North East railway line

North East (original BG line)
North East (original BG line)
Overview
Other name(s)	Albury
Status	Operational with broad gauge passenger services from Flinders Street to Seymour; Gauge converted beyond Seymour;
Owner	M&ER (1860–1964); Victorian Railways (VR) (1867–1974); VR as VicRail (1974–1983); MTA (The Met) (1983–1989); STA (V/Line) (1983–1989); PTC (The Met) (1989–1997); PTC (V/Line) (1989–1995); PTC (V/Line Passenger) (1995–1997); VicTrack (1997–Current);
Locale	Victoria, Australia
Termini	Southern Cross; Albury;
Connecting lines	All metropolitan, regional, and interstate; Albion–Jacana; Oaklands; Tocumwal;
Former connections	Bright; Cudgewa; Heathcote; Mansfield; Peechelba East; Tatong; Upfield—Somerton link; Wahgunyah; Whitfield;
Stations	38 current stations; 13 former stations; 2 current siding; 13 former sidings;
Service
Type	Victorian railway line
Services	Albury Craigieburn Seymour Shepparton
Operator(s)	M&ER (1860–1964); Victorian Railways (VR) (1867–1974); VR as VicRail (1974–1983); MTA (The Met) (1983–1989); STA (V/Line) (1983–1989); PTC (The Met) (1989–1998); PTC (V/Line) (1989–1995); PTC (V/Line Passenger) (1995–1998); Bayside Trains (1998–2000); V/Line Passenger (1998–2010); M>Train (2000–2004); Connex Melbourne (2004–2009); Metro Trains (2009–Current); V/Line (2010–Current);
History
Commenced	21 October 1860
Opened	Southern Cross to North Melbourne on 17 January 1859; North Melbourne to Essendon on 21 October 1860; Essendon to Dysart on 18 April 1872; Dysart to Seymour on 26 August 1872; Seymour to Longwood on 20 November 1872; Longwood to Violet Town on 20 March 1873; Violet Town to Benalla on 18 August 1873; Benalla to Wangaratta on 28 October 1873; Wangaratta to Wodonga on 21 November 1873; Wodonga to Albury on 14 June 1883; Flinders Street to Southern Cross on 29 November 1891;
Completed	14 June 1883
Reopened	North Melbourne to Newmarket on 31 October 1867; Newmarket to Essendon on 9 January 1871;
Electrified	Flinders Street to Essendon on 28 May 1919; Essendon to Broadmeadows on 4 September 1921; Broadmeadows to Craigieburn on 22 July 2007;
Gauge converted	Seymour to Albury on 23 July 2010
Closed	North Melbourne to Essendon on 1 July 1864; Seymour to Albury on 9 November 2008;
Technical
Line length	307.812 km (191.27 mi)
Number of tracks	Broad gauge Six tracks: Flinders Street to North Melbourne; Four tracks: North Melbourne to Kensington; Double track: Kensington to Dysart; Single track: Dysart to Seymour; Standard gauge; Double track: Seymour to border; Single track: Broadmeadows to Seymour; border to Albury;
Track gauge	5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm); 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm);
Electrification	Flinders Street to Craigieburn: 1500 V DC overhead
Operating speed	130 km/h (81 mph) - Passenger; 115 km/h (71 mph) - Freight;
Signalling	BG to Craigieburn: Automatic block signaling; BG to Seymour: Double Line Block; SG to Albury: Centralised Traffic Control;
Maximum incline	1 in 50 (2%)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Multiple lines
	via Richmond or Jolimont
	Albury, & Western SG lines
	to Albury, Sydney & Adelaide
	Upfield line
	to Upfield
	Multiple lines
	via Footscray
Metro section (Craigieburn Line)
Kensington
	Flemington Racecourse line
	to Flemington Racecourse
	Albury to Southern Cross
	& Albion-Jacana line to Albion
	Upfield line
	to Flinders Street
Seymour section
Merri Creek
	Heathcote line
	to Bendigo
	Mansfield line
	to Mansfield
	Tocumwal line
	to Tocumwal
	Tatong line
	to Tatong
	Oaklands line
	to Oaklands
	Whitfield line
	to Whitfield
	Yackandandah line
	to Yackandandah
	Peechelba East line
	to Peechelba East
	Wahgunyah line
	to Wahgunyah
	Cudgewa line

North East (SG)
North East (SG)
Overview
Status	Operational passenger services from Southern Cross to Albury and Sydney
Owner	Victorian Railways (VR) (1959–1974); VR as VicRail (1974–1983); STA (V/Line) (1983–1989); PTC (V/Line) (1989–1995); PTC (V/Line Passenger) (1995–1997); VicTrack (1997–Current);
Locale	Victoria, Australia
Termini	Southern Cross; Albury;
Connecting lines	Albion–Jacana; Main Southern (NSW); Newport–Sunshine; Oaklands; South Kensington–West Footscray; Western standard gauge;
Former connections	Upfield—Somerton link
Stations	6 current stations
Service
Type	Victorian railway line
Services	Albury Southern; Spirit of Progress, Southern Aurora, Sydney–Melbourne Express, Intercapital Daylight; Shared tracks:; South Kensington–West Footscray, Albion–Jacana, Albury
Operator(s)	Victorian Railways (VR) (1962–1974); Department of Railways New South Wales (1962–1972); Public Transport Commission (NSW) (1972–1980); VR as VicRail (1974–1983); State Rail Authority (NSW) (1980–1989); STA (V/Line) (1983–1989); PTC (V/Line) (1989–1995); CountryLink (1989–2013); PTC (V/Line Passenger) (1995–1998); V/Line Passenger (1998–2010); V/Line (2010–Current); NSW TrainLink (2013–Current);
History
Commenced	November 1959
Opened	Southern Cross to Albury on 3 January 1962;
Completed	3 January 1962
Reopened	New Wodonga section on 23 July 2010
Closed	Old Wodonga section on 9 November 2008
Technical
Number of tracks	Double track: Southern Cross to Tottenham; Seymour to border; Single track: Tottenham to Seymour; border to Albury;
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	Multiple lines
	via Flinders Street
	Multiple lines
	to Southern Cross or Flinders Street
	Werribee & Williamstown lines
	to Newport
	Newport–Sunshine & Western SG lines
	to Newport & Adelaide
	Newport–Sunshine line
	to Newport
	Multiple lines
	via Deer Park
Albion–Jacana section
	Sunbury, Bendigo, Echuca & Swan Hill lines
	to Sunbury
	Maribyrnong River Viaduct
	over Maribyrnong River
	Melbourne Airport line
	to Melbourne Airport
	Craigieburn, Seymour & Shepparton lines
	via Essendon
	Upfield line
	to Flinders Street
Seymour section
Merri Creek
	Heathcote line
	to Bendigo
	Mansfield line
	to Mansfield
	Tocumwal line
	to Tocumwal
Albury section
Avenel
	Tatong line
	to Tatong
	Oaklands line
	to Oaklands

The North East railway line is a railway line in Victoria, Australia.^[1] The line runs from Southern Cross railway station on the western edge of the Melbourne central business district to Albury railway station in the border settlement of Albury-Wodonga, serving the cities of Wangaratta and Seymour, and smaller towns in northeastern Victoria.

The railway line is both standard gauge and broad gauge. It originally was built as broad gauge the entire length, but another track was built as standard gauge between Seymour and Albury, with construction of the standard gauge track commencing in November 1959 and completed in January 1962, completing the Sydney-Melbourne standard gauge railway. Between 2008 and 2010, the broad gauge track between Seymour and Albury was finally converted to be the line's second standard gauge track. The original section between Southern Cross and Jacana remains broad gauge, with the standard gauge joining and running parallel to the broad gauge between Jacana and Seymour, where the broad gauge branches off on the Tocumwal line, and finally continuing as standard gauge all the way to Albury.

The line is owned by VicTrack, but the standard gauge sections are leased to and maintained by the Australian Rail Track Corporation.^[2]

^ Turton, Keith W. (1973). The North East Railway. (A Lineside Guide) Melbourne to Wodonga. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). ISBN 0-85849-013-7.
^ "Background - Organisation of Australia's Railways". Department of Transport and Regional Services. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2008.

[elect-1] Turton, Keith W. (1973). The North East Railway. (A Lineside Guide) Melbourne to Wodonga. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). ISBN 0-85849-013-7.

[gov-2] "Background - Organisation of Australia's Railways". Department of Transport and Regional Services. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2008.

[1]

[2]