Melton line
| Melton | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Victoria train logo.svg | |||||
| File:Vlocity Caroline Springs.jpg VLocity VL91 arriving into Caroline Springs | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Service type | Passenger service | ||||
| Status | Operating | ||||
| Locale | Victoria, Australia | ||||
| Current operator(s) | V/Line | ||||
| Former operator(s) | Victorian Railways | ||||
| Ridership | 4.68 million (2022–23)[1] | ||||
| Website | V/Line Ballarat on TwitterLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | ||||
| Route | |||||
| Start | Southern Cross | ||||
| Stops | 9 | ||||
| End | Melton | ||||
| Distance travelled | 37 km (23 mi)[2] | ||||
| Service frequency |
| ||||
| On-board services | |||||
| Class(es) | Economy | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Rolling stock | VLocity[3] | ||||
| Track gauge | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 160 km/h (99 mph) maximum[4] | ||||
| Track owner(s) | VicTrack | ||||
| |||||
The Melton line is a suburban passenger service operated by Victorias regional rail operator V/Line in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The service serves 9 stations from Southern Cross station to Melton station. V/Line uses V/Line VLocity DMU units in either 3 or 6 car units. The Melton service is one of two suburban routes operated by V/Line, the other being the Wyndham Vale service on the Geelong line.
The Melton line is V/Lines second busiest route, behind the Geelong line.[5]
The Melton service runs on the same tracks as V/Lines regional services to Ballarat and beyond to Ararat and Maryborough.
History
V/Line took over all regional trains from former operator Victorian Railways (By 1983 trading as VicRail) on 1 July 1983 upon the passing of the Transport Act 1983.[6] When V/Line was first established, the company operated services along the Ballarat line corridor to Dimboola and Mildura although all services to Dimboola were cut back to Ballarat in 1994 with the Mildura line closed to passengers completely.[7][8]
The Ballarat line was duplicated between Sunshine and Deer Park West in 1976 as part of part of a wider proposal for electrification from Sunshine to a new station at Deer Park West, electrification and a new station though never eventuated.[9] As part of duplication works, a new infill station was built at Ardeer to serve the growing area around Ardeer and Sunshine North.[10]
Between the completion of duplication and signalling upgrades as part of the Regional Rail Link project, the line between Sunshine and Deer Park West was signalled for bidirectional running, allowing trains to use either track in either direction.[11] From the opening of the Regional Rail Link in 2015, services on the Melton and Ballarat lines have shared track with services towards Geelong and Warrnambool.[12]
In 2016, the Victorian state government announced its plan to duplicate the Ballarat line between Deer Park West and Melton as well as new stations at Ravenhall and Toolern as well as a complete rebuild of Rockbank station.[13][14] This project would be under the wider Regional Rail Revival project.[15] Caroline Springs station opened on 28 January 2017 to serve the growing industrial suburb of Ravenhall and was provided with 2 platforms in an island configuration. As part of the station opening, double track was extended from Deer Park West to Caroline Springs.[16]
Duplication work began in March 2018 alongside the Rockbank upgrade and new Cobblebank station.[17] The upgraded Rockbank station opened on 26 August 2019.[18] Cobblebank opened on 1 December 2019, alongside the commission of the new track.[19]
Future
As part of Victorias Big Build Rail project, the Melton line between Sunshine and Melton is proposed to be electrified and upgraded.[20] The project is proposed to be built after the Sunshine station superhub and the completion of the Melton level crossing removal project[21] and will replace service at Ardeer, Deer Park, Caroline Springs, Rockbank, Cobblebank and Melton with electric suburban services to the Metro Tunnel. The project will also see the construction of an additional track pair between Sunshine and Caroline Springs to seperate V/Line services from suburban services.[22]
Services
Melton services currently run in conjunction with other services on the Ballarat line.[23]
On weekdays, services run every 20 minutes off-peak with every second service continuing towards Ballarat. On weekends, services run every 40 minutes with all services continuing to Ballarat.[23]
Stopping patterns
Legend — Station status
- ◼ Premium Station – Station staffed from first to last train
- ◻ Host Station – Usually staffed during morning peak, however this can vary for different stations on the network.
Legend — Stopping patterns
- ● – All trains stop
- ◐ – Some services do not stop
- ▲ – Only inbound trains stop
- ▼ – Only outbound trains stop
- | – Trains pass and do not stop
| Melton Services | ||
|---|---|---|
| Station | Local | Express |
| ◼ Southern Cross | ● | ● |
| ◼ Footscray | ● | ● |
| ◼ Sunshine | ● | ◐ |
| Ardeer | ● | I |
| Template:Htxt Deer Park | ● | I |
| ◼ Caroline Springs | ● | I |
| Rockbank | ● | ◐ |
| ◻ Cobblebank | ● | I |
| ◼ Melton | ● | ● |
References
This article "Melton line" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Melton line. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ V/Line Corporation (2023-09-25). Annual Report 2022-23 (Report). Archived from the original on 2024-03-05.
- ↑ "Train Operating Data: Deer Park Junction to Ararat". Network service plan. V/Line Corporation. 25 October 2017. p. 4. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Passenger Schedules: South Western Down". Network service plan. V/Line Corporation. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Train Operating Data: Deer Park Junction to Ararat". Network service plan. V/Line Corporation. 25 October 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "2022/2023 V/Line patronage". V/Line corporate. 2023-09-23. Archived from the original on 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2026-07-14. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Public Record Office Victoria online catalogue". access.prov.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2026-07-14. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The Vinelander cancelled". Sunraysia Daily. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "30 years since the last Dimboola passenger train". Dimboola Courier. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Waugh, Andrew (September 2005). "Ardeer - Deer Park West" (PDF). VRhistory. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "Sunshine to Ballarat". www.victorianrailways.net. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "VICSIG". vicsig.net. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Liu, Teresa (2015-07-01). "Final section of Victoria's $3.65bn Regional Rail Link opens to commuters". Ironfish. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "Ballarat Melton Rail Line Duplication will finally happen! | Australian Greens Victoria". greens.org.au. 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Build, Victoria’s Big (2021-07-27). "Rockbank Station". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Build, Victoria’s Big (2026-05-14). "Regional Rail Revival". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Journalist, Infrastructure (2017-01-30). "Caroline Springs Station opens". Infrastructure Magazine. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "$518 Million Ballarat Line Upgrade Released To Market". www.premier.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "New and improved Rockbank Station". Projectlink. 2019-08-29. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "Victoria's Newest Station Opens At Cobblebank". Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Build, Victoria’s Big (2026-07-09). "Melton Line Electrification". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Build, Victoria’s Big (2026-02-03). "Melton level crossing removals". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Build, Victoria’s Big (2026-06-30). "Sunshine Superhub". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "V/Line Ballarat line timetable". V/Line. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
