The Deniliquin railway line (also known as the Echuca railway line) is a broad-gauge railway line serving northwestern

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. The line runs from the border settlement of

Deniliquin Deniliquin () is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, close to the border with Victoria. It is the largest town in the Edward River Council local government area. Deniliquin is located at the intersection of the Riverina ...

into

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

, before turning south-southeast towards

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 ...

, terminating in Docklands near the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. It is a major trunk line both for passenger and freight trains, with many railway lines branching off from it.

History

The Company

Construction of the line was begun by the

Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company The Melbourne, Mount Alexander and Murray River Railway Company was a railway company in Victoria, Australia. It was established on 8 February 1853 to build a railway from Melbourne to Echuca on the Victorian-NSW border and a branch railway to ...

, which was incorporated in 1852. The first thirteen sections of the line were constructed by contractors

Cornish and Bruce Cornish & Bruce was a railway contracting company in Victoria, Australia in the mid nineteenth century. The partnership comprised William Crocker Cornish, a building contractor born in Cornwall, England,John Maxwell'Cornish, William Crocker (1815� ...

, who gained a reputation for trying to reduce costs by taking shortcuts on materials and reducing worker's wages. The company made almost no progress on the construction of the railway due to an inability to raise sufficient funds, and in 1856 it was purchased by the

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

. Because

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...

was at that time the Inspecting Engineer in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

for the Victorian Government, some people have claimed that he was responsible for the railway's design. An examination of reports published by the Victorian Parliament has shown that claim to be erroneous. The route and structures were the work of the Victorian Railways Department, under the supervision of Engineer-in-Chief George Darbyshire, and completed under Thomas Higginbotham.

Design

The line was designed with two broad gauge tracks, high speed alignments cutting through the landscape, substantial bridges and railway stations built of

bluestone Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including: * basalt in Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand * dolerites in Tasmania, Australia; and in Britain (including Stonehenge) * felds ...

, and double-headed rail.

Timeline of construction

Originating from Spencer Street Station, the line reached Sunbury in 1859. On 13 January 1859, the Government Railway from Melbourne to Sunbury was opened. By 1861 it had reached Woodend and on 8 July 1861 the Sunbury to Woodend section opened. By 1862 the Woodend to

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. The town has four main streets: ...

section was built. On 25 April 1862 the Woodend to Kyneton section was opened. Later in 1862, the line had been completed to Castlemaine and to Bendigo. On 7 October the first locomotive reached Bendigo. Another Official Opening was held at Castlemaine on 15 October 1862. The whole of the Melbourne to Bendigo railway was formally opened at

on 20 October 1862 by the

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of the monarch, King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria. The governor is one of seven viceregal representatives in the country, analogous to the governors of the other states, and the ...

Sir Henry Barkly Sir Henry Barkly (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences. Early life and education Born on 24 February 1815 at Highbury, Middlesex (now London), he was the eldest son of ...

. The railway finally reached Echuca in 1864 and transformed the town into a major river port, with a famous wharf and substantial urban growth in the 1870s. In 1876 the

Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company The Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company was a railway company formed by a syndicate of Victorian capitalists to construct a railway from Moama to Deniliquin in New South Wales, Australia."The Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company" ''Australian R ...

opened its private railway northwards to

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

and

, and the line at Echuca was extended across the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

into

Moama Moama ( or ) is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state ...

to join the railway. This section was taken over by

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

in 1923, as part of the 1922 Border Railways Act.

Decline

Passenger rail services from Echuca to Balranald were withdrawn on 7 November 1975, with the last train a 153hp Walker railmotor. The Echuca to Kyabram service was withdrawn on 18 December 1975. The last train was also 153 hp Walker railmotor, the service being provided for school children and paid for by the Education Department. The Bendigo – Echuca – Deniliquin passenger service was withdrawn on 11 January 1979, with the last train being operated by a

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 ...

. Toolamba – Echuca passenger services were withdrawn on 2 March 1981, leaving the town without any rail services.

Revival and present day

A twice-weekly passenger service from Bendigo to Echuca was reinstated in 1996. The passenger service was replaced with buses on 19 December 2004, pending an upgrade due to poor track condition. The rail service recommenced in late 2006. Since 2007, there is one train to/from Melbourne on weekdays and two on weekends, with the train speed between Bendigo and Echuca limited to 100 km/h because there are a number of unprotected

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...

s. The section between Bendigo and Sunbury was upgraded as part of the

Regional Fast Rail project The Regional Fast Rail project (or RFR project) was a rail transport project undertaken by the State Government of Victoria, Australia, between 2000 and 2006 aimed at improving rail services on the Victorian regional railway network (operated by ...

between 2005 and 2006. The section of the Deniliquin railway line from Echuca to Deniliquin closed on 6 August 2010. The line has again re-opened in 2013 to service the SunRice Factory and Grain Silos.

Epsom railway station Epsom railway station serves the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. It is located off Waterloo Road and is less than two minutes' walk from the town's high street. It is down the line from . The Oyster Pay as you go was extended to Epsom on 2 ...

, located between Bendigo and Elmore stations, was opened on 12 October 2014. As part of the

Regional Rail Revival The Regional Rail Revival is a joint initiative between the Australian federal government and the Victorian state government to upgrade all regional railway lines in Victoria. The project has an estimated total cost of . of the project's total ...

project, a new station at Goornong opened on the 12th of December 2021, planned to be followed by another station at

Huntly Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...

in 2022.

Branch lines

The Lancefield line was opened from Clarkefield (north of Sunbury) to Lancefield in 1881, and extended to Kilmore in 1892 to connect with the

Heathcote railway line The Heathcote Railway line was a railway line linking Bendigo and Heathcote Junction. It was opened in 1888, and, by 1890 it was fully operational.Daylesford branch line was opened from Carlsruhe (between Woodend and Kyneton) to Daylesford in 1880. In 1887 it was later connected with a line from

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

. This Daylesford branch was closed in 1978, but part of it, between Daylesford and Bullarto, is now operated by the

Daylesford Spa Country Railway The Daylesford Spa Country Railway (which is operated by the Central Highlands Tourist Railway) is a volunteer-operated gauge tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a section of the closed and dismantled Daylesford line ...

as a heritage railway. A branch line was built between

Redesdale Redesdale is a valley in western Northumberland, England. It is formed by the River Rede, which rises in the Cheviots and flows down to join the North Tyne at Redesmouth. Redesdale is traversed by the A68 trunk road, which enters Scotland vi ...

Junction (north of Kyneton) and Redesdale by 1900, but it closed in 1954. The Maldon line was opened from Castlemaine to

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...

in 1884, and extended as far as Shelbourne in 1891, although it had originally been planned to run to Laanecoorie. The line from Maldon to Shelbourne was closed in 1969 following bush fire damage. The Maldon branch line closed in 1976. The

Victorian Goldfields Railway The Victorian Goldfields Railway is a broad gauge tourist railway in Victoria, Australia. It operates along a formerly disused branch line between the towns of Maldon and Castlemaine. History The original line was opened on 16 June 1884, openin ...

has restored the line between Castlemaine and Maldon and operates trains over that section. A branch line was built from Bendigo to

Heathcote Heathcote may refer to: Places in Australia *Heathcote, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney **Electoral district of Heathcote, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly **Heathcote National Park ** Parish of Heathcote a parish of Cumberla ...

in 1888, which became a cross-country line in 1890 when connected to a line running from Heathcote Junction on the main

North East railway line The North East railway line is a railway line in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Albury railway station in the border settlement of Albury–Wodonga to Southern Cross railway station on the western edge of the Mel ...

. The Bendigo–Heathcote line closed in 1958 and the Heathcote Junction to Heathcote branch was closed in November 1968. A branch line was built from Elmore to

Cohuna Cohuna is a town situated north of Melbourne, on the Murray Valley Highway, in northern Victoria, Australia. At the , Cohuna had a population of 2,428. History A post office opened in the area on 18 September 1875, known as Mologa until 18 ...

in 1910 and it was closed in the 1980s. A branch line was built from Barnes to

Moulamein Moulamein is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the , Moulamein had a population of 484 . Moulamein is the oldest town in the Riverina. The town is located between Balranald, Hay, ...

and

Balranald Balranald is a town within the local government area of Balranald Shire, in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town of Balranald is located where the Sturt Highway crosses the Murrumbidgee River in a remote, semi-deser ...

in 1926. The Moulamein–Balranald section was closed in the 1980s.

Piangil line

The Piangil line was extended north from

Eaglehawk The wedge-tailed eagle (''Aquila audax'') is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. Adults of this species have lon ...

(just north of Bendigo on the line to Inglewood) in 1882, reaching

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peo ...

in 1890. It remains in use today.

Robinvale line

The Robinvale line was opened from Bendigo to Inglewood in 1876, Korong Vale in 1882, Boort in 1883, Quambatook in 1894, Ultima in 1900, Chillingollah in 1909,

Manangatang Manangatang ( ) is a town in north-west Victoria, Australia. At the , Manangatang had a population of 309. It is sometimes noted for its unusual name, from an Aboriginal term - "manang" meaning ''land'' and "kaaiti" meaning ''water''. Transpor ...

in 1914, Annuello in 1921 and

Robinvale Robinvale is a town on the south bank of the Murray River in north western Victoria, Australia. It is connected by a bridge to Euston on the other side of the river in New South Wales. At the , Robinvale had a population of 3,313, however a ...

in 1924. This line is currently booked out of service. Under the Border Railways Agreement of 1922, Victorian Railways commenced construction of a railway to Koorakee and Lette in New South Wales in 1924 (the Lette railway line), but this railway was never completed. The

bridge between Robinvale and Euston was instead converted to a road bridge, but it was demolished upon completion of a new road bridge in 2006. However the lift span of the old bridge has been relocated to McGinty Park in Robinvale as part of an historic display. A short branch line was built from Wedderburn Junction (south of Korong Vale) to Wedderburn in the 1880s which closed in the 1980s. There is currently no passenger service on this line.

Kulwin line

The Kulwin line was opened from Korong Vale to

Wycheproof Wycheproof is a small town in the centre of the Shire of Buloke, in north western Victoria, Australia. As of the , it had a population of 610. History The name "Wycheproof" originates from an Aboriginal word meaning 'grass on a hill', refer ...

in 1883, Sea Lake in 1895, Nandaly in 1914, Mittyack in 1919 and Kulwin in 1919. This line currently only handles grain trains. Until late 2006, rural rail network lessee

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 ...

had mothballed the Mittyack to Kulwin section. There has not been passenger service on this line since 1978.

Features

There are substantial wrought iron and masonry viaducts at Sunbury,

Malmsbury Malmsbury is a town in central Victoria, Australia on the Old Calder Highway (C794), 95 km north-west of the state capital, Melbourne and 11 km north-west of Kyneton. Situated close by the Coliban River, Malmsbury has a population ...

and Taradale, as well as two

tunnels A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A Pipeline transport, pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used ...

at Elphinstone and Big Hill.

Passenger services

The Deniliquin line is used by many regional

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 Cros ...

services and a commuter

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 ...

service.

Sunbury line The Sunbury Line (formerly known as Sunbury Subdivision) is a rail line owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway which in turn is owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The line travels from Sunbury, Pennsylvania, to Binghamton, New Yo ...

commuter services operate on the entire Melbourne section of the line between Sunbury and

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 ...

, where it then enters the City Loop. Regional

Bendigo line The Deniliquin railway line (also known as the Echuca railway line) is a broad-gauge railway line serving northwestern Victoria, Australia. The line runs from the border settlement of Deniliquin into Bendigo, before turning south-southeast to ...

services operate on the same line between

(and sometimes

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

) and Southern Cross.

services enter the line at Bendigo from the Piangil line and also run on the same route into Melbourne. The section of the line between Sunshine and Southern Cross is also used by Ararat,

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

and

Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...

services. At Sunshine, these services branch off onto the Serviceton line. Most V/Line regional passenger trains operate on the second pair of tracks between Sunshine and Southern Cross that were built as part of the

Regional Rail Link The Regional Rail Link (RRL) was a project to build a 47.5 kilometre length of railway through the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, the main aim of which was to separate regional V/Line Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong services from the el ...

project, leaving the original pair of tracks for the primary use of the Sunbury commuter rail line.

Echuca services

One service on weekdays and two services on weekends operate in each direction each day between

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest ...

and

. Outside Melbourne, all services stops at all operating stations between Echuca and Sunbury. The service then runs express to Footscray, then to the terminus at Southern Cross. At Footscray, passengers may not board services to Southern Cross or alight services to Echuca.

Engineering heritage award

The railway line received an Engineering Heritage National Marker from

Engineers Australia Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...

as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program.

References

Engineering Heritage Victoria: Nomination for Recognition under the Engineering Heritage Australia Heritage Recognition Program for the Goldfields Railways - Melbourne, Bendigo & Echuca Railway

External links

Statistics and detailed schematic map
at Vicsig enthusiast website {{Victorian Railway Lines, Branch, state=collapsed Railway lines in Victoria (Australia) Regional railway lines in New South Wales Railway lines opened in 1864 V/Line rail services 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia Recipients of Engineers Australia engineering heritage markers Transport in the City of Maribyrnong Transport in the City of Brimbank Transport in the City of Melton Transport in the City of Hume Public transport routes in the City of Melbourne (LGA)