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The Tocumwal railway line is a gauge railway line in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, Australia. The line runs between the border town of
Tocumwal Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire Local government in Australia, local government area. The town, north of the city of Melbourne, lies on the northern bank of the Murray ...
in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
to
Southern Cross CRUX is a lightweight x86-64 Linux distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and delivered by a tar.gz-based package system with BSD-style initscripts. It is not based on any other Linux distribution. It also utilizes a ports system to ...
station in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. The line is used by various passenger and freight trains serving the northern suburbs of Melbourne and northern regions of Victoria.


History

The
Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company The Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company was formed in 1858 and was authorised by the Victorian Parliament to build a railway line from North Melbourne to Essendon. The single track railway was opened in October 1860. The company immediately com ...
opened the first section of the Tocumwal railway line from
North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...
to
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club, in the Australian Football League *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington United Kin ...
in 1860. Following its take over by the Victorian Government in 1867, the line was extended to
Tallarook Tallarook is a town the Shire of Mitchell local government area in central Victoria, Australia. The town is in on the Hume Highway, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Tallarook had a population of 789. Tallarook Post Office ope ...
and
Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
in 1872. A line was built from Mangalore to
Toolamba Toolamba is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is in the City of Greater Shepparton Local government in Australia, local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Toola ...
and
Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...
in 1880 and extended to
Numurkah Numurkah ( ) is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Shepparton, in the Shire of Moira. At the , Numurkah had a population of 4,768. History The area was occupied by the Yorta ...
in 1881,
Strathmerton Strathmerton is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is located in the Shire of Moira Local government in Australia, local government area on the Murray Valley Highway and Goulburn Valley Highway, about west of Cobram. At the ...
in 1905 and connecting with the New South Wales Government Railways at
Tocumwal Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire Local government in Australia, local government area. The town, north of the city of Melbourne, lies on the northern bank of the Murray ...
at a
break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally canno ...
in 1908. Passenger services to Tocumwal ended on 8 November 1975 with the last train operated by T class diesel locomotive T324 and passenger carriages 3AS31BE – 2AE – 22CE. Before this time the Strathmerton – Cobram section was operated as the 'branch line' with a
102hp Walker railmotor The family of Walker railmotors were a type of diesel railcar operated by the Victorian Railways in Australia. After World War II, the Victorian Railways undertook a major rebuilding program known as Operation Phoenix. One of the first tasks ...
connecting with the main line train. A bus service was then introduced for the Tocumwal branch, connecting with the Cobram service. By 1977/78 the service between Cobram and Tocumwal was being operated by a VicRail owned
station wagon A station wagon (American English, US, also wagon) or estate car (British English, UK, also estate) is an automotive Car body style, body-style variant of a Sedan (automobile), sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo ...
driven by the Cobram station master. The last passenger service from Toolamba station to Echuca ran on 2 March 1981 with Y class diesel locomotive Y161, an ABE carriage and a C van. This consist had only been introduced a few months prior, with a
DERM The Diesel Electric Rail Motor (DERM) is a type of railmotor operated by the Victorian Railways in Australia. History Originally built as a petrol electric rail motor (PERM), they were the longest-lived rail motor on the Victorian Railwa ...
usually being rostered. Toolamba finally closed as a station on 20 December 1987. The passenger service from Numurkah north to Cobram was withdrawn on 24 April 1981 but was restored on 14 August 1983. The service was cut back to Shepparton on 21 August 1993, with
Hoys Roadlines Hoys Roadlines was an Australian bus operator based in the Victorian city of Wangaratta. From 1993 until 2004 the company also had a contract to operate train services on the Shepparton line on behalf of the Victorian State Government. Bus se ...
taking control of the train from 22 August, hiring locomotives, carriages and train crews from
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
. This arrangement remained until 2004. There have been calls for the line to be standardised as part of the proposed Melbourne to Brisbane ' Inland Railway'. In April 2008 it was announced that the Shepparton – Tocumwal section of the line would also be upgraded, as part of the Victorian core grain network in a A$23.7 million package with 6 other lines. On 20 February 2020, a
NSW TrainLink NSW TrainLink is a regional train and coach operator in Australia, providing services throughout New South Wales and into Australian Capital Territory, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia ...
XPT passenger train on the adjacent
North East railway line The North East railway line is a railway line in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The line runs from Southern Cross railway station on the western edge of the Melbourne Melbourne City Centre, central business district to Albury rail ...
towards Sydney derailed at
Wallan Wallan , traditionally known as Wallan Wallan (large circular place of water), is a town in Victoria, north of Melbourne's Central Business District. The town sits at the southern end of the large and diverse Shire of Mitchell which extends ...
, resulting in suspension of freight, V/Line and NSW TrainLink services on the North East and Tocumwal railway lines. V/Line services resumed on 1 and 2 March 2020. As part of
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 tota ...
, Donnybrook station and Wallan station received upgrades, include new platform shelters and extensions of the city-bound platforms. The upgrades were completed in August 2020. On 31 October 2022, after a week long delay due to extensive major flooding in the Goulburn Valley region, VLocity trains started running from Seymour-Shepparton for the first time, replacing the previous N and H set locomotive hauled services. The N set included a buffet and first-class seating, this is no longer available as the VLocity trains does not have catering facilities and first class seating onboard.


Branch lines

Current freight train operations are as-required grain trains operated by
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, jointly owned by the Government of Australia, Federal, Governm ...
and
Southern Shorthaul Railroad Southern Shorthaul Railroad is an Australian rail freight services operator in New South Wales and Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The company also provides workshop services, such as rolling stock manufacturing and wagon and locomotive mainte ...
. In addition to these, Pacific National also operates a thrice weekly container service from Tocumwal to
Appleton Dock Appleton Dock is an international shipping facility in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was opened in about 1956 by the Melbourne Harbor Trust, and is named after MHT commissioner William Thomas Appleton (1859-1930), who was a staunch advocate ...
.


South of Craigieburn

In October 1889, the
Upfield railway line The Upfield line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's fifth-shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in centra ...
was extended to , but closed in July 1903. In March 1928, despite strong resistance from the Railways Commissioners, the state government ordered the reopening of the section from Fawkner to near Somerton for passengers, although no actually connection was provided at this time.In May 1956, the line from Fawkner to Somerton was again closed, but only three years later, in July 1959, the Upfield to Somerton section reopened for
goods trains A freight train, also called a goods train or cargo train, is a railway train that is used to carry cargo, as opposed to passengers. Freight trains are made up of one or more locomotives which provide propulsion, along with one or more railroad ...
. In January 1963, the line from Somerton to the Ford factory was re-laid as
dual gauge Dual gauge railroad track has three or four rails, allowing vehicles of two track gauges to run on it. Signalling and sidings are more expensive to install on dual gauge tracks than on two single gauge tracks. Dual gauge is used when there i ...
gauntlet track Gauntlet track or interlaced track, also gantlet track () is an arrangement in which Rail tracks, railway tracks run parallel on a single track bed and are interlaced (i.e., overlapped) in such a way that only one pair of rails can be used at any ...
, a year after the North East standard gauge line through Somerton opened. A branch line was opened during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to Broadstore, designed to connect Broadmeadows station with the
Maygar Barracks Maygar Army Barracks is located in Broadmeadows, Victoria. It was the training area for the Australian Light Horse during World War I. The barracks was named after Victoria Cross winner Leslie Maygar, who received the award for his actions during ...
. The line opened on 12 October 1942 and remaining in operation until 1982, when usage of the base began to.


Between Craigieburn and Seymour

A
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
opened from (near Kilmore) to in 1888 and to
Tooborac Tooborac is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Mitchell local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Tooborac and the surrounding area had a population of 405. At the , Tooborac and the surroun ...
in 1890, connecting with a line from to opened a little earlier. The Heathcote Junction – Heathcote line closed in 1968. A
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
from Kilmore to
Lancefield Lancefield is a town in the Shire of Macedon Ranges local government area in Victoria, Australia north of the state capital, Melbourne, 33.6km south of Puckapunyal and had a population of at least 2,743 at the 2021 census. History The are ...
opened in 1892, closed in 1904. The Mansfield line opened from to in 1883, in 1889, and in 1890 and in 1891. It is now closed. A
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
was built from Cathkin to in 1890 and in 1909. This line closed in 1978.


North of Seymour

A branch line was subsequently built from Murchison East to Rushworth and Colbinabbin, with another branch from Rushworth to Stanhope and Girgarre. A cross-country line between
Toolamba Toolamba is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is in the City of Greater Shepparton Local government in Australia, local government area, north of the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Toola ...
and
Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria (state), 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 cen ...
was completed in 1887. A short branch line was opened from Shepparton to
Dookie ''Dookie'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif ...
in 1888. A tramway, built and operated by the
Shire of Tungamah The Shire of Tungamah was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Goulburn Valley region, about northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and exi ...
, was opened between Dookie and
Katamatite Katamatite is a town in Victoria, Australia about 46 kilometres north east of Shepparton. At the , Katamatite had a population of 433. Katamatite is located in the Murray Valley irrigation area. Township buildings were erected in 1877 and the ...
in 1890. It was taken over by the
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 1896. Another short branch line was opened from Strathmerton to
Cobram Cobram is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is on the Murray River which forms the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Cobram along with the nearby towns of Numurkah and Yarrawonga is part of Shire of Moira and is the administrative cen ...
in 1888.


Passenger services

Suburban electrified services to Craigieburn in Melbourne's north-west are operated by
Metro Trains Melbourne Metro Trains Melbourne, often known simply as Metro, is the operator and brand name of train services on the electrified metropolitan rail network serving the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest urban rail network in Au ...
as the
Craigieburn line The Craigieburn line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's seventh shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinde ...
.
Upfield line The Upfield line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's fifth-shortest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Flinders Street station in centra ...
services use a small section of the line between
North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...
and Southern Cross.
V/Line V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
operates the
Seymour V/Line rail service The Seymour line is a regional passenger rail service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia. It serves 13 stations towards its terminus in the regional city of Seymour. It is the fifth most-used regional rail service in Victoria (behind ...
to
Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township ** Seymour railway station * Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria * Se ...
, with five return services each weekday, and three on weekends, extending to
Shepparton Shepparton () (Yorta Yorta language, Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River (Victoria), Goulburn River in northern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Mel ...
. These services run express through most metropolitan stations. Beyond Shepparton, the line is only used for freight.


References


External links


http://www.vline.com.au

Official map

Statistics and detailed schematic map
at th
vicsig
enthusiast website {{Regional Victoria public transport Railway lines in Victoria (state) V/Line rail services Railway lines opened in 1860 5 ft 3 in gauge railways in Australia Shepparton Public transport routes in the City of Melbourne (LGA) Transport in the City of Hume Transport in the City of Whittlesea 1860 establishments in Australia