Geelong Region

Geelong is the second city of Victoria, and is the junction of a number of main and secondary lines, as well as a number of defunct goods only and rural branch lines. Passenger rail to Melbourne sees heavy use, and a number of local industries are still served by rail.

Rail lines


Geelong and Warrnambool
The line serves are the main link between Melbourne the state capital, the second Victorian city of Geelong, and the rest of the south-west of the state. The line once extended to Port Fairy and had a number of branch lines, but now terminates at Warrnambool.
Regional Rail Link
From 2015 V/Line services to Geelong and Warrnambool will use the new Regional Rail Link tracks to avoid suburban services that use the original route via Newport.
Corio Independent Goods Line
Opened in 2008, the Corio Independent Goods Line runs alongside the main line between North Geelong and North Shore, providing access to an number of goods sidings along the way.
Fyansford
The Fyansford branch served the cement works located at the town of the same name. It ran from North Geelong upgrade to Herne Hill, opening in 1918 and falling into disuse after the closure of the cement works.
Cunningham Pier
The short Cunningham Pier branch ran from the Geelong station yard down to the pier. Opened to permit construction of the Geelong - Melbourne railway in the 1850s, it fell into disuse with changing freight handling practices at the port.
Queenscliff
The Queenscliff line branched from the main line at South Geelong and ran via Leopold and Drysdale to the coastal town of Queenscliff. On of the first branch lines to be opened in the state in 1879 it was closed in 1976. Part of the line is now operated as a tourist operation by the Bellarine Peninsula Railway.
Geelong Racecourse
The Geelong Racecourse branch opened in 1878 and saw busy traffic when race meetings were held at the Marshalltown racecourse. Leaving the main line at Marshall the line closed in 1906 when the racecourse was relocated.

Map


Geelong Region Railway Lines

Fyansford Line Cunningham Pier Line Queenscliff Line Melbourne - Geelong - Warrnambool Line

Click on a line to view the lineguide.

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Freight traffic


Pacific National operates the majority of local freight traffic in Geelong. Today this includes:

  • Cement despatched from Waurn Ponds to Somerton in Melbourne, and until 2009 Lyndhurst.
  • Logs from Gippsland to the Midway Siding, logs were also sourced from Wodonga until 2008.
  • Containers from Warrnambool to Melbourne, these only pass through Geelong.
  • Export grain from around Victoria to be loaded onto ships at the Grain Loop

On the standard gauge line freight on trains of various operators travels from Melbourne to Adelaide, Portland, and Horsham.

Traffic lost to rail in the last 5 years includes:

  • Oil traffic from the Shell Refinery in Corio to Mildura, Shepparton and other Victorian towns, ended in 2008
  • Louvred vans of beer received at the Geelong Freightgate ended in 2007
  • Fertiliser despatched from the Phosphate Works at North Shore, ended around 2005

Traffic lost to rail in the last 10 years includes:

  • Gypsum to Waurn Ponds from Nowingi and Cowangie (near Mildura)
  • Cement from Fyansford to various places around Victoria

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Passenger traffic


Current passenger services in Geelong are operated by V/Line, with intercity services running from Melbourne to Warrnambool, with interurban commuter services running as far as Marshall. Commuter services were extended from Geelong to South Geelong in 1968, and to Marshall in 2005.

The Overland also stops in Geelong at North Shore station on the way between Melbourne and Adelaide service. Operated by Great Southern Railway the train runs on the parallel standard gauge line.

Regular passenger trains on the Queenscliff line ended in 1931, but Sunday excursion trains continued until closure in 1976. The stations along the Geelong-Ballarat line ceased to be served by passenger trains in 1978, but passenger trains headed for Mildura and Dimboola still used the line until the early 1990s, with some trains to Ballarat lasting a few years longer.

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