West Coast Railway (Victoria)
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| Industry | Public Transport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 19 September 1993 |
| Defunct | 31 August 2004 |
| Headquarters | Geelong |
| Parent | Don Gibson Gary McDonald Michael Menzies Australian Public Trustees |
| Website | www.wcr.com.au |
West Coast Railway was a passenger train company operating in Victoria, Australia that operated services between Melbourne and Warrnambool from September 1993 until August 2004.
West Coast Railway was formed in 1993 when the Kennett State Government offered long-distance country rail services previously run by the government-owned operator V/Line to private operators. Bids were lodged in February 1993 and West Coast Railway was announced as the successful tender on 30 April the same year. The initial franchise was for eight years with operations commencing on 19 September 1993. Subsequently a three-year extension was negotiated.
While most other rail services tendered were replaced by road coach services, West Coast Railway successfully tendered to retain a rail service. During the 11 years of WCR operation of the line, patronage increased by 20%. The first rail service under WCR operated on 19 September when V/Line locomotive N466 hauled the 17:00 Warrnambool to Melbourne Spencer Street service.
In August 2001, Connex purchased a 50% shareholding. In 2003, Connex sold its shareholding to Australian Public Trustees.
In 2001 the two directors of the company bought a 50% share in Tranz Scenic, the national passenger operator in New Zealand. In May 2004 the shareholding was sold back to Toll NZ.
West Coast Railway operated rolling stock notable for being largely made up of 1950s locomotives and rolling stock bought from V/Line, replacing the 1980s-built locomotives and rolling stock that had previously operated on the line. This was in contrast to the successful tenderer for the Shepparton line rail service from Hoys Roadlines, who decided to lease rolling stock from V/Line.
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Wikipedia