Ararat railway line

Ararat
Ararat
	A train entering Ballarat
Overview
Connecting lines	Geelong-Ballarat and Mildura (at Ballarat); Geelong via the Regional Rail Link (at Deer Park), Bendigo and Sunbury (at Sunshine)
Former connections	See Former branch lines section
Stations	14 in service (not including Southern Cross)
Service
Type	V/Line passenger service
System	V/Line passenger services to Ballarat and Ararat
Rolling stock	V/Line VLocity diesel multiple-unit trains in either 3- or 6-car configurations. Locomotive-hauled services withdrawn in 2023.
History
Opened	1887 (to Serviceton); 1889 (direct route to Melbourne via Melton); 1995 (services past Ballarat withdrawn); 2004 (reopened to Ararat)
Completed	to Serviceton in 1887; truncated to Ararat in 1994 with the line beyond converted to standard gauge and reopened as part of the Western standard gauge railway line
Closed	1994 (for conversion beyond Ararat to standard gauge)
Technical
Number of tracks	Duplicated up to Melton, single track with crossing loops the rest of the way
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	North East & Western lines
	to Sydney & Adelaide
	Craigieburn, Seymour & Shepparton lines
	via Essendon
	South Kensington–West Footscray line
	to West Footscray
	South Kensington–West Footscray, North East & Western lines
	to Southern Cross
	Newport–Sunshine & Western lines
	to Newport & Adelaide

The Ararat railway line (formerly known as the Serviceton and Western lines) is a railway line in Victoria, Australia. It links the state capital of Melbourne to the cities of Ballarat and Ararat via the Regional Rail Link.

The line began construction in 1874, when the original line to Ballarat was extended westwards to Beaufort, eventually reaching Serviceton at the disputed South Australian border in 1887 to form the Victorian part of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway. In 1889, the line became the direct Melbourne−Ballarat railway when it was extended eastwards from Ballarat to Bacchus Marsh, meeting with another line constructed from Sunshine.

In 1995, the line beyond Ararat, along with several old branch lines, was converted to standard gauge and reopened to form part of the 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Western standard gauge railway line. Services past Ballarat were withdrawn until 2004 when services to Ararat were reinstated.

The line has seen numerous packages of upgrades. As part of the Regional Fast Rail project, several parts of the track were realigned to reduce curves and grades, enabling trains to run up to 160 km/h. The Regional Rail Link project saw the construction of a new alignment between Sunshine and Southern Cross dedicated to regional trains, separating the line from the Sunbury line. As part of the Regional Rail Revival project, the line was duplicated up to Melton. The Level Crossing Removal Project has grade-separated three level crossings and rebuilt Deer Park station, making the line level-crossing free between Deer Park and Southern Cross.^[3] In 2026, another four level crossings are planned to be removed, with Melton station to be rebuilt. There are plans for future quadruplication and electrification of the line up to Melton.^[4]^[5]^[6]

^ https://www.vline.com.au/getattachment/47b8738a-1891-47a9-8fae-c64b6e66c2f4/Ararat-Melbourne- ^{[bare URL]}
^ Wong, Marcus (19 February 2024). "Farewell to V/Line's H type carriage sets".
^ Build, Victoria’s Big (8 August 2024). "Mt Derrimut Road, Deer Park". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
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[2] Wong, Marcus (19 February 2024). "Farewell to V/Line's H type carriage sets".

[3] Build, Victoria’s Big (8 August 2024). "Mt Derrimut Road, Deer Park". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 28 September 2024.

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