V/Line is a statutory authority that operates regional passenger rail and coach services in the Australian state of Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five commuter routes and eight long-distance services from its major hub at Southern Cross railway station in Melbourne. It also provides coach bus services across Victoria and into New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. In addition, V/Line is responsible for the maintenance of the Victorian freight and passenger rail network outside of the areas managed by Metro Trains Melbourne and the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
The V/Line brand was introduced after the split-up of VicRail in 1983, and has been used by all successive operators of the state's regional public transport network. Until 1999, when its freight operations were privatised, V/Line Freight was also a government provider of the state's rail freight services. From 2004 the main operating rail company V/Line Pty Ltd was owned by the V/Line Corporation, a Victorian state government statutory corporation. In 2016, V/Line Corporation became a subsidiary agency of Public Transport Victoria and in July 2021 V/Line transitioned from a government-owned corporation to a statutory authority.
In the 2023–24 financial year, V/Line carried 23.8 million passengers, mostly on its railway lines, which have experienced considerable patronage growth since 2005 due to improved services and population increases. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on usage, with patronage falling to 10.7 million passengers in 2021–22. V/Line's operations, particularly those on long-distance routes, remain heavily subsidised by the Victorian Government.
History As a government authority On 1 July 1983, the State Transport Authority and a range of other transport bodies were created when the Transport Act 1983 came into effect. The new authority replaced VicRail and established the V/Line operating brand for both country passenger and freight. The VicRail orange and silver "teacup" livery used on passenger rolling stock was replaced in August 1983 by an orange and grey livery. The white and green V/Line logo was launched on 21 August 1983 by the transport minister, Steve Crabb, at Spencer Street station, with special trains running to Essendon to mark the occasion. This was altered on 1 July 1989 when the Transport (Amendment) Act took effect, merging the State Transport Authority with the Metropolitan Transit Authority to form the Public Transport Corporation (PTC). The relationship between the country V/Line and "The Met" suburban brands was blurred, with the Sprinter trains delivered in the 1993–1995 period appearing in PTC colours but with both PTC and V/Line logos.
On 30 April 1984, the first V/Line country coach service commenced with a daily Melbourne to Mildura service being introduced, replacing services formerly operated by Ansett Pioneer and Holidaymakers of Mildura. It was operated under contract by Holidaymakers and Mildura Bus Lines.State Transport Authority Fleetline issue 109 August 1984 page 132 On 2 December 1984, the Speedlink service was introduced. This involved a road coach operating from Adelaide via Albury where it connected with the State Rail Authority's Riverina XPT to Sydney.V/Line Speedlink The Recorder February 1985 page 74Speed link cuts 3 hours from Adelaide – Sydney journey Network March 1985 pages 12/13
Other new coach services introduced were Warrnambool to Mount Gambier on 19 November 1984, Lang Lang to Inverloch on 9 December 1984, Warrnambool to Ballarat on 3 June 1985, Albury to Mildura and Dandenong to Cowes both on 2 September 1985, and Cobram to Shepparton and Melbourne to Shepparton both on 27 October 1985.Rail-coach links give superior State service V/Line News issue 11 February 1985 pages 28/29
On 27 April 1987, the Canberra Link coach service commenced. A Mylon Motorways coach for Canberra connected with a train service from Melbourne at Wodonga.Nationwide Fleetline issue 143 June 1987 page 141Closing the gap between two major cities V/Line News issue 19 June 1987, pp. 23-24. On the same date a service commenced from Mildura to Broken Hill, connecting off The Sunraysia.New Broken Hill service V/Line News issue 19 June 1987, p. 15.
On 1 July 1994, the operation of some of V/Line's regional passenger services was contracted out to the private sector. Hoys Roadlines took over the Melbourne to Cobram service with trains operated under contract by V/Line to Shepparton with Hoys operating a road coach service beyond. The service from Melbourne to Warrnambool was operated by West Coast Railway who operated their own trains throughout.Agreement for the Supply of Passenger Train Services between Warrnambool and Melbourne Government of Victoria Both of these returned to being operated by V/Line in 2004.
Passenger rail services to Leongatha ceased on 24 July 1993, Bairnsdale, Cobram and Dimboola on 21 August 1993, Mildura on 13 September 1993 and Ararat on 27 May 1994.When the lights went out in Victoria Railway Digest July 2013 pages 44–47
In 1995, the freight and passenger rail divisions of V/Line were divided, with a new red, blue, and white livery for its passenger trains. This split was finalised on 1 July 1997 when separate management was brought in. On 1 July 1998, operation of the Stony Point line passed to Bayside Trains. V/Line continues to lend rolling stock to Metro Trains Melbourne to operate the service.Victorian rail transport businesses formally established Railway Digest September 1998 page 15
Privatisation Freight Victoria
V/Line Freight was sold to a consortium of RailAmerica, Fluor Daniel, Macquarie Bank and A Goninan & Co and rebranded as Freight Victoria effective from 1 May 1999.RailAmerica Backed Freight Victoria Consortium Wins Australian V/Line Freight Bid Business Wire 22 February 1999Rail giants to battle for Freight Australia The Age 1 November 2003"Freight Victoria Bid Wins V/Line Freight" Railway Digest March 1999 page 9 The sale included a 45-year lease of most regional track (passenger and freight), with responsibilities for track, signalling and level crossings, with access to passenger sections of track granted to V/Line Passenger. The state government had not wanted to sell rights to the track infrastructure, but was persuaded by bids by three primarily American consortia which argued greater efficiencies could be accomplished by vertical integration. After being renamed Freight Australia in March 2000, it was sold to Pacific National in August 2004."New Colours" Railway Digest April 2000 page 39Victorian Government grants consent to Pacific National acquisition of Freight Australia Toll Group 16 August 2004 In May 2007 Pacific National sold the rail lease of the network back to VicTrack.
National Express On 29 August 1999, National Express took control of V/Line Passenger, having won a 10-year concession in competition with FirstGroup, Freight Victoria, GB Railways, Prism Rail and Stagecoach.First Melbourne franchise Railway Gazette International July 1999 National Express also operated the M>Tram and M>Train franchises in Melbourne.National Express Group Awarded Three Franchises National Express June 1999"NEG conquers Oz" Rail issue 363 11 August 1999 page 11National Express takes root in Melbourne Railway Gazette International October 2000 It included all country rail operations in Victoria, with the exception of the Shepparton and Warrnambool services previously franchised in 1993.
National Express inherited a fleet of A, N, P and Y class locomotives, H, N, S and Z type carriages and Sprinter diesel railcars. As part of the franchise commitment, 29 two-car VLocitys were ordered from Bombardier."All change for private trains and trams" Railway Digest August 1999 page 24
In December 2002, National Express handed in its Victorian rail and tram franchises having been unable to renegotiate financial terms with the state government.National Express walks out of Australian rail service The Daily Telegraph (London) 17 December 2002"Privatisation takes a tumble in Victoria" Railway Gazette International February 2003 page 61Nat Express pull back Down Under The Daily Telegraph (London) 3 September 2004 KPMG were appointed to operate the business on behalf of the State Government.Receivers take over train, tram group The Age 24 December 2002Victorian passenger services get new managers Rail Express 28 January 2003National Express Quits Victorian Rail and Tram Operations Transit Australia February 2003 pages 43/44
As a statutory corporation
Full control of V/Line was taken on 1 October 2003 by changing the shareholding of V/Line, making the government the sole shareholder via a recently created statutory corporation, V/Line Passenger Corporation.Annual Report for year ended 30 June 2004 V/Line V/Line operates under a franchise agreement entered into with the Director of Public Transport. The Director also sub leases tracks and other infrastructure which the Director holds under lease from VicTrack, the agency which owns Victoria's rail-related land and infrastructure.
In 2000, the Regional Fast Rail project was launched to upgrade the tracks linking Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and the Latrobe Valley to Melbourne. The project, which also included an extra 10 Vlocitys and an expanded timetable of rail services, commenced full operations from December 2005."Fast Rail bids" Railway Gazette International December 2002 page 727
Service to Bairnsdale and Ararat was restored in May and July 2004 respectively."Country comeback" Railway Gazette International August 2004 page 458 In December 2008, as part of the Victorian Transport Plan, the state government announced that V/Line rail passenger services would be extended from Ballarat to Maryborough at a cost of $50 million, commencing in July 2010. The first passenger train in 15 years arrived at Maryborough on 24 July 2010. V/Line also resumed operating the Shepparton and Warrnambool services in 2004 when contacts with Hoys Roadliners and West Coast Railway expired."Intelligence" Railway Gazette International October 2004 page 666
In November 2006, Pacific National, which had purchased Freight Australia, entered into an agreement to sell the remainder of its Victorian rail lease of the network back to VicTrack. The sale was completed on 7 May 2007, with V/Line becoming the track manager of the Victorian intrastate network.
In May 2008, it was announced that part of the V/Line fleet would be converted to standard gauge to operate an upgraded Albury line service. In December 2008 V/Line ended the sale of alcoholic beverages aboard long-distance trains, after almost a century of the practice.
In 2015/16, the subsidy per passenger trip was $22.12.
The Transport Integration Act 2010 renamed the V/Line Passenger Corporation as V/Line Corporation. The Act also gave V/Line a new statutory charter. As part of these changes, the corporation's responsibilities were explicitly expanded to cover both rail passenger and rail freight services. The Act received the Royal assent on 2 March 2010 and came into effect on 1 July 2010.
Regional Rail Revival
In the late 2010s and early 2020s, the V/Line network underwent one of the largest periods of expansion and upgrade in its history. In 2009, work began on the Regional Rail Link project, a new double-track railway through Melbourne's western suburbs designed to separate V/Line and Metro trains and create a new corridor for Geelong corridor trains. Largely funded by the federal Rudd Government in 2009, the project was originally budgeted at $4.32 billion but had a final cost of $3.65 billion. When it opened in 2015, the Deer Park–West Werribee railway line added new V/Line stations in Melbourne's west at Tarneit and Wyndham Vale, enabling higher frequencies and expanding V/Line's role as a commuter railway service.