MelbourneV/Line
{{Victorian Railway Lines, selected=melbourne Railway lines in Melbourne Railway lines opened in 1888 Transport in the Shire of Mornington Peninsula Western Port 1888 establishments in Australia Transport in the City of Frankston