Western standard gauge line
| Western standard gauge | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Type | V/Line passenger service | ||
| System | Freight and The Overland | ||
| Connecting lines | Portland, Hopetoun and Yaapeet lines | ||
| Former connections | Bolangum and Carpolac lines | ||
| Commenced | 1889 | ||
| Completed | 1995 (in current form) | ||
| Number of tracks | Single track, crossing loops | ||
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The Western standard gauge is a railway line in western Victoria, Australia. Opened in 1995, it forms part of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway and serves as the principal interstate rail link between Victoria and the western states. The line replaced a number of former broad gauge routes which were gauge converted, and today sees both intrastate and interstate freight traffic, as well as the twice weekly (in each direction) The Overland passenger service. Major towns on the route include Geelong, Ararat, Horsham and Dimboola.
The first inter-capital link between Melbourne and South Australia was completed in 1887 when the Victorian Railways line was extended to Serviceton on the state border. Known as the Serviceton line, it passed through Geelong, Ballarat, Ararat, Stawell, Horsham and Dimboola, on the way west. It was not until 1889 that a direct Melbourne – Ballarat link was opened.
In the 1970s most interstate lines in Australia began to be converted to standard gauge. By the 1990s Adelaide to Melbourne was the only interstate link not converted, and so various proposals were made for gauge conversion. Two main options were put forward:
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