Albury V/Line rail service

The Albury line is a regional passenger rail service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia. It serves passengers between state capital Melbourne and the regional cities of Benalla, Wangaratta, Wodonga, and the NSW border city of Albury.

Albury

V/Line N class locomotive on a Melbourne-bound service at Seymour
Overview
Service type	Regional rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Victoria, Australia
Current operator(s)	V/Line & Australian Rail Track Corporation
Former operator(s)	Victorian Railways
Route
Start	Albury railway station
Stops	12
End	Southern Cross railway station
Distance travelled	307 km (191 mi)
Average journey time	3 hours 50 minutes - 4hrs 25 mins
Service frequency	Three services daily each direction
Line(s) used	Main Southern North East
On-board services
Class(es)	First and economy
Disabled access	Yes
Technical
Rolling stock	N class
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)
Electrification	None
Operating speed	115-130km/h
Track owner(s)	VicTrack

History

After February 2008, train services on the line terminated at Wangaratta station, with road coaches operating from Wangaratta to Albury. This was due to the deteriorating track conditions between Seymour and Albury which were resulting in train speeds being reduced from 115 to 80 km/h (71 to 50 mph),[1] and trains not being able to make the return journey in the timetabled period.

On 30 May 2008, the then Premier of Victoria John Brumby announced the broad gauge track between Seymour and Albury would be converted to standard gauge, with the project to be combined with the Wodonga Rail Bypass away from the Wodonga CBD. Three V/Line passenger locomotives and 15 passenger carriages were also to be converted to standard gauge to operate the service.[2] Although the project was planned for completion by 2010,[3] it was not finished until the end of June 2011.

While the gauge conversion program was being carried out between 2008 and 2011, all Albury services operated as road coaches north of Seymour, connecting with trains operating between Seymour and Melbourne. 68 seats on the NSW trainlink Melbourne-Sydney XPT service were also made available at V/Line ticket prices.[4]

Rail services on standard gauge commenced on 26 June 2011 with one service each way each day between Albury and Melbourne. A second daily train service was added from 31 October, with a third daily service commencing operations 22 April 2012, marking the end of road coach replacements on the line.[5] However, serious problems soon emerged with the condition of the standard gauge track north of Seymour, meaning that the new service became very unreliable due to speed restrictions, and trains were regularly replaced by buses.[6][7]

Services

Melbourne-bound Albury line train near Seymour in 2007, before the service switched to running on the standard gauge line.

V/Line operates daily passenger trains on the Albury line from Southern Cross station in Melbourne. Services as far as Seymour station are operated as the Seymour Line. Services run by Metro Trains Melbourne also operate as far as Craigieburn station as the Craigieburn Line.

Classified by V/Line as an Intercity service, a snack bar is provided on board trains, and first class accommodation is available. Locomotive hauled N type carriages are used, and most services run express between Seymour and Melbourne.

Albury V/Line Service
h:mm 0:00 0.0 km Southern Cross Zone 1 0:26 28.0 km Broadmeadows Zone 2 1:14 112.8 km Seymour Zone 6 Shepparton V/Line Service 1:28 127.1 km Avenel Zone 8 1:50 164.1 km Euroa Zone 12 2:02 182.4 km Violet Town Zone 13 2:18 206.4 km Benalla Zone 16 2:43 247.1 km Wangaratta Zone 20 3:00 270.7 km Springhurst Zone 22 3:10 284.3 km Chiltern Zone 23 3:27 314.9 km Wodonga Zone 26 3:50 321.3 km Albury Zone 28 NSW TrainLink XPT to Sydney
Standard timetabled journey from Southern Cross

References

1. "News - New timetable for Melbourne <> Albury services". www.vline.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
2. "Premier of Victoria, Australia - FEDERAL-STATE CO-OPERATION DELIVERS MAJOR RAIL PROJECT". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
3. "Full Steam Ahead". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
4. "Albury Line / North East rail upgrade works ~ V/Line". www.vline.com.au. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
5. Bronwen Wade (26 June 2011). "They're back: V/Line trains return". ABC Goulburn Murray. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
6. Coughlan, Kate, & Thomas, Di (31 August 2012). "V/Line admits defeat". The Border Mail. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
7. Carey, Adam (17 December 2012). "$290m loss on botched rail line". The Age. Retrieved 5 March 2013.

External links

• http://www.vline.com.au
• Official map
• Railpage Australia - Discussion and reporting covering the conversion of the line to Standard Gauge