The Hamilton-Koroit Line was a branch line running south west from the Portland Main Line at Coleraine Junction near the town of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, to the town of

Koroit Koroit is a small rural town in western Victoria, Australia a few kilometres north of the Princes Highway, north-west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Moyne local government area located amidst rolling green pastur ...

, where it joined the Port Fairy line. Opening in 1890, the line was 84 kilometers long and entirely single track apart from at stations. Since the closure of the line in 1977, the track has been removed and the rail reserve mostly sold as well, with very little trace of railway left.

History

The entire line was opened on 22 August 1890 with the purpose of transporting produce and timber from Victoria's south into the port at Portland and through the rest of Western Victoria. Initially, the line had two separate connections to the Ararat–Portland line, with a secondary branch existing between Penshurst and Dunkeld. However, that section was short-lived, and was closed to traffic on 24 March 1891. Most of the trains that ran on this line were carried mixed traffic, and usually ran from

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 ...

via the Port Fairy Line, before continuing to

. Declines in both passenger and freight traffic caused smaller stations along the line to close during the 1950s and '60s, and eventually the line was closed completely on 12 September 1977 along with the Dennington–Port Fairy section of the Port Fairy line.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton-Koroit railway line Closed regional railway lines in Victoria (state) Railway lines opened in 1890 Transport in Barwon South West (region)