Tocumwal railway line, Victoria

For the standard gauge railway line from New South Wales that met with this broad gauge railway line, see Tocumwal railway line, New South Wales.

The Tocumwal railway line (also known as the Shepparton line) is a 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge railway line in Victoria, Australia. The line runs between the border town of Tocumwal in New South Wales to Southern Cross, Melbourne. The line is utilised by various passenger and freight trains serving the northern suburbs of Melbourne and northern regions of Victoria.

Tocumwal
Overview
Status	Operational; freight-only beyond Shepparton
Owner	VicTrack
Locale	Victoria, Australia
Termini	Tocumwal Southern Cross
Service
Services	Craigieburn Seymour Shepparton Upfield
Operator(s)	Passenger: Metro Trains, V/Line Freight: Pacific National
Depot(s)	Southern Cross
History
Opened	1860 (1860)
Technical
Line length	251.4 km (156.2 mi)
Number of tracks	1 (between Tocumwal and Seymour) 2 (between Seymour and Southern Cross)
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	1500 V DC overhead between Craigieburn and Southern Cross
Signalling	Automatic block from Southern Cross to Craigieburn Double line block to Seymour Train order to Tocumwal
Route map Legend km Multiple lines via Richmond or Jolimont City Loop 0.0 Flinders Street ●●●●●●●●●●●● 1.4 Parliament ●●●●●●●●● 2.7 Melbourne Central 3.3 Flagstaff 1.2 Southern Cross ● City Loop North East SG & Western SG lines to Albury, Sydney & Adelaide 2.9 North Melbourne ●●●●●●● 3.1 Dynon Road Upfield line to Upfield 3.7 CityLink 3.7 Moonee Ponds Creek Multiple lines via Footscray 4.8 Kensington 5.4 Racecourse Road 5.5 Newmarket ■ Flemington Racecourse line to Flemington Racecourse 6.8 Ascot Vale Road 7.0 Ascot Vale 7.4 Maribyrnong Road 8.1 Moonee Ponds 9.2 Essendon ●●■ 9.5 Mount Alexander Road 10.4 Glenbervie 11.0 Strathmore 11.3 Pascoe Vale Road 11.7 Moonee Ponds Creek 11.8 Bell Street 11.9 CityLink 12.5 Pascoe Vale 14.1 Oak Park 15.6 Glenroy North East SG line to Southern Cross & Albion–Jacana line to Albion 16.7 Jacana 16.7 Western Ring Road 17.8 Camp Road 18.1 Broadmeadows ●●● Broadstore Siding (demolished) 20.5 Coolaroo Upfield line to Flinders Street 22.9 Somerton Road 23.0 Somerton (demolished) 23.3 Somerton Yard | Roxburgh Park 27.3 Craigieburn ●● 27.6 Hume Highway / Sydney Road 28.0 end of overhead 28.7 Hume Freeway 31.0 end of Metro area 32.6 Merri Creek 34.4 Donnybrook Merri Creek 43.0 Beveridge 48.7 Wallan 51.9 Lightwood (demolished) 54.7 Heathcote Junction Heathcote line to Bendigo 56.5 Wandong 58.0 Hume Freeway 59.9 Mathieson's Siding (demolished) 64.7 Kilmore East 67.2 Kilmore East Quarry Siding 76.4 Broadford 78.5 McDougall's Siding (demolished) 86.9 Lowry's Siding (demolished) 89.7 Hume Freeway 91.4 Tallarook Mansfield line to Mansfield 95.7 Dysart 97.6 Goulburn River 99.9 Seymour ●● Hume Freeway 108.1 Gravelside Siding (demolished) 110.6 Mangalore (demolished) North East SG line to Albury & Sydney 119.20 Tabilk Goulburn Valley Freeway 128.11 Nagambie ● Goulburn Valley Freeway 135.90 Wahring Goulburn Valley Freeway Rushworth line to Colbinabbin 149.24 Murchison East ● 157.90 Arcadia Goulburn River 166.05 Toolamba Toolamba-Echuca line to Echuca 179.00 Mooroopna ● Goulburn River Broken River 184.84 Shepparton ● Dookie railway line Pine Lodge Cosgrove Dookie Katamatite railway line to Katamatite 191.90 Congupna 199.00 Tallygaroopna 208.30 Wunghnu Broken Creek Goulburn Valley Highway 215.20 Numurkah Picola line to Picola 215.70 RMSP 85 225.80 Katunga 227.80 RMSP 86 231.70 RMSP 81 Goulburn Valley Highway 237.90 Strathmerton Cobram line to Cobram Goulburn Valley Highway 241.60 Mywee 250.30 Tocumwal Bridge 304.0 Bridge over Murray River Victoria NSW border 227.80 Tocumwal Tocumwal line (NSW) to Narrandera broad gauge standard gauge dual gauge This diagram: view talk edit

History

The Melbourne and Essendon Railway Company opened the first section of the Tocumwal railway line from North Melbourne to Essendon in 1860. Following its take over by the Victorian Government in 1867, the line was extended to Tallarook and Mangalore in 1872.

A line was built from Mangalore to Toolamba and Shepparton in 1880 and extended to Numurkah in 1881, Strathmerton in 1905 and connecting with the New South Wales Government Railways at Tocumwal at a break-of-gauge 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 3AS – 31BE – 2AE – 22CE. Before this time the Strathmerton – Cobram section was operated as the 'branch line' with a 102hp Walker railmotor 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 driven by the Cobram station master.^[1]

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 usually being rostered.^[1] Toolamba finally closed as a station on 20 December 1987.^[2]

The passenger service from Numurkah north to Cobram was withdrawn on 24 April 1981 but was restored on 14 August 1983.^[1] The service was cut back to Shepparton on 21 August 1993, with Hoys Roadlines taking control of the train from 22 August,^[1] hiring locomotives, carriages and train crews from V/Line. This arrangement remained until 2004.^[3]

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.^[4]

On 20 February 2020, a NSW TrainLink XPT passenger train on the adjacent North East railway line towards Sydney derailed at Wallan, 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.^[5]

As part of Regional Rail Revival, Donnybrook station received upgrades, include new platform shelters and extensions of the city-bound platforms.^[6] 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.

Branch lines

Current freight train operations are as-required grain trains operated by Pacific National and Southern Shorthaul Railroad. In addition to these, Pacific National also operates a thrice weekly container service from Tocumwal to Appleton Dock.^{[citation needed]}

South of Craigieburn

In October 1889, the Upfield railway line was extended to Somerton, 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,^[7] 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.^[8] In January 1963, the line from Somerton to the Ford factory was re-laid as dual gauge gauntlet track, a year after the North East standard gauge line through Somerton opened.

A branch line was opened during the Second World War to Broadstore, designed to connect Broadmeadows station with the Maygar Barracks. The line opened on 12 October 1942 and remaining in operation until 1982, when usage of the base began to.^[9]

Between Craigieburn and Seymour

A branch line opened from Heathcote Junction (near Kilmore) to Kilmore in 1888 and to Tooborac in 1890, connecting with a line from Bendigo to Heathcote opened a little earlier. The Heathcote Junction – Heathcote line closed in 1968. A branch line from Kilmore to Lancefield opened in 1892, closed in 1904.

The Mansfield line opened from Tallarook to Yea in 1883, Molesworth in 1889, Cathkin and Merton in 1890 and Mansfield in 1891. It is now closed. A branch line was built from Cathkin to Koriella in 1890 and Alexandra 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 and Echuca was completed in 1887.^[10]

A short branch line was opened from Shepparton to Dookie in 1888. A tramway, built and operated by the Shire of Tungamah, was opened between Dookie and Katamatite in 1890. It was taken over by the Victorian Railways in 1896.^[11] Another short branch line was opened from Strathmerton to Cobram in 1888.

Passenger services

Craigieburn passenger services operate on the line within the Melbourne region between Craigieburn and Southern Cross. Upfield line services also utilise a small section of the line between North Melbourne and Southern Cross. Regional services from Seymour (as the Seymour line) and Shepparton also operate to Southern Cross, skipping most metropolitan stations. The line between Tocumwal and Shepparton is no longer served by passenger services.

Shepparton services

Shepparton

Overview
Service type	Regional rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Victoria, Australia
Current operator(s)	V/Line
Route
Termini	Shepparton Southern Cross
Stops	16
Distance travelled	184.84 km (114.85 mi)
Average journey time	2 hour 32 minutes
Service frequency	5 Southern Cross-bound services, 5 Shepparton-bound services on weekdays 3 services on weekends each direction
Line(s) used	Tocumwal
On-board services
Class(es)	Economy
Disabled access	Yes
Catering facilities	None
Technical
Rolling stock	V/Line VLocity
Track gauge	1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	Shepparton-Seymour: 115 km/h (71 mph) Maximum Seymour-Southern Cross: 130 km/h (80 mph) Maximum
Track owner(s)	VicTrack

V/Line operates five return services between Shepparton and Melbourne's Southern Cross Station on weekdays, with 3 return services running on Saturdays & Sundays.

Services generally stop at all stations between Shepparton and Donnybrook in both directions, with some services not stopping at Donnybrook, Heathcote Junction and Tallarook. Within the metropolitan network, limited services make stops at Essendon and North Melbourne on weekdays, while all services stop at Broadmeadows. At these stations, Shepparton-bound services only pick up passengers and Southern Cross-bound services only drop off. No services stop at any other station served by a metropolitan service.

v t e Shepparton V/Line rail service
Legend
h:mm 0:00   0.0 km Southern Cross Zone 1 0:05   1.7 km North Melbourne Zone 1 0:21   16.9 km Broadmeadows Zone 2 0:35   33.2 km Donnybrook Zone 2 0:44   47.5 km Wallan Zone 2 0:52   57.3 km Wandong Zone 2 0:58   65.5 km Kilmore East Zone 3/4 1:06   77.2 km Broadford Zone 4/5 1:25     101.7 km Seymour Zone 6     continues as Albury V/Line Service 1:48   128.1 km Nagambie Zone 9 2:04   149.2 km Murchison East Zone 11 2:28   179.0 km Mooroopna Zone 14 2:37   184.8 km Shepparton Zone 15
Standard timetabled journey from Southern Cross

References

1. Chris Banger (March 1997). "Rail Passenger Service Withdrawals Since 1960". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 77–82.
2. Bob Whitehead (2008). Tocumwal Railway Centenary.
3. "Track Record: 19 April to June 2004" (PDF). doi.vic.gov.au. (PDF) from the original on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
4. "$43m to upgrade rail freight lines". The Age. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
5. . V/Line. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
6. "Donnybrook and Wallan station upgrades". Victoria's Big Build. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
7. "Somerton Railway". The Argus. Melbourne. 23 December 1927. from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
8. "Somerton" (PDF). Victorian Signalling Histories. Andrew Waugh. (PDF) from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
9. "Broadstore Line 1991". Mike Forsberg. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
10. Toolamba-Echuca railway line
11. . arts.monash.edu.au/ncas/multimedia/gazetteer. Australian Places. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2006.

External links

 

Wikinews has related news:

• Australian and Victorian governments to begin stage three of Shepparton railway line upgrade in September

• http://www.vline.com.au
• Statistics and detailed schematic map at the vicsig enthusiast website