Napier Street railway bridge strike, October 2015
Thursday 1 October 2015
The railway bridge that carries the Williamstown and Werribee lines over Napier Street has a long history of being struck by high vehicles - October 1st 2015 was yet another example.
New X'Trapolis EMUs
Wednesday 11 April 2018
A second batch of X'Trapolis EMUs are being imported, number from 1M upwards (and 1301T). The first 6 car set arrived in 2009 and underwent testing before being commissioned into service.
Newport Railway Museum
Saturday 3 September 2022
Located off Champion Road in North Williamstown, the Newport Railway Museum hosts an open air collection of steam, diesel and electric trains from the railways of Victoria, alongside other railway exhibits. The ARHS operated railway museum was established in 1962, and was closed to public access 2010-2014 due to visitor safety concerns, but has since reopened and seen upgrades to place exhibits undercover.
Newport Workshops: Downer Group and Siemens Rail
Monday 11 March 2024
Newport Workshops is the main railway heavy repair and maintenance facility in Melbourne. The eastern side is occupied by EDI Rail and Siemens, while the older buildings in West Block are occupied by heritage operators Steamrail Victoria and 707 Operations. The East Block is used as storage by VicTrack. Photos include some from a tour of the EDI section featuring the locomotive, bogie and wheel shops.
Newport Workshops: Steamrail and 707 Operations
Monday 11 March 2024
Steamrail Victoria and 707 Operations have a large rolling stock fleet based at the West Block of Newport Workshops in Melbourne
Night Network Melbourne
Tuesday 23 November 2021
'Night Network' is the brand name for all night trains and trams across Melbourne on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as a revamped Nightrider bus service.
North Dynon
Sunday 3 March 2024
Located between the main passenger lines at South Kensington and Dynon Roads, along with Moonee Ponds Creek and the Maribyrnong River, the North Dynon precinct includes the Agents Sidings and the P&O Trans Australia container terminal at 'T' gate.
North Dynon locomotives
Sunday 3 March 2024
Qube Logistics operates a fuel point at the Footscray end of North Dynon Yard, with locomotives also being stabled in common user sidings at the city end.
North Fitzroy Depot
Sunday 17 January 2021
North Fitzroy Depot on Nicholson Street, North Fitzroy closed in 1993, but reopened in 2008-2012 to stable W class trams used on the City Circle while Southbank depot was undergoing refurbishment.
NSW Rail Transport Museum - Melbourne Cup Aurora 2011
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Heritage locomotives 4490 lead 4520 on the 11 carriage train of ex-Southern Aurora carriages from NSW to Melbourne on November 01, 2011.
NSW Rail Transport Museum - Melbourne Cup Aurora 2012
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Heritage locomotives 44211 lead 4490 on the 10 carriage train of ex-Southern Aurora carriages from NSW to Melbourne on November 06, 2012.
NSW Rail Transport Museum - Melbourne Cup Aurora 2015
Tuesday 3 November 2015
CFCLA locomotives FL220 and HL203 lead a 13 carriage train of ex-Southern Aurora carriages from NSW to Melbourne on November 3, 2015.
NSW Rail Transport Museum - Southern Aurora 50th anniversary 2012
Saturday 26 May 2012
On 26 May 2012 the New South Wales Rail Transport Museum ran a special 50th anniversary recreation of the Southern Aurora from Sydney to Melbourne. Heritage locomotives 4490 and 4306 led the train.
Pacific National - Melbourne standard gauge freight
Sunday 10 March 2024
Pacific National standard gauge intermodal services from Adelaide and New South Wales meet at Melbourne, running via the western suburbs into the Melbourne Freight Terminal at South Dynon.
Pacific National - Sadleirs Logistics
Friday 15 October 2021
Until September 2021 Pacific National moved freight by rail for Sadleirs Logistics with their fleet of RLSY louvre vans, attached to intermodal services.
Pacific National - Western standard gauge
Wednesday 14 February 2024
Out on the Western standard gauge, from beyond Gheringhap across the plains towards South Australia
Pacific National broad gauge grain
Saturday 27 January 2024
Grain is a major freight traffic in Victoria, but drought has cut the level of traffic in recent years. Broad gauge trains operate to export terminals at Melbourne and Geelong.
Pacific National broad gauge in Melbourne
Saturday 10 February 2024
Miscellaneous Pacific National broad gauge freight movements through Melbourne - there isn't much these days...
Pacific National Kensington grain
Saturday 16 September 2017
The flour mill Kensington at Kensington is one of the last to be rail served in Victoria, grain hoppers are taken there on a regular basis, requiring a convoluted route through the suburban and freight lines, with a reversal in Melbourne Yard. Until November 2017 this service was operated by Pacific National.
Pacific National Long Island steel train
Saturday 9 March 2024
Until 2020 Pacific National operated the Long Island steel train to the BlueScope Steel mill at Hastings, south of Frankston. The steel is transferred from broad to standard gauge trains at the Melbourne Freight Terminal at South Dynon. In 2015 this facility replaced the Melbourne Steel Terminal, just west of North Melbourne station.
Pacific National Tocumwal freight
Sunday 3 March 2024
Pacific National (formerly Patrick PortLink) operate a container service between Appleton Dock in Melbourne and Tocumwal, loading also being attached / removed at Mooroopna (Shepparton).
Poor service from Metro Trains Melbourne
Sunday 31 March 2024
Woeful service from Metro Trains Melbourne is a running joke - here are some examples.
Poor service from V/Line
Friday 2 February 2024
Clutching failure from the jaws of success - that's the V/Line way.
Port of Melbourne
Sunday 3 March 2024
Trains and railway lines at Melbourne's Victoria, Appleton and Swanson Docks.
Preston level crossing removal replacement buses
Thursday 11 August 2022
During 2022 passengers for Bell and Preston had to catch buses while the stations were closed, due to the level crossings at Oakover Road, Bell Street, Cramer Street and Murray Road in Preston being removed by raising the Mernda line onto an elevated viaduct.
PTV Hubs
Tuesday 19 September 2023
PTV Hubs were created in 2012 following the merger of the Met Shop at Melbourne Town Hall with the Central Pass Office and Myki Discovery Centre at Southern Cross Station.
PTV Night Network launch
Friday 30 October 2015
On October 30, 2015 the politicians visited Federation Square to launch PTV's new 'Night Network' - all night trains and trams, as well as a rejigged Nightrider bus service.
Puffing Billy
Saturday 14 August 2021
Photos of the popular narrow gauge heritage railway in the Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne
Qube Logistics Apex quarry train
Wednesday 10 January 2024
The Apex train carries gravel and other quarry products from Kilmore East on the North East line, to Westall in south-eastern Melbourne, Brooklyn in western Melbourne, and North Shore in Geelong. Originally operated by Freight Australia then Pacific National, in 2016 Qube Logistics won the contract.
R707 Seymour transfer, June 2017
Thursday 8 June 2017
On June 08, 2017 steam locomotive R707 headed light engine from Newport to Seymour via Southern Cross Station, on loan from 707 Operations to run an upcoming Seymour Railway Heritage Centre tour.
Rebranding Connex to Metro Trains Melbourne
Wednesday 16 August 2023
Metro Trains Melbourne took over operation of the Melbourne suburban rail network from Connex on 30 November 2009, with rebranding of trains and stations commencing right away.
Regional Rail Link open days
Saturday 20 June 2015
Prior to the opening of Regional Rail Link open days were held at the new stations: Tarneit station on June 13, and Wyndham Vale on June 20.
Regional Rail Link rail replacement buses
Thursday 24 April 2014
For two weeks in July 2011 the railway between Footscray and Sunshine will be closed to allow the first stage of Regional Rail Link works to proceed. Metro's Sydenham line service will be replaced by a bus service between Albion Station and Flemington Racecourse - by the looks of the bus interchanges, this will not be the only series of disruptions.
Reservoir level crossing removal project
Monday 18 January 2021
The Reservoir level crossing will be removed by building a rail bridge over High Street and constructing a new Reservoir Station.
Richmond station
Wednesday 10 November 2021
A windblown concrete monolith from the 1950s with inadequate passenger interchange passageways and narrow platforms
Rock throwing media conference, October 2007
Tuesday 16 October 2007
On 16 October 2007 Connex Melbourne and V/Line management held a media conference at Flinders Street Station to address the spate of rock throwing indicdents endangering their trains.
S302 transfer, August 2009
Friday 14 August 2009
S302 has been recently repaired by SSR Bendigo for El Zorro, it was also repainted in their orange and grey livery. It was transferred to Seymour via Melbourne with T342
School Strike for Climate 2019
Friday 20 September 2019
On 20 September 2019 trams across the Melbourne CBD were disrupted by the School Strike for Climate march.
Second Merri Creek bridge at Clifton Hill
Sunday 20 January 2019
Clifton Hill is the junction of the Epping and Hurstbridge lines in inner Melbourne, with a new bridge being built in 2008 across Merri Creek to duplicate the Hurstbridge line tracks.
Siemens train door failure, July 2012
Tuesday 17 July 2012
On 17 July 2012 the doors of Siemens train 794M failed while running a down Craigieburn service at Newmarket station. As a result the entire train load passengers had to be turfed off the train.
Siemens train static inverter issues
Monday 17 August 2015
In December 2014 it was discovered that Melbourne's fleet of Siemens trains had been fitted with defective capacitors in the static inverter unit found beneath the train floor, resuling in a number of explosions. As an interim workaround fire blankets and tie down straps were fitted around the equipment boxes to reduce the risk.
Signage at Melbourne stations
Sunday 7 April 2024
Station signage across the Melbourne railway network
Smashed sign at Sunshine station
Tuesday 24 October 2023
What happens when you put a road sign right beside a tight corner, on a footpath leading through the Sunshine station car park? Clueless motorists drive over the top of it, over and over again.
Snookered trams on Swanston Street
Wednesday 10 April 2013
Southbound Z2.101 was trying to turn from Swanston into La Trobe Street, blocked by a northbound tram across the intersection, with more northbound trams blocked by a tram shunting through the crossover, which couldn't move because of the tram stuck behind the turning Z2.101!
South Dynon
Wednesday 6 March 2024
Located between Dynon and Footscray Roads, alongside Moonee Ponds Creek and the Maribyrnong River, the South Dynon precinct includes the Pacific National operated Melbourne Freight Terminal and Melbourne Operations Terminal
South Melbourne Depot
Wednesday 14 March 2012
South Melbourne Depot was located on the corner of Kings Way and Dorcas Street in South Melbourne. It was replaced by Southbank Depot in 1997.
South Morang rail extension project
Sunday 20 January 2019
Extension of the Epping line a few kilometres to South Morang, as well as the duplication of the existing line between Keon Park and Epping.
Southbank Depot
Friday 24 February 2023
Southbank Tram Depot located on the Port Melbourne light rail line supplies trams to route 12, 30, 35 and 96.
Southern Cross Station
Sunday 4 February 2024
Southern Cross Station is the main interstate and regional station for Melbourne. The full set of photos is at my other site, Rail Geelong.
Southern Cross Station office towers
Monday 2 September 2019
The 664 Collins Street and 699 Bourke Street office towers have been built atop Southern Cross Station platforms 13 through 16
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