V/LINE

'V/Line' is a regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of Vic-Rail in 1983 and is currently wholly owned by the State Government of Victoria. 'V/Line' operates to a total of 82 regional stations on 7 railway lines across Victoria.

Contents

Passenger and Freight Operations through Privatisation

Current Fleet

Locomotive/Train Destinations

External links

See also

Passenger and Freight Operations through Privatisation

Under the Kennett Liberal government it was decided to split V/Line into 'V/Line Passenger' and 'V/Line Freight', with separate managements.
In 1999 V/Line Passenger and V/Line Freight were privatised separately. National Express acquired 'V/Line Passenger' (now plain V/Line), and V/Line Freight was acquired by 'Freight Victoria' (later Freight Australia, now Pacific National).
The V/Line Freight contract included a 45 year lease from the government of most regional track (passenger and freight), with responsibilities for trackwork, signalling and level crossings. The lease did not specify any minimum standards to be maintained. Access to passenger sections of track was granted to V/Line Passenger.
Starting in 1999, the newly elected Bracks Labor Government began to spend hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading the passenger sections of track. In 2002 the Australian branch of National Express suffered a financial collapse, and the Government took back control of V/Line Passenger.
Meanwhile, the leaseholder of the 'below rail' assets with competing interests in trucking, allowed some sections of track to deteriorate so much that by 2006, freight trains on parts of the Mildura line could only travel at a maximum speed of 20 km/h.
Having to pay substantial access fees for use of the V/Line track it had upgraded, and also keen to upgrade other lines, the Victorian Government agreed in principle to purchase back the remainder of the 45 year lease of the under rail assets from Pacific National for 133.8 million dollars on 1 November 2006, just 15 minutes before their government ended until the next election. After the Labor party regained power, the contract to end the lease and return the below rail monopoly to government hands was signed on 13 April 2007.

Current Fleet

V/Line currently operates a number of DMUs/Railcars and locomotive-hauled trains.
'Railcars:'

★ 38 - 2 car VLocity DMUs, built by Bombardier Transportation
:''VLocity Set VL29 (With 1129 leading) was involved in a fatal level crossing collision at Trawalla and is currently out of service. It has been reported on the V/LineCars.com website that the second car (Number 1229) will be repaired and combined with a new built motor car to form set number VL39.
A further two VLocity units are also expected to be built, along with 14 new motorised trailer cars.''

★ 22 - Sprinter diesel railcars, which can run in multiple, built by Goninan
:''One unit was scrapped after an accident.''
'Locomotives:'


★ 4 A-class locomotives

★ 25 N-class locomotives

★ 8 P-class locomotives
'Carriages:'

''N Carriage Sets''

★ 6 - 3 Car N Sets (Designation - N)

★ 9 - 4 Car N Sets (Designation - FN)

★ 4 - 5 Car N Sets (Designation - VN)
:N Car Sets were built by the Victorian Railways and are locomotive-hauled.

Total Sets: 19

Total Carriages: 74


''H Carriage Sets''

★ 2 - 3 Car H Sets (Designation - SH)

★ 4 - 4 Car H Sets (Designation - FSH)

★ 2 - 3 Car H Sets (Designation - FSH)
:''Two FSH sets (FSH21 and FSH27 respectively) received a consist modification in October 2006. A single H car was removed from each of the two sets as this was introduced to allow safer and avoid rostering issues involved with running a 7 carriage Push Pull set. Both sets as of October 10th are still running with the FSH designation.''

★ 2 - 5 Car Long H Sets (Designation - VLH)

★ 3 - 5 Car Short H Sets (Designation - VSH)
:In the H sets, the third last letter indicates the set length: none for three, F for four, V for five. The second last letter indicates the ''original'' type of carriage in the set, L for long (75 foot) and S for short (60 foot). For example, VLH indicates a set of five long H cars.
:H Car Sets are locomotive-hauled and were converted from the Harris suburban EMUs.

Total Sets: 13

Total Carriages: 55



★ Various other locomotive-hauled stock as spares
:''See external resources (''V/Linecars.com'' or ''Vicsig.net'') for a full listing.''

Locomotive/Train Destinations

All services depart from Southern Cross Station in Melbourne to a number of stations/locations on the following lines.

★ Eastern Region or 'Gippsland Line' which is also known as the Bairnsdale Line

★ Western Region or 'Ballarat Line' which extends to the Ararat Line'

★ South West Region or 'Geelong Line' which extends to the Warrnambool Line

★ North East Region or 'Seymour Line' which extends to both the Shepparton Line and the Albury-Wodonga Line

★ Northern Region or 'Bendigo Line' which extends to both the Swan Hill Line and the Echuca Line.

External links

★ V/Line

★ Pacific National

★ V/LineCars.com - Comprehensive V/Line Carriages Information & Enthusiast website

★ Vicsig.net - Victorian passenger rolling stock

★ Railpage Australia - Rail Enthusiast based website

See also

★ Railways in Victoria