North East Rail Revitalisation Project
Major upgrade and conversion of the line between Seymour and
Albury
In May
2008, the Federal and Victorian governments jointly announced a $501.3 million
upgrade of Victoria’s north-east rail corridor between Melbourne and Albury / Wodonga.
As part
of the announcement, 300km of track will be transferred to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) (new window)
who will deliver the project.
The
ARTC will take on responsibility for the ongoing operation of the new
north-east standard gauge rail line as part of a 45 year lease.
This
means V/Line will no longer have responsibility for the maintenance and train
control of the Seymour to Wodonga line, but will still operate train services
on the line when works are complete.
The South Improvement Alliance (SIA) (new window),
a group of organisations brought together by the ARTC, will undertake the
upgrade works.
The
upgrade includes:
- a major
upgrade of the 200km of broad gauge between Seymour and Albury – this
includes conversion of track from broad gauge to standard gauge and
replacement of timber sleepers with concrete ones
- upgrades
to the standard gauge line between Melbourne and Seymour including
construction of four new passing loops as well as upgrade works already
being undertaken by the ARTC
- an
upgrade to three locos and 15 carriages, which will be refurbished and
converted to standard gauge
- new
platforms at Albury, Avenel, Broadmeadows, Chiltern, Euroa, Seymour, Springhurst, and Violet Town stations
- new
stabling, maintenance and washing facilities at Dynon near Southern Cross
Station to be converted for standard gauge locos
- a new
station west of Wodonga (the Wodonga rail bypass project) , which will
remove 11 level crossings through the centre of Wodonga:
This will reduce travel times on the Melbourne to Sydney rail corridor.
Coaches connect with
trains
In
November 2008, V/Line introduced a temporary timetable, which involves the
operation of road coaches between Albury / Wodonga and Seymour. Trains connect
with coaches running between Seymour and Melbourne in both directions.
A mix
of express coaches run between Albury / Wodonga and Seymour, as well as coaches
which stop at all stations to serve Chiltern, Springhurst, Wangaratta, Benalla,
Violet Town, Euroa and Avenel stations.
The temporary timetable is available from our timetables page.
In addition to the coach / train service, V/Line customers also have access to
68 seats on CountryLink’s XPT train service at V/Line ticket prices. CountyLink
trains depart Melbourne at 08:30 and Albury at 15:19, and stop only at Albury,
Wangaratta, Benalla and Melbourne.
V/Line’s
train service will return to normal on completion of the ARTC’s works program later
this year.
General information
- No
checked luggage. Due to the mixture of coach and train V/Line cannot
offer checked luggage on services during the upgrade works. Customers are
advised to pack luggage they can carry easily.
- First
class seating is not available on coach or train services. Please reserve
your ticket to guarantee a seat.
- Seating
on two daily XPT CountryLink services is available to V/Line ticket
holders. Stopping at Albury, Wangaratta and Benalla customers can board
the 08:30 service from Melbourne or the 15:22 service from Albury. Reservations
are a must.
- There is
no onboard buffet service, however refreshments are available from Seymour
Station.
- People
travelling with mobility aids (including wheelchairs) are encouraged to
call V/Line at least 24 hours in advance to reserve their space. Not all
coaches can accommodate wheelchair passengers and alternative travel
arrangements may need to be organised by V/Line.
- Bicycles
are not permitted on board coaches during the works.
- Customers
needing special assistance please call 136 196 before travelling.
More information
Travel
information:
- Customers
can call V/Line on 136 196 for information or to buy tickets.
V/Line timetables
Project
information: