Warrnambool line

This article is about the V/Line service. For the physical railway, see Warrnambool railway line.

Warrnambool
Railways in Victoria
V/Line train crossing the Barwon River in Geelong
Overview
Service typeRegional rail
SystemVictorian railway network
StatusOperational
LocaleVictoria, Australia
Predecessor
  • Winchelsea (1876–1877)
  • Colac (1877–1883)
  • Camperdown (1883–1887)
  • Terang (1887–1890)
  • Port Fairy (1890–1977)
  • The Flyer ^ (1927–c. 1967)
  • The Westcoaster (1987–c. 2004)
^ outbound only
First service25 November 1876; 147 years ago (1876-11-25)
Current operator(s)V/Line
Former operator(s)
WebsiteV/Line Geelong on Twitter
Route
TerminiSouthern Cross
Warrnambool
Stops21
Distance travelled267.3 km (166.1 mi)
Average journey time3 hours 37 minutes
Service frequency
  • 5 express services weekdays
  • 2 local services weekend
  • 1 express service weekend
Line(s) usedServiceton, Deer Park–West Werribee, Port Fairy
On-board services
Class(es)First and economy
Disabled accessYes
Catering facilitiesYes
Baggage facilitiesYes
Technical
Rolling stock
(From 1st November 2024)
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Track owner(s)VicTrack

The Warrnambool line is a long-distance regional rail service in Victoria, Australia. Operated by V/Line, it is the state's fourth longest railway line at 267.3 kilometres (166.1 mi). The line runs from Southern Cross station in central Melbourne to Warrnambool station in the south-west, serving 21 stations via Wyndham Vale, Geelong, Waurn Ponds, and Colac.[1] The line has five return services each weekday and three return services on weekends. Trains on the Warrnambool service run with three- to five-car N-class carriage sets, which are hauled by N class locomotives.[2]

The service was taken over by V/Line after the closure of West Coast Railway in 2004. The track that the service operates on was originally built to connect Melbourne with the rural towns of Geelong, Colac, Warrnambool, and Port Fairy, amongst others. Sections of the Port Fairy line opened as early as 1857, with the line fully extended to Warrnambool in February 1890. A section of the line between Warrnambool and Port Fairy was closed in 1977 due to limited demand.[3] Today V/Line only operates as far as Warrnambool.

Since the 2010s, there have been a number of upgrades to the line to improve the speed, accessibility and frequency of the service, including the Regional Rail Link, the Regional Rail Revival, and the planned Geelong Fast Rail project.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ "Warrnambool – Melbourne via Colac & Geelong". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  2. ^ Ford, Jeff (20 June 2018). "Buffets On VLocitys" (PDF). RTBU Express. Rail, Tram and Bus Union Victorian Branch. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Victoria’s Big Build (14 December 2022). "Now arriving: Warrnambool's 5th weekday return service". Victoria’s Big Build. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).